Now that you've done the big 3 tracks from this album, please, do yourself a favor and listen to the full thing. Toxicity as an album is a masterpiece.
Among things that drew me to SOAD is their beats and rhythms. Being from east Europe I recognized eastern and oriental influences in their Armenian heritage
@@robertakerman3570 well it bit me and I cant stop dancing since. Ofc they are not folk band, but bits of eastern are skilfully scattered here and there.
@repica68, respectfully, their music does not have any Oriental influences, as you have suggested. Armenian, Persian, and even Slavic, yes. But not Oriental. This is not a pedantic correction. As you know, these styles are vastly different. 🙂
When System of a Down was fairly new, my dad heard the music from my older brother's room. "What is this?" he asked, though he never really liked music, much less metal. "It's... Well, nobody knows WHAT they are..." said my brother. As a classic rock and metal fan, I remember that moment as the day metal had taken a new step. I'm no fan of the genre after the 90's, but Toxicity is a masterpiece of an album and I have the deepest respect for SOAD.
Absolutely, it was one of those records, I remember putting it on and just sitting there listening to the entire album , didn’t skip a song, was completely mesmerised
Ive watched many of your videos and am so glad a man of your profession and age can see metal music for the talent it has. Many people judge it so fast as garbage noise. Thank you for being amazing Doug and listening to music I never thought would get this appreciation.
I remember when this CD dropped ... every 5th car was playing it on 11! As in 2001, I still want to open the window and scream "disorder, disorder"! Great albums stay great ...
@@jessetaulbee8825 Gaslighting? People loved this CD and I never had to buy it, but eventually did. I daily heard it in public and saw the videos on TV for quite a while. Now I just bring it up on TH-cam whenever I want to remember how good it was/is. I'm quite aware of what purposeful propaganda is ...
The thing i've always enjoyed about this band is John Dolmayan's fills and unusual beat patterns on drums. Its a quality of their production that often gets overshadowed by the vocals of Serj and Daron.
SOAD was/is a sui generis amalgam of four amazing talents, and the whole transcends the sum of the parts; fantastic vocals (both main and harmony), guitars, bass, and drums. I have yet to get tired of them.
So cool that react videos are now done by professionals in the fields of the videos they react to - opens up a whole new way to experience things you like just because, now with some expert color commentary.
I love your reactions man! You might not like some of my favourite songs but I love to see an experts input and how surprised you get at unexpected changes!
If you are enjoying metal so much and want to branch out a bit, I recommend looking at A Rose for the Epona by Eluveitie. It's beautiful, different and incorporates classical violin, mandolin, flute, bagpipes and the hurdy-gurdy as part of the metal sound beautifully.
Man, people reacting for frist time to SOAD has become such a thing, I wish someone would have recorded me, my friends or all the people I have introduced to them in the last 20 years. They are one of the most shocking and original banda ever, that is for sure.
Hello, Doug. I have always interpreted the last phrase, "when I become the Sun", as a mystical/spiritual reference, which is quite external to the rest of the lyrics. Great video, greetings!
First time seeing your videos and i think nobody will ever explain these songs better than you are one of the few people who knows that they are talking about.
what gets me is as you're going over the ideas at the end, you touched on a lot of what I get from the song, another expansion on that could be they are in LA, you've got Hollywood right there, which definitely the influence of Hollywood has a global impact "You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder? Now, somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep Disorder, disorder, disorder" could also refer to that influence and the disorders that are associated it, drug disorders, eating disorders, as you mentioned mental disorder, I believe they are touching on all aspects of the idea of toxicity.
If I can suggest the next SOAD song to be reacted to, I would recommend Holy Mountains. Is one of the two songs about the Armenian Genocide that they recorded (and for me the best one by far).
You are one of the only guys on TH-cam that accurately breaks down the rythem and timing along with truly listening to the words and giving insight I love your videos I would love to see if you could compose and perform a orchestra to play alot of these heavy metal riffs
Interesting background with the flapped uo icons. Dark side of the moon, in the court of the Crimson King and the Liverpool guys in London of course :-) amazing.
