Extended Essay

Music

“An introspective into the music of System of a Down and their influences
over the years”

Student name: ????

Supervisor: Samuel Wright
Session: May 2023

Word Count: 3831

Citation Style: MLA 8
Table of contents:

● Table of contents 1
● Introduction: 2
○ The topic 2
○ What is metal? 2
○ System of a Down 2
● Main Analysis 3
○ Self-titled (Sugar) 3
■ Structure 3
■ Pitch material 4
■ Rhythm material 5
○ Toxicity (Deer Dance) 6
■ Structure 7
■ Pitch material 7
■ Rhythm material 9
○ Mezmerize (B.Y.O.B.) 10
■ Structure 11
■ Pitch material 12
■ Rhythm material 13
● Conclusion 14
● Bibliography 15

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“I think we have a few flavors to the heavy thing that a lot of people don’t usually add. A lot of people
don’t usually mix jazz and hardcore or waltz and distortion. I just want people to view System of a Down
as a band that wants to make an artistic statement” - Daron Malakian, guitarist and backup singer of
System of a Down. (Daron Malakian, 1999)

Introduction:

Research question: To what extent does System of a Down represent three distinct approaches to
Alternative Metal in the albums of System of a Down (Self-Titled), Toxicity, and Mezmerize?

The topic:
System of a Down represents 3 different approaches to Alternative Metal and Hard Rock through their
usage of rock and metal characteristics, and external influences, as well as their own personal additions
to the sound. These 3 characteristics will be demonstrated through the main studied pieces, Sugar (from
the self-titled album), Deer Dance (from the album, Toxicity) and B.Y.O.B. (from the album Mezmerize).
The method of analysis used will cover song structure, pitch material and rhythmic material . This is an
important area of study because by studying artists, history, and ideas in a genre, we can push music in
a positive direction as well as appreciate the key bands that help further their respective genre and
culture.

What is Metal
Metal is a subgenre of rock music that began in the late 60s, and rose to prominence in the 70s with
bands like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Motorhead. It is a genre of music that primarily features
harsher vocals (often screamed or shouted), distorted guitar, bass guitar, electronic or acoustic drums
(typically includes a double kick drum along with the normal set up) (Preston, 2021). The music
originated from 70s Hard Rock and older rock and roll bands and expanded on the sound of the previous
rock bands.

System of a Down:
SOAD is an Armenian/American alternative metal band formed in 1994, in Los Angeles, U.S.A, with the
current members being John Dolmayan on drums, Shavo Odajian on bass guitar, Serj Tankian on vocals
and keyboard, and Daron Malakian on guitar and as the primary songwriter. Their music solidified a
genre as its own that originally was intertwined with Nu metal. SOAD brought folk music, jazz, polka, and
other non-metal styles to their music (Daron Malakian, 1999), in a way that no other Alternative Metal
band did at the time. Although often labeled as Nu Metal, as the band emerged during the peak of Nu
Metal popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s (a genre of metal that introduces Hip/Hop and Rap
elements), the band can be classified more accurately as alternative metal (a genre of metal that
encapsulates the immediately non-classifiable unorthodox approach to metal) (AllMusic, 2022). They
have released 5 studio albums since forming in the mid-1990s and breaking up in 2006 due to creative
differences and have over 12 million monthly Spotify listeners as of 2022 (Spotify, 2022).

SOAD’s style is able to be recognized by many key aspects. The most apparent is the erratic song
structure in which the band will often contrast heavy distorted sections with calmer, slower sections. The
band’s music often implements styles outside of metal, as mentioned previously to create their unique
sound. All of SOAD’s music is played in either Drop C (Self-Titled, Toxicity, Steal This Album!) or Drop
C# (Mezmerize, Hypnotize) meaning that the lowest string of the guitar is tuned lower to either C or C#
(Harrison) (Check Figure 1), a type of tuning which is a key aspect of Alternative metal and Nu Metal.

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Figure 1. Drop tuning demonstration (Zing Instruments)

Their music and lyrics are often politically charged dealing with issues regarding the Armenian genocide,
American war propaganda, and groupthink, among others (Polyphonic, 2020).

