Effective period / Period of releases: 1997 - 2020

Members: Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, John Dolmayan, Shavo Odadjian, Andy Khachaturian

System of a Down, sometimes shortened to System and abbreviated as SOAD, is an Armenian-American heavy metal band from Glendale, California, formed in 1994. The band currently consists of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards), Daron Malakian (vocals, guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass, backing vocals) and John Dolmayan (drums).

The band achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums, three of which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and their song "B.Y.O.B." won the Best Hard Rock Performance of 2006. The group went on hiatus in August 2006 and came together again in November 2010, embarking on a tour for the following three years. System of a Down has sold over 40 million records worldwide, and two of their singles, "Aerials" and "Hypnotize", reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.