I loved the video, a great critics. It will be so fabulous that you could hear the song 'Ego brain' from their 3rd album 'steal this album' is a very powerful song. The lyrics are very strong. Bless.🖖
Love tuning in to Doug's videos, but still hoping he'll cover the band Ghost one of these days. A band where I feel like the composition of their songs is what makes them so great.
It's a darkly wonderful journey to listen thru their whole discography... at the end of the day I think my favorite is Steal This Album but I mean they really produced a catalog of truly awesome sound and ideas I don't think they've released a single dud track
If your doing another track from this album.. I would recommend Dear Dance.. lyrics will give you something to talk about. Also a track that jumps in terms of riffs .
I've been fortunate to see many great bands live, but when it comes to energy System is really different. Something primal comes out when you see them live :)
i like that you try to come up with what the lyrics mean, you're a smart and wise man=) and i find it sad that most comments - coming from fans - won't help - so far i've read that serj and jon are great, but we're all already aware of that i'm also sad that personnally i just don't have a clue about what the song is about...
I love your interpretation of these final lines. It's very optimistic. My assumption is that it has something to do with becoming a totalitarian leader, and with cult of personality.
I've been listening to that album since it came out. It's cute to try an analyze lyrics that are non-nonsensical or poetic or convoluted in nature, however, the song will hit you differently when you listen to it at an age of 13 compared to how it hits when you are 35 (speaking for myself). It will mean different things to different individuals too. And this is the beauty of vague lyrics. Radiohead comes to mind with idiotique, spinning plates, wolf at the door. The lyrics are an expression of the author's observations and feelings at the time of making the song. Feelings are ambiguous. It makes little sense to pin point exactly what the message of a song is, though admittedly it is fun, and we try to make sense of things and strive for meaning. Even if the author of certain lyrics, insisted that they mean this or that specific thing, it would not matter. Someone who does not speak the language can still listen to the song and derive a meaning from it - which is IMO equally valid to what you think the song means.
Yeah, Serj is certainly a unique metal vocalist, very recognizable and unusual in delivery, I think it's in-part the Armenian heritage that brings a different flavor to it.
One of my fav SOAD songs is Spiders. They have such a great sound. Shame they ain't an official band anymore.(unless something changed?) Serj Tankian has done some solo work too and I recommend checking that out.
Love your reactions to metal music. SOAD is a staple, I've been an Iron Maiden fan for many, many moons, and have recently come to love a relatively new band out of Italy called Frozen Crown. Check out their track titled "Neverending". I think you'll like it.
The last line most likely to my understanding is to do with eastern meditation and the form of enlightenment we can reach. In an astrology way, we all have animals or symbols of what we are, but we all can reach the stage of the Pheonix. One who can take the bad from the world and recycle it to neutral or positive energy The ones who reach this stage shines so bright it's shown in the darkest and deepest places of the heart, the mind, and soul.
Is interesting see how a person with a lot of musical formation processing every song, theme, gender!!! brutal.... music is awesome!!... congrats!, very cool video! 🤟
I always thought it was "when I became the sun, I shone like faith into man's hearts." To me I always thought about spreading awareness of the toxicity to other people, helping them to see the light. Like a Plato's Cave type thing,
I am very late to this reaction but just want to add that "eating seeds as a past time activity" is a common thing to do, especially for working class people in Eastern European countries - you'd gather with your friends in front of the apartment complex, grab a couple of beers and eat seeds as the world goes by.
Hi Doug, thanks for another great video. If you are in the mood for suggestions, how about Keith Jarrett, the Koln concert. You could pick any part. It is all amazing.
Legit the whole album - it's one of the last albums I think was put together with the idea of it being a full album, before MP3/etc became a huge thing. The track order is so great.
Absolutely love your breakdowns and explanations of the musicality being used. I think you would really love to get into some of the Ren catalog. I would suggest Hi Ren, The tale of Jenny and Screech (full) and his band The Big Push - I shot the sheriff/road to zion/hip-hop. Some masterful guitar work and phenomenal story telling.
