CHECK 'EM OUT!






Armenian-born System of a Down have got one of the coolest reputations doing the rounds at the moment ,which is largely due to shameless name-dropping by fellow Los Angelians such as Tura Satana ,Coal Chamber and Fear Factory. So what makes System OF a Down so bleedin' special,then?Imagine "Roots"-era Sepultura jamming with Deftones and Tool and you'll be getting close ,but still a mile short of a cigar.
"We' ve played with a lot of bands in L.A. ,and they like us because we are not afraid to try something different or speak our minds ," reckons System' s fiery vocalist Serj Tankian."When I write lyrics to a song I put down whatever is on my mind ,whether it's political ,concerned with passions like love or hate ,or being happy and depressed.Nothing is contrived and it's all real."
System Of A Down 's current musical output is restricted to a handful of demo tapes but the quality of material impressed enough US major labels to spark off a bidding war for the band 's signatures ,at a time when the "metal market" is supposedly at its lowest ebb.
System 's rich blend of pulverising Armenian rhythms and face-ripping riffs has been hailed as the biggest sound to hit the scene since White Zombie 's "Astro Creep:2000......" set blasted forth in 1994.
"I'm glad we' ve made an impression on so many people 's minds because we do try to keep changing and be ahead of ourselves ," admits Serj."People are telling us that we' ve added a lot of nuances and dynamics to heavy music.We have a lot of angst to get out ,but we 're not sticking to one strict genre.System have an aggressive sound but we' re not an aggressive band ,and I'd like to believe that there are no doors that are closed to us in terms of our future musical developement."
You can contact System of a Down by writing to them at: Velvet Hammer Management ,9877 Carmelita Avenue ,Beverly Hills ,California 90210 ,USA.

Chris Ingham