Rock band's music like a roller coaster

NEW YORK -- The rock band System of a Down's music is like a roller-coaster ride, filled with hairpin turns and gut-wrenching free falls.

Tempos shift with little warning. Lyrics spin out like shrapnel fragments. A full-throated roar dissolves into a flute solo or gentle acoustic passage before the guitars burn again.

Listening is an intense experience, and word-of-mouth about the Los Angeles-based quartet's second album, "Toxicity," has made it one of the most anticipated releases of the year for hard rock fans. The album was released on Sept. 4.

System of a Down -- a name that came from a poem written by guitarist Daron Malakian -- believes that its eclecticism gives it a freedom few other bands have.

"It's cool for us because it lets us express every single one of our emotions -- anger, love, depression -- along with politics and sexuality," Malakian said. "We're a band that sells records, but we're not a band that sells records that's confined to any one thing."

To that end, System assiduously tries to distance itself from other bands being lumped together in stories about a new generation of heavy metal music, even as it prepares for a co-headlining tour with Slipknot.

Armenian folk music

Malakian met singer Serj Tankian and bass player Shavo Odadjian when they attended the same high school for Armenians in Hollywood. Drummer John Dolmayan completes the foursome.

Their heritage helped form a strong bond, along with a love for the same music. System of a Down wrote about Armenian history on their first album, and Armenian folk music is one of many elements in the musical stew. Fans are hooked by an intense, sometimes theatrical, live show.

Rick Rubin, president of the band's record label, Def American, produced "Toxicity," as he's done for past albums by the Beastie Boys, Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash.

"They didn't sound like anybody else," Rubin recalled of his first meeting with System. "They played music that seems to me like heavy music, but they didn't have the trappings of all the other bands that were doing it."

Sales gradually built

Sales of System's first album built gradually to past 850,000. System has worked hard to spread awareness of its music, giving away about 100,000 free copies of a two-song "Toxicity" sampler, said Bob Chiappardi, president of Concrete Marketing, which has helped promote the band's music.

"I think they've primed it very well," he said.

Even predictions of imminent stardom make System of a Down suspicious.

"Don't get us wrong," Dolmayan said. "We're very proud of this album. But if we stop growing at this point, none of us will be happy."

With "Toxicity" clocking in at 41 minutes -- unusually short in the CD era -- System of a Down makes its musical points economically.

"Roller-coaster rides don't last more than a minute and a half," Malakian said, "but what a rush."