PHSYSTEM OF A DOWN's "Toxicity" music video has officially topped a billion views on YouTube.
The clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009, marks SYSTEM OF A DOWN's second song to reach the milestone, after "Chop Suey!" hit one billion views in November 2020.
The "Toxicity" video was co-directed by Marcos Siega (311, WEEZER) and SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian and kicks off on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame before cutting to the band. Guitarist Daron Malakian can be seen wearing a Los Angeles Kings jersey with his last name on the back most of the time in the video. A closeup from behind John Dolmayan's drum kit reveals a double-bass pedal attachment even though he doesn't use it during the song. During the verses, a projector shows homeless people lined against the streets. After the second chorus, Malakian is seen playing the fast riff in fast motion while the band freezes and a crowd slowly appears. The rest of the band resumes as they all come in. The crowd sings along with the band as well as forming a circle pit both in the light and in the dark with glow-sticks. Similar to a scene in the "Chop Suey!" video where singer Serj Tankian is seen eating chop suey, the band is shown eating seeds, corresponding with the lyrics "Eating seeds as a pastime activity". The video ends with a shot of the Milky Way.
"Toxicity" topped out at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May 2002 and No. 7 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN will also play a run of South American stadium gigs this spring. The seven-show "Wake Up! South America" tour is slated to kick off on April 24 in Bogota, Colombia at the Estadio Nemésio Camacho El Campin, followed by a show in Cercado De Lima, Peru at the Estadio Nacional. The tour will move on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil, wrapping up with a run of three shows in Curitiba, Rio De Janieiro and São Paulo. The concerts will be SYSTEM OF A DOWN's first visit to South America since 2015.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.
The clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009, marks SYSTEM OF A DOWN's second song to reach the milestone, after "Chop Suey!" hit one billion views in November 2020.
The "Toxicity" video was co-directed by Marcos Siega (311, WEEZER) and SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian and kicks off on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame before cutting to the band. Guitarist Daron Malakian can be seen wearing a Los Angeles Kings jersey with his last name on the back most of the time in the video. A closeup from behind John Dolmayan's drum kit reveals a double-bass pedal attachment even though he doesn't use it during the song. During the verses, a projector shows homeless people lined against the streets. After the second chorus, Malakian is seen playing the fast riff in fast motion while the band freezes and a crowd slowly appears. The rest of the band resumes as they all come in. The crowd sings along with the band as well as forming a circle pit both in the light and in the dark with glow-sticks. Similar to a scene in the "Chop Suey!" video where singer Serj Tankian is seen eating chop suey, the band is shown eating seeds, corresponding with the lyrics "Eating seeds as a pastime activity". The video ends with a shot of the Milky Way.
"Toxicity" topped out at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May 2002 and No. 7 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN will also play a run of South American stadium gigs this spring. The seven-show "Wake Up! South America" tour is slated to kick off on April 24 in Bogota, Colombia at the Estadio Nemésio Camacho El Campin, followed by a show in Cercado De Lima, Peru at the Estadio Nacional. The tour will move on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil, wrapping up with a run of three shows in Curitiba, Rio De Janieiro and São Paulo. The concerts will be SYSTEM OF A DOWN's first visit to South America since 2015.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.