System of a Down

any SOAD fans here? i'm getting nowhere with my cv but loving 'the string quartet tribute to system of a down' album.. i don't like all SOAD's stuff but what i do like, i love.

i get so much out of em: my favourite emotions (terror, danger, fear, anger), diverse musical influences (e.g. armenian folk), interesting subject matters (history, folklore, society, suffering, corruption, bad politics).. the songs are often from the perspective of the oppressed / invaded / affected, which i like.. they've no airs and graces - not a tattoo amongst them, just regular geeks with similar passions and beef.. they've none of the novelties i tire of in hard rock, like being overty goth, devil-worshipping, masculine etc.

hypnotize is a joint-fave-album-of-all-time.. toxicity is great too..

yeah, i (and everyone else i know) initially viewed them like that.. their popularity with the kids is largely founded off the back of "Chop Suey" with lyrics like "father, why have you forsaken me?" etc..

i downloaded Hypnotize on a whim one night after digging the Toxicity video and learning RZA had teamed up with the bassist.. it blew my ass off - listened to it twice, back to back.. went on to cane it like no other album i'd owned since i was at school..

if i'd have discovered the group at the beginning, i'd probably feel the same way.. i don't like their first album at all.. toxicity however, is good.. loving 'science', 'forest', 'ariels', 'toxicity' and 'chop suey' off that..

i discovered the group at the end of their career and worked backwards through the discog.. Hypnotize (final album) in my headphones was "right place, right time".