I always like when someone hears SODs big tracks as a introduction then comes across Lonely Day for the curveball - SOD- Lonely Day. Definitely worth a reaction
I would highly recommend listening to the last two songs in their album Mezmerize, Old School Hollywood and Lost in Hollywood, they are both really great songs and my personal favourites from the album.
Late to the party .... I think the verse means ,when I became the sun , when I found myself I became like the sun inspiring others ... Cheers u r great sir
Progenies of the Great Apocalypse by Dimmu Borgir from the Forces of the Northern Night show in Oslo with the orchestra for a future metal Monday please! Its so silly but also so good.
I am surprised that you would not recognize the reference to the Schumann quote, "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts, such is the duty of the artist"
Now that you've done the big 3 tracks from this album, please, do yourself a favor and listen to the full thing. Toxicity as an album is a masterpiece.
I one up this!
Yeeeessssssssss
I love it but there's a lot of filler though
Then continue with Steal This Album as it contains a lot more great tracks that didn't fit on Toxicity.
@@jessetaulbee8825 lol what?!? I listen to prison song all the time
I love Dolmayan’s drumming. He always has good drum sounds and he’s very tight and creative.
The way that he changes his timing to suspend and enhance the breaks and flow is so impressive.
A severely underrated element of their sound.
the drum fills on the verse parts every 2nd bar are so crazy dope
The band wouldn't be the same without his amazing fluidity and tightness as a drummer, truly.
Among things that drew me to SOAD is their beats and rhythms. Being from east Europe I recognized eastern and oriental influences in their Armenian heritage
I know where they are from but I just hear metal beats and driving rhythms
@@repica68 SOAD was once compared to "Eastern". One of them(not Serj) replied "You wouldn't know "Eastern" if it bit You".
@@robertakerman3570 well it bit me and I cant stop dancing since. Ofc they are not folk band, but bits of eastern are skilfully scattered here and there.
@@repica68 If I could dance-I would too. I once met Serj & the Drummer; I've met very few Celebs. Serg is My Fave so far.
@repica68, respectfully, their music does not have any Oriental influences, as you have suggested. Armenian, Persian, and even Slavic, yes. But not Oriental. This is not a pedantic correction. As you know, these styles are vastly different. 🙂
I have never heard a bad SOAD Song. Saw them twice. Perfection.
Lucky
I was 14 when ''Toxicity'' came out, I envy you for listening to this for the first time.
I think I was 16. I never stopped listening to them after.
2001 right? I was 15
I was 20 lol as an underground hip hop guy, deftones and soad were in the rotation for sure
When System of a Down was fairly new, my dad heard the music from my older brother's room. "What is this?" he asked, though he never really liked music, much less metal. "It's... Well, nobody knows WHAT they are..." said my brother. As a classic rock and metal fan, I remember that moment as the day metal had taken a new step. I'm no fan of the genre after the 90's, but Toxicity is a masterpiece of an album and I have the deepest respect for SOAD.
Absolutely, it was one of those records, I remember putting it on and just sitting there listening to the entire album , didn’t skip a song, was completely mesmerised
IntereSanti, Also the last four letters are c-i-t-y. Enuf said.
Only nu metal band I like. SOAD was a real metal band.
Why don't you listen to metal after the 90s?
No fan of metal after the 90's... but have you listened to Mastodon? :)
I’d like to recommend maybe an unexpected song. Radio/Video is a great song to demonstrate their dynamics and how versatile they can be
Absolutely. Radio/Video always manages to keep you on your toes, even when you know every part in minute detail, it always stays fresh somehow.
Yeah one of my favourites of theirs. La La La La La La Laa La La La Laa La La La Laa
@@szithaanu9934 uhuuuu
@@szithaanu9934 😂
This album is absolutely beautiful from start to finish. Would love to see you listen to the full album
Dolmayan is a drumming ROBOT dude just oozes confidence and flow at the sticks. Its actual insanity
his drumming is the crispest cleanest speed chaos ugh
He’s literally one of the best drum players in the whole industry. He’s an absolute master!!!