Main Analysis:
Self-Titled (Sugar) - 1998
System of a Down was released in 1998 as the debut album of the band that carried the same name as
the band itself. The Self-titled album incorporated multiple unorthodox styles that were unknown to the
metal scene before the album’s debut, such as 3/4 waltz sections (see Peephole), long sustained
operatic vocals (see Spiders), and double time jazz-inspired rhythms (see Sugar) among many others.
Throughout its musical elements, the album displays a heavy, avant-garde, and eccentric approach to
metal.

The song that is going to be analyzed as an example of this is Sugar, the third track off of the album, and
released as a single the same year, focusing on themes of brainwashing through the american
government. The track is in C minor and has a bpm of 131 (although this changes towards the end of the
song). The song is roughly 2 and a half minutes long (TuneBat).

Song Structure

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Table 1. Sugar musical structure

This song follows a basic verse-chorus structure alternating between the loud chorus and the quieter
flaky verse (a structure favored by Daron as confirmed by his interview with Ernie Ball in 2018). The song
starts directly with the chorus. The verses always begin with a short interlude section that introduces
some of the main elements to the listener (Table 1). The drums in this song, specifically play a big part in
creating contrast in the structure as they are playing throughout the entire piece. You can see this in the
placing of drum fills in between sections helps to connect them. With the exception of the intro, the
heavier choruses always come after the fast-paced drum and the softer verse always come after the
slower, more syncopated drum fills. Another important point to note is the lack of a guitar solo in this
piece and the majority of pieces in this album. This was fairly uncommon in earlier metal bands prevalent
in the 80s was obsolete in 90s and 2000s alternative metal which shifted songwriting towards a less
virtuosic and more experimentational direction.

Pitch Material

The key in this song as stated by ‘Inwhatkey.com’ is in C minor. Although this is true for some sections,
the key is hard to discern because there are many non-diatonic notes included in some parts that seem
to serve the rhythm more than the melody.

Figure 2. Sugar chorus guitar, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C) (Musescore)

This is especially prevalent in the verse where the main melody follows a series of power chords that
follow an I-V-Vb-IV progression. The chromatic (non-diatonic) note lies in the Vb chord of the scale,
otherwise known as the tritone (a note outside of the theory of perfect harmony) (Beyond Music Theory).
This is said to be pioneered by the guitarist of Black Sabbath (a band listed as an inspiration for Daron
Malakian) (Daron Malakian, 2018), in the song by the same, “Black Sabbath'' on their debut album.

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Figure 3. Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath, sheet music + tabs (TAB in E standard) (Musescore)

In the famous intro riff, the tritone is used as a chord extension to resolve from the octave back down to
the root note. In the original sugar riff, the tritone power chord is instead used as a passing tone between
the dominant and the subdominant.

Rhythmic Material

The rhythm in this album and this song take some creative liberties by exploring ideas not commonly
seen in metal music of the time and inspiration from non-metal styles. This can be seen in the odd choice
of rhythm in the verse riff.

Figure 4. Sugar verse guitar, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C) (Musescore)

What makes this riff odd is that it is based on eighth notes immediately followed by an eighth note rest.
Because of this, the riff plays like a series of disconnected notes. This style of playing is not typically
seen in metal as most other classic metal guitarists like Kirk Hammet of Metallica and Adrian Smith of
Iron Maiden, as well as some more contemporary alternative metal guitarists like Jerry Horton of Papa
Roach opted for a playing style that incorporated fast sequences of notes without rests or long, heavily
articulated notes.

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Figure 5. The Trooper by Iron Maiden, main lead riff, sheet music + tabs (TABS in E Standard) (Youtube)

This style of playing is a staple of Daron Malakian’s playing on this song and on this album. Both the lead
guitar and rhythm guitar work of Daron display an emphasis on rhythm as opposed to melody or
harmony early on in System of a Down’s discography.

The rhythm section of this song, performed by John Dolmayan also showcases the different drumming
styles that are incorporated into this album. The most notable example of this is the verse drum rhythm.

