Toxicity: the 25 Anniversary

The Blind Eternities forum

Posted on Jan. 11, 2026, 9:40 p.m. by DemonDragonJ

This year is the 25th anniversary of Toxicity, the second studio album by American alternative metal band System of a Down.

Although SoaD's eponymous debut album was unquestionably a spectacular album, it was their second album that truly elevated them to superstar status and made them a household name. Not since Cowboys from Hell by Pantera, released 11 years earlier, did an album have such an immediate and profound impact upon the world of heavy metal, and music, overall, in terms of how it introduced new ideas and influenced the direction in which music, and the music scene, was evolving. SoaD's distinctive and inimitable style is immediately apparent from the beginning of the album, containing numerous shifts in tempo and pitch, bizarre instrumentation, and lyrics that range from blatantly critical of society to obscure and open to interpretation.

Toxicity opens with Prison Song, a powerful and forceful song whose percussive and pounding beats punctuate and emphasize its commentary about the prison system of the United States and how the system is fueled by drug money and feeds on impoverished people. The next song is Needles, which speaks about the severity of substance abuse and addiction, and how they can control one's life. Other significant songs are Forest and ATWA, which speak of the importance of protecting the environment from destructive practices; Shimmy comments on the state of education and how some schools force students to conform, while Science speaks of how science can be used for good, but is too often being misused for evil; Chop Suey and the title track are two of SoaD's best-known songs, and the album ends with Aerials, a song with a mystical and ethereal atmosphere whose lyrics have been the subject of much debate among fans since the album was released.

Toxicity was massively successful, both critically and commercially, and it firmly established SoaD as one of the foremost heavy metal bands of the alternative metal movement in the new millennium, ushering in a new era for metal and music overall. The album was released only one week before the September 11 terrorist attacks, so the songs on that album coincidentally and unintentionally served as an unofficial soundtrack for the social and political tension that the United States (and, to a lesser extent, the majority of the western world) was feeling, at that time.

I was in my freshman year of high school when SoaD released Toxicity, so this album shall forever hold a special place in my heart, as the songs that it contains served as a guiding presence for me during those crucial years, helping me to focus my feelings and find a path when I was feeling anxious and uncertain about myself and the direction that I wished to take in life.

I hope that the band shall do something to commemorate this most monumental milestone, because an album of this magnitude deserves to be honored; what does everyone else say, about this? How do you feel about this year being the 25th anniversary of Toxicity? I certainly am eager to hear your thoughts, on this matter!