System of a Down

System of a Down is the eponymous debut album by System of a Down, first released in 1998. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on February 2, 2000. Two years later, after the success of Toxicity, it was certified platinum.

The hand on the front belongs to the artwork of a poster designed by the artist John Heartfield for the Communist Party of Germany during the Third Reich. The text in the original poster is: “5 fingers has a hand! With these 5 grab the enemy!”. This slogan inspired part of the text contained in the back of the System of a Down album: “The hand has five fingers, capable and powerful, with the ability to destroy as well as create”. Later, it is written in bold letters: “Open your eyes, open your mouths, close your hands and make a fist”.

Q magazine (10/01, p.152) - 4 stars out of 5 - “This remains an excellent starting point for this most curious and underrated of bands.”

The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Personnel

* Daron Malakian – guitar, background vocals
* Serj Tankian – vocals, keyboard/samples
* Shavo Odadjian – bass
* John Dolmayan – drums

Before some of the lyrics in the booklet for this album, footnotes appear.

* “Spiders” :

“Your thoughts, and dreams are no longer sacred, as they are exposed to a
weapon known as remote viewing and monitoring.”

* “DDevil” :

“For those that control the central nervous system,