Ive watched many of your videos and am so glad a man of your profession and age can see metal music for the talent it has. Many people judge it so fast as garbage noise. Thank you for being amazing Doug and listening to music I never thought would get this appreciation.
I remember when this CD dropped ... every 5th car was playing it on 11! As in 2001, I still want to open the window and scream "disorder, disorder"! Great albums stay great ...
@@jessetaulbee8825 Gaslighting? People loved this CD and I never had to buy it, but eventually did. I daily heard it in public and saw the videos on TV for quite a while. Now I just bring it up on TH-cam whenever I want to remember how good it was/is. I'm quite aware of what purposeful propaganda is ...
The thing i've always enjoyed about this band is John Dolmayan's fills and unusual beat patterns on drums. Its a quality of their production that often gets overshadowed by the vocals of Serj and Daron.
I love his drum work but my god his tracks are so hard to play. Those unusual patterns are hard for the brain to put out.
SOAD was/is a sui generis amalgam of four amazing talents, and the whole transcends the sum of the parts; fantastic vocals (both main and harmony), guitars, bass, and drums. I have yet to get tired of them.
Man, i honestly don’t know of a metal groove as iconic as the chorus of this song. The drums are just killer
So cool that react videos are now done by professionals in the fields of the videos they react to - opens up a whole new way to experience things you like just because, now with some expert color commentary.
That's cool that SOAD have become a frequent guest on the channel. Nice, Doug!
This is one of My favourite songs ever.
Great review
Oh man I wasn't even thinking about the video and was just expecting the next song to start. I played the CD so many times back in 02.
I really enjoy your reviews if metal songs and how you look at the lyrics as well as the music
I highly recommend the song Question! on their Mezmerize album, it's one their most hauting and peculiar songs ever
On my favourite songs of all time, this has a special place on my list 🫶🏼
you sir got yourself a subscriber, love that you can enjoy all types of music and the way you analyze everything both technical and emotional. Cheers!
Imho Serj Tankian is a genius... His solo stuff with orchestra is amazing too
Very good reaction channel. Love the actual breakdowns
Prison Song by System Of A Down is another good shout out although I wish it was a bit longer, that heavy section is just perfect haha
Deer Dance!
Forest!
Question!
@@locustkllr feel like its one of systems most underrated songs.
@@My0wnSavi0r I fucking love deer dance, one of my favorites from them both with the political message and the sound.
"You, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder?"
One of my favorite lines of all time.
It has more meaning to me the older I get.
First song I learned fully on drums! Legendary 🔥
I love your reactions man! You might not like some of my favourite songs but I love to see an experts input and how surprised you get at unexpected changes!
If you are enjoying metal so much and want to branch out a bit, I recommend looking at A Rose for the Epona by Eluveitie. It's beautiful, different and incorporates classical violin, mandolin, flute, bagpipes and the hurdy-gurdy as part of the metal sound beautifully.
Man, people reacting for frist time to SOAD has become such a thing, I wish someone would have recorded me, my friends or all the people I have introduced to them in the last 20 years.
They are one of the most shocking and original banda ever, that is for sure.
Enjoyed this reaction a lot. Thank you
It's awesome to watch someone who knows what they're talking about react to your favorite song, awesome reaction.
I see it as the "Toxicity" of the socioeconomic system manifesting as disorders in people.
No. #Postmodernism is the cause
Hello, Doug. I have always interpreted the last phrase, "when I become the Sun", as a mystical/spiritual reference, which is quite external to the rest of the lyrics. Great video, greetings!
First time seeing your videos and i think nobody will ever explain these songs better than you are one of the few people who knows that they are talking about.
Your analysis is always super insightful. Love your reaction vids
what gets me is as you're going over the ideas at the end, you touched on a lot of what I get from the song, another expansion on that could be they are in LA, you've got Hollywood right there, which definitely the influence of Hollywood has a global impact
"You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
Disorder, disorder, disorder"
could also refer to that influence and the disorders that are associated it, drug disorders, eating disorders, as you mentioned mental disorder, I believe they are touching on all aspects of the idea of toxicity.