Figure 6. Sugar verse drums, sheet music (Songsterr)

This drum beat takes inspiration from characteristics of Jazz. What drives this beat is the gallop rhythm
played on the ride cymbal, which is accompanied by a kick on the downbeats and the snare on the
upbeats. This is demonstrated by drummer Tommy Igoe on one of the episodes of his series “Groove
Essentials 2.0” in which he displays what a typical fast jazz swing rhythm sounds like. He mentions that
in a swing rhythm you need to “accessorize the quarter note with notes that make it swing”. (Tommy
Igoe, 2006). The “swing” in this case is referring to the note that falls off the rhythm and makes the
section sound propulsive [energetic or lively (Oxford Languages)] in nature.

Toxicity - 2001 (Deer Dance)

Toxicity was released in 2001 as the sophomore album of the band. Just 3 years after the debut album.
This album pushed the band in a more melodic direction (Daron Malakian, 2001), shifting away from the
avant-garde and more for a cohesive sound. This album allowed the band to experiment with more
ballad style songs with softer sections (such as Aerials, ATWA, Chop Suey!, etc…). Through its musical
elements, the album displays a more melodic, groove-oriented, and consistently structured approach to
metal and hard rock.

The song that is going to be analyzed as an example of this is Deer Dance, the 3rd track off the album,
focusing on the themes of police brutality and excess violence. The track is in F Minor and has a bpm of
160. The song is just under 3 minutes long (TuneBat).

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Song Structure

Table 2. Deer Dance musical structure

This song follows a verse-chorus structure, alternating between the quiet verses and the louder
choruses. The song begins directly with the intro that doubles as the instrumental for the chorus later on.
Heavier sections are always introduced right after a short break where instruments stop playing early
and only the voice continues. Later on in the song however, serj and daron contrast the screaming
section by placing it directly after a break where the instruments drop off and both singers sing the
chorus with a soft whisper tone as contrast to the harsher delivery of the chorus. Another common theme
in structure with this album and song is to lower the volume of the guitar during verses and increase the
volume of the guitar in the choruses to accentuate the difference in dynamics between sections. Deer
Dance, unlike previous songs in SOAD’s career, has a clear A section and a B section. This song
contains distinct “Sections” that are grouped together based on instruments..The A section contains the
intro, choruses, and verses, as well as the outro. The B section contains the interlude contains the
interlude and bridge section which contains additional accompaniment of the mandolin to accompany the
lead guitar (not seen in Section A).

Pitch Material

Deer Dance is firmly planted in the Phyrgian mode. The phrygian mode is a mode of the major scale that
flattens the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th degree of the scale.

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Figure 7. C Phrygian Scale in Drop C tuning (Jguitar)

Although it is a mode of the major scale it is also regarded as a type of minor scale due to the amount of
notes in common with the minor scale. It was named after Phrygia, an ancient Greek kingdom 3000
years ago where the scale was widely used (Farrant, 2022). This song has been a staple for
mediterranean folk music including some variations such as the Phrygian Dominant scale (a scale
commonly seen in Spanish flamenco music)..Both this song and the album showcases an intercultural
melodic approach to songwriting using not only common metal scales but foreign traditional scales and
using less dissonance than the previous album.

This scale is most heard in the verse riff and bridge section that utilizes angular melodic motion and runs
through the scale sliding in between notes.

Figure 8. Deer Dance verse riff, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C) (Hal•Leonard Toxicity TAB Book)

Figure 9. Deer Dance bridge riff, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C) (Hal•Leonard Toxicity TAB Book)

On another note, the song heavily utilizes the minor second interval of the scale (provided by the
phrygian mode), the smallest interval of the western chromatic scale, which is a semitone up from the
tonic. This interval has been used profusely throughout metal history. It can be seen in metal acts like
‘The Thing That Should Not Be’ by Metallica (0:17) (1986), ‘Symphony Of Destruction’ by Megadeth
(0:15) (1991), ‘Walk’ by Pantera (0:00) (1992), and more recently, in the music of System of a Down. In
Deer Dance, this interval is most used in the chorus and intro riff.

