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Perhaps the most famous of all Armenian-American musicians, alternative metal band System of a Down was formed by descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors. Shavo Odadjian, Daron Malakian, John Dolmayan, and Serj Tankian formed the politically charged group in Glendale, California in 1994. Achieving great success, the band has had three of its five studio album releases debut at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. The band won MTV and Grammy awards, and many other prizes.
Achieving this popularity has given System of a Down a platform to speak about issues they feel strongly about. Raising awareness for the Armenian Genocide has consistently been a goal for the band, especially lead singer Serj Tankian who has worked on other awareness-based projects outside the band. The band's first commercial release was included on the compilation album about Armenian Genocide recognition.
The band has released multiple songs focusing on the Armenian Genocide, including “Holy Mountains”(referring to Ararat) and their most famous song, “Chop Suey”. The thirteenth track on their self-titled debut album, “P.L.U.C.K.” which stands for “Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers,” contains some of the most aggressive lyrics written by the band on the subject. The following excerpt displays this aggression as the System of a Down calls for “recognition, restoration, reparation”.
These lyrics are written as a direct address towards the Turkish government, which refuses to acknowledge the event as genocide. This refusal is a common source of anger and frustration for Armenians and the lines reflect this rage. System of a Down, both musically and lyrically, represents one of the most aggressive and outspoken stances on the genocide. While other musicians focus on remembrance and peace, the band calls for retribution.
In 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the band did a world tour called "Wake up the souls" performing in the biggest cities around the world and capital of Armenia Yerevan. Having millions of fans around the world SOAD has a significant contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The band singer Serj Tankian visited UWC Dilijan in 2017
A documentary about the band called "Screamers"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgl3Fe78gdY
Band singer Tankian's speech in Armenia about Genocide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MUTfnr_Up8
"Lives" by Daron Malakian(lead guitar) released last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsmmQ1EqSIc
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