If I can suggest the next SOAD song to be reacted to, I would recommend Holy Mountains. Is one of the two songs about the Armenian Genocide that they recorded (and for me the best one by far).
Love it❤
Highly recommend, 10/10! "haunting presence" with haunting vocals!
You deserve a lot more subscribers, kudos to your professional analysis
the ending kills me, i need more of it,
Try "Hypnotize" from SOAD - that piece has crazy progressions and harmonics
You are one of the only guys on TH-cam that accurately breaks down the rythem and timing along with truly listening to the words and giving insight I love your videos
I would love to see if you could compose and perform a orchestra to play alot of these heavy metal riffs
Dear Doug, your passion for music is inspiring.
Interesting background with the flapped uo icons. Dark side of the moon, in the court of the Crimson King and the Liverpool guys in London of course :-) amazing.
My favorite song by these guys...good reaction Dr. Doug!!!
I loved the video, a great critics. It will be so fabulous that you could hear the song 'Ego brain' from their 3rd album 'steal this album' is a very powerful song. The lyrics are very strong.
Bless.🖖
Love tuning in to Doug's videos, but still hoping he'll cover the band Ghost one of these days. A band where I feel like the composition of their songs is what makes them so great.
So envious you get to hear this for the first time...
Have you heard of a band called Kaipa? They have some cool tunes with English lyrics
It's a darkly wonderful journey to listen thru their whole discography... at the end of the day I think my favorite is Steal This Album but I mean they really produced a catalog of truly awesome sound and ideas I don't think they've released a single dud track
If your doing another track from this album.. I would recommend Dear Dance.. lyrics will give you something to talk about. Also a track that jumps in terms of riffs .
The cover in the background makes me thinking (and hoping) you're about to start reacting to King Crimson! Finally!
my little sister told me about System of a Down. I still have her old cd's...and I won't ever give them back
Getting it in on this one. Man, this song is hype.
Finally someone who understands this song for the first time. Subscribed.
I've been fortunate to see many great bands live, but when it comes to energy System is really different. Something primal comes out when you see them live :)
One of the best, and one of their heaviest! Great!
it's 6/8 at the start. Then it goes to 4/4 in the bridge, but the drummer is playing a triplet feel. At the end it's 4/4
i like that you try to come up with what the lyrics mean, you're a smart and wise man=)
and i find it sad that most comments - coming from fans - won't help - so far i've read that serj and jon are great, but we're all already aware of that
i'm also sad that personnally i just don't have a clue about what the song is about...
Probably the best sounding drums I've ever heard!
You really got it, great analysis
The reaction in the end was fenomenal
You should really check out Spiders or Sugar from SOADs first album. Amazing songs!
SUGAHHHHHHHH!
Great job , Doug 😊
"What does that mean?!" Exactly me hearing this in my early teens :D
Spiders from their first album is also wonderful.
I love your interpretation of these final lines. It's very optimistic. My assumption is that it has something to do with becoming a totalitarian leader, and with cult of personality.
I've been listening to that album since it came out. It's cute to try an analyze lyrics that are non-nonsensical or poetic or convoluted in nature, however, the song will hit you differently when you listen to it at an age of 13 compared to how it hits when you are 35 (speaking for myself). It will mean different things to different individuals too. And this is the beauty of vague lyrics. Radiohead comes to mind with idiotique, spinning plates, wolf at the door. The lyrics are an expression of the author's observations and feelings at the time of making the song. Feelings are ambiguous. It makes little sense to pin point exactly what the message of a song is, though admittedly it is fun, and we try to make sense of things and strive for meaning. Even if the author of certain lyrics, insisted that they mean this or that specific thing, it would not matter. Someone who does not speak the language can still listen to the song and derive a meaning from it - which is IMO equally valid to what you think the song means.
Yeah, Serj is certainly a unique metal vocalist, very recognizable and unusual in delivery, I think it's in-part the Armenian heritage that brings a different flavor to it.