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Figure 10. Deer Dance chorus riff, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C) (Hal•Leonard Toxicity TAB Book)

It is used because it is widely considered to be the darkest and most dissonant interval
(Fundamental-Changes). Another factor that helps to create the sinister mood is the lower tuning
mentioned previously which allows the notes C, C#, D, and D# to be played on the lowest string that isn’t
possible in standard tuning. In turn, chords on lower registers tend to sound more dissonant because the
overtones (the pitches that make up a note) are more discernible and are therefore more likely to clash
with each other which is why the same chord in different registers can sound vastly different. (Beyond
Music Theory).

Rhythm Material

The guitar rhythm in Deer Dance is relatively simple and is based on a strong 8th and quarter note beat
throughout the song that outlines the chord progression. The chorus contains a main riff and a variation
of the main riff (as shown in figure 10). The first rhythm is based on a reverse gallop which instead of an
eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, it is 2 sixteenth notes followed by an eighth note (or any
note double the length as the first). This type of gallop was especially prevalent in traditional metal acts
such as ‘Raining Blood’ by Slayer (0:43) (1986), and in more recent metal acts such as ‘Backbone’ by
Gojira (0:04) (2005).

Figure 11. Raining Blood by Slayer, explanation of reverse gallop and metal gallop (TAB in Standard Eb)

The drums in the song compliment each section. For example, in the intro, outro and choruses, the
drums play a four on the floor rhythm with the kick on the 1 and 3 beat (check figure 13) and the snare
on the 2 and 4 beat which creates a pulsating quarter note beat (this accentuates the supertonic note in
the scale).

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Figure 12. Deer Dance, Chorus/Intro Drums, Four on the floor beat (Songsterr)

Figure 13. “1 e and a” rhythmic counting explanation (Dynamic Music Room)

This is in contrast to the disorderly verse riff which features a 16th note based drum beat where the 16th
notes are played on the hi-hat.

Figure 14. Deer Dance, Verse Drums, 16th note beat (Songsterr)

This 16th note hi-hat rhythm matches up with the verse riff variation in the second part of the song.

Figure 15. Deer Dance verse riff 2, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C) (Hal•Leonard Toxicity TAB Book)

The intertwined rhythm and guitar is typically given to the double kick in most metal acts and the
inclusion of the hi-hat in this manner is a musical choice specific to SOAD’s music (most seen in
self-titled and toxicity) and not often seen outside of the band.

Mezmerize/Hypnotize (B.Y.O.B.) - 2005

Both Mezmerize and Hypnotized were released in 2005 (Polyphonic, 2020). These albums continued the
more melodic direction of Toxicity. As Daron Malakian took more creative control, the albums showed
more traditional metal influence from him, especially thrash metal bands like Slayer and Metallica
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(Revolvermag, 2018). Through its musical elements, the albums display a more thrash metal inspired,,
proggressive and traditional metal approach to the System of a Down formula. The albums showcased a
variety of longer songs with more vocal harmonies, and technically challenging guitar and drum parts
such as the polyrhythmic drums in Revenga, the 13/16 and 15/16 guitar riff in Vicinity Of Obscenity, and
the acoustic guitar riff from Question in 9/8.

The song that is going to be analyzed as an example of this is B.Y.O.B., the 2nd track off the album,
focusing on the themes of government mind control and unjust war. The track is in C# minor and has a
bpm of 202 (although varies between sections). The song is around 4 minutes long (TuneBat).

Song Structure

Table 3. B.Y.O.B. musical structure

This song follows a verse-chorus structure as seen in the other songs. The song mainly alternates
between two contrasting sections. The verses are fast paced thrash-metal sections whereas the
choruses are slower disco-inspired sections. The basic structure allows for the contrasting sections to
flow into each other yet be presented in a distinct way. The pre-chorus of this song takes some elements
from the verses and the chorus such as the open hi-hats but is at half-time at 101 bpm. Directly after this,
the chorus plays. The bridge as the lyrics from the bridge serve as a connection between the chorus and
the refrain, singing “Blast off it's party time, and we don’t live in a fascist nation” with the ‘party’ referring
to the chorus lyrics and the ‘fascist nation’ referring to the verse lyrics and later, the refrain and outro
lyrics. Later on in the song, the bridge plays again before the refrain and outro. It is a common theme in a
lot of SOAD’s music, especially in the more recent mezmerize/hypnotize albums to contrast the heavier
verses (faster, louder, distorted guitar, and harsher vocals) with softer choruses (simple and simpler
chord progressions and clean vocals).
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Pitch Material

