Toxicity is the second studio album by the rock band System of a Down, released on September 4, 2001, through American Recordings and Columbia Records. Expanding on their 1998 eponymous debut, it incorporated more melody, harmonies, and singing than the band’s first album. Categorized primarily as alternative Metal and Nu metal, Toxicity features elements of multiple genres, including folk, progressive rock, jazz, and Armenian and Greek music, including prominent use of instruments like the sitar, banjo, keyboards, and piano.
It contains a wide array of political and non-political themes, such as mass incarceration, the CIA, the environment, police brutality, drug addiction, scientific reductionism, and groupies. Toxicity was recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood, California.
Over 30 songs were recorded, but the band narrowed the number of songs on the album to 14. The album peaked at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart, sold 220,000 copies in its first week of release, was certified six times platinum by the RIAA by July 2022, and has shipped at least six million copies in the United States.
System of a Down released 3 singles in support of their Toxicity album: Chop Suey!, released on August 13, 2001, Toxicity released on January 22, 2002, and Aerials, released on June 11, 2002 All of Toxicity‘s singles reached the Billboard Hot 100. The final single, Aerials, went to number one on both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and the Modern Rock Tracks charts.
Tracklist:
- Prison Song
- Needles
- Deer Dance
- Jet Pilot
- X
- Chop Suey!
- Bounce
- Forest
- ATWA (Air Trees Water Animals)
- Science
- Shimmy
- Toxicity
- Psycho
- Aerials
- Arto (featuring Arto Tunçboyacıyan)
System of a Down
Serj Tankian: vocals, keyboards, guitar on “Aerials”, piano, string arrangements
Daron Malakian: guitars, sitar, vocals
Shavo Odadjian: bass
John Dolmayan: drums
Additional musicians
Arto Tunçboyacıyan: additional vocals/music
Marc Mann: strings arrangement, conducting, additional strings writing
Artwork
Martyn Atkins: photography (studio)
Glen E. Friedman: photography (back cover, water)
John Dolmayan: photography
Hallie Sirota: photography
Mark Wakefield: cover art
Shavo Odadjian: art direction, album art concepts
Brandy Flower: art direction, collage art
System of a Down: album art concepts
John Dolmayan: collage art
Shavo Odadjian: co-label art
Production and directing
Rick Rubin: producer
Daron Malakian: producer
Serj Tankian: co-producer
Andy Wallace: mixing
David Schiffman: engineer
Greg Collins: additional engineer
Darren Mora: assistant engineer, additional engineer
Al Sanderson: assistant engineer
Ryan McCormick: assistant engineer
Jim Champagne: assistant engineer
Rich Balmer: mixdown engineer
Dino Paredes: A&R direction
Lindsay Chase: production coordinator
Eddy Schreyer: mastering