Iron Maiden - Brighter than a thousand suns
I am loving all of the new people appreciating my favorite music. I love "Bounce." It's wonderfully odd 😁
Absolutely LOVE System of a Down
one of the few names to be remembered after 300 years
One of my fav SOAD songs is Spiders. They have such a great sound. Shame they ain't an official band anymore.(unless something changed?) Serj Tankian has done some solo work too and I recommend checking that out.
Love your reactions to metal music. SOAD is a staple, I've been an Iron Maiden fan for many, many moons, and have recently come to love a relatively new band out of Italy called Frozen Crown. Check out their track titled "Neverending". I think you'll like it.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’m a fellow Maiden fan & never heard of Frozen Crown. Checking them out next
great video, if you liked that one, you definitely should check ''question'' from the ''mesmerize'' album, that one is pretty intense.
The last line most likely to my understanding is to do with eastern meditation and the form of enlightenment we can reach.
In an astrology way, we all have animals or symbols of what we are, but we all can reach the stage of the Pheonix. One who can take the bad from the world and recycle it to neutral or positive energy
The ones who reach this stage shines so bright it's shown in the darkest and deepest places of the heart, the mind, and soul.
Is interesting see how a person with a lot of musical formation processing every song, theme, gender!!! brutal.... music is awesome!!... congrats!, very cool video! 🤟
this song, is awesome. Awesome
I always thought it was "when I became the sun, I shone like faith into man's hearts."
To me I always thought about spreading awareness of the toxicity to other people, helping them to see the light. Like a Plato's Cave type thing,
Awesome reaction
The video is definitely worth watching
"Question" or "Holy Mountains" should absolutely be next. Phenomenal tracks from their later (2005) albums.
I am very late to this reaction but just want to add that "eating seeds as a past time activity" is a common thing to do, especially for working class people in Eastern European countries - you'd gather with your friends in front of the apartment complex, grab a couple of beers and eat seeds as the world goes by.
The drums are the best part of this song
Seriously. I'm typically not one to focus in on drumming, but its so damn good here.
Hi Doug, thanks for another great video. If you are in the mood for suggestions, how about Keith Jarrett, the Koln concert. You could pick any part. It is all amazing.
You should definitely check out Science. Great lyrics and has some more Armenian influences. Or go for Questions
love as energy
Legit the whole album - it's one of the last albums I think was put together with the idea of it being a full album, before MP3/etc became a huge thing. The track order is so great.
Absolutely love your breakdowns and explanations of the musicality being used. I think you would really love to get into some of the Ren catalog. I would suggest Hi Ren, The tale of Jenny and Screech (full) and his band The Big Push - I shot the sheriff/road to zion/hip-hop.
Some masterful guitar work and phenomenal story telling.
Seconding Hi Ren. I would love to see Doug’s reaction
I always like when someone hears SODs big tracks as a introduction then comes across Lonely Day for the curveball - SOD- Lonely Day. Definitely worth a reaction
I would highly recommend listening to the last two songs in their album Mezmerize, Old School Hollywood and Lost in Hollywood, they are both really great songs and my personal favourites from the album.
Wow great stuff! I just discovered your channel and subbed you up, thanks for sharing all the reactions to killer tunes, Peace!
Late to the party .... I think the verse means ,when I became the sun , when I found myself I became like the sun inspiring others ... Cheers u r great sir
Radio/Video from Mezmerize is their special gem. I promise.
Doug, you have to hear the song "Question" from System of a down. That song will blow you away.
If you love this, when are you going to do Empty Walls live version? It's incredible, and I'm sure you'd love it!
"There's combinations of compounded duple meters in this."
I, knowing only basic music theory: Ah, yes, the compounded duple meters, of course.
Progenies of the Great Apocalypse by Dimmu Borgir from the Forces of the Northern Night show in Oslo with the orchestra for a future metal Monday please!
Its so silly but also so good.
Extremely disappointed he hasn't done any Dimmu yet, you need to hear them Doug!
I am surprised that you would not recognize the reference to the Schumann quote, "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts, such is the duty of the artist"
Great one!