Unlike the debut album, most if not all songs on mezmerize, including B.Y.O.B., are firmly set in the key
they’re in, C# minor (due to the tuning). The main riff keeps the listener grounded on the tonic note C#
but is played throughout the piece in different variations, one of which plays the same riff transposed
down the perfect fifth of the scale.

Figure 16. B.Y.O.B. Transposition, Sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C#) (Hal•Leonard Mezmerize TAB
Book)

This style of riff writing is very common in metal acts like Metallica (a cited influence for Daron Malakian)
(which play with variations of one riff in their later years on the self-titled album in 1991. An example of
this can be found in the variations of the main riff of Metallica’s hit single, Enter Sandman from their
self-titled album. Over the length off the intro, the song slowly introduces parts of the riff through melodic
variations including extra notes and chords leading up to the main riff

Figure 17. Enter Sandman by Metallica, Main riff variations, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Standard E)
(Youtube)

This songwriting technique is used in B.Y.O.B. to make the piece more musically interesting while
maintaining cohesion and familiarity within the song structure.

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Rhythm Material

The song starts off with a tremolo riff based on the root note of C# on the open note of the 3rd string on
the guitar and play a slightly modified version of the riff after the drums come in.

Figure 17. B.Y.O.B. Intro riff 1, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C#) (Hal•Leonard Mezmerize TAB Book)

Figure 18. B.Y.O.B. Intro riff 2, sheet music + tabs (TAB in Drop C#) (Hal•Leonard Mezmerize TAB Book)

This riff appears to take inspiration from the previously mentioned 80s thrash metal band Metallica,
among others (e.x: the song ‘Damage Inc.’ as shown in Figure 19 below) which used the open string as
a way to keep the listener grounded in the tonic note (C#) while allowing for large jumps in melody to be
easily reachable within the guitar fretboard. This is achieved through a technique called tremolo picking
(a form of alternative picking) where the player alternates between downstrokes and upstrokes at a high
speed.

Figure 19. Damage Inc. (Guitar Pro personal transcription) and B.Y.O.B. (Hal•Leonard Mezmerize TAB
Book) intro riff comparison
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The common use of this technique displays the band moving away from a Nu Metal direction and into an
alternative and thrash metal direction in their last 2 albums.

The chorus, however, takes inspiration from another genre of music, disco which differentiates it from the
verses in terms of style. This can be prominently seen in the choice of drum beat (called the ‘disco beat’)
used that alternates between closed and open hi-hat , with open on the and of every beat and closed on
the downbeats as well as the accompanying instrument often seen in disco music, the tambourine. This
beat can be seen in the 1976 disco tune ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA that incorporated the alternating
hi-hat and tambourine beat into the main drum beat in a similar manner.

Figure 20. Dancing Queen and B.Y.O.B. disco beat comparison (Songsterr)

Conclusion:
System of a Down has kept a consistent sound throughout their discography. However, at different
periods in their time as a band they approached their music and genre in a different way. On their self
titled debut, the band showcased elements of the avant-garde mixed in with dissonant and eccentric
songwriting. On their sophomore album, Toxicity, they showcased a mature approach to their sound,
implementing longer slow melodic passages within Alt-Metal riffing and drumming for a more
radio-friendly sound. Finally, on mezmerize and hypnotize, they showcased their musicianship in a more
proficient way playing faster sections that require greater technique as well as a sound closer to
traditional and thrash metal than their Nu Metal roots.

Nevertheless, no matter the album, they play music that is; is genre-diverse, implementing styles outside
of their genre into their sound such as Jazz, Disco and Folk; varied in its structure and composition, with
sections that differ significantly in sound and style; and is metal with both a traditional and modern
sound. All of these elements create a sound which is unique to them and their intention as artists.

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