Released September 4, 2001 on American Recordings, Toxicity is System of a Down's landmark second studio album and one of the defining records of the alternative metal era. Certified 6x Platinum in the US, the album pushed the band's signature aggression into new sonic territory: layering melody, complex harmonies, and Serj Tankian's operatic vocal range over Daron Malakian's relentless guitar work.
Musically, Toxicity defies easy categorization. It draws from alternative metal, nu metal, progressive rock, folk, jazz, and Armenian and Greek musical traditions, incorporating instruments like sitar, banjo, piano, and keyboards throughout. Tracks like "Chop Suey!", "Toxicity," "Aerials," and "Psycho" remain some of the most streamed and recognized songs in heavy music.
Lyrically, the album is a confrontation, with prison overpopulation, CIA overreach, environmental collapse, and addiction, wrapped in hooks that made it impossible to ignore. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has endured as both a critical and commercial touchstone of early 2000s rock.
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Limited to 3 individually numbered copies.
