Toxicity is the album that broke the world. Ironically released just one week before the 9/11 attacks, its lyrics about police brutality, environmental collapse, and psychiatric prisons became terrifyingly prophetic. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.

. Their discography consists of five studio albums, all produced or co-produced by Rick Rubin. Studio Albums System Of A Down Curitiba: Songs You Need To Know

Certified 3x Platinum. Toxicity is frequently ranked among the greatest metal albums of the 21st century. The band was forced to cancel tours due to the band’s political statements regarding the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, cementing their reputation as activists.

Despite performing live sporadically (touring in 2011–2012 and again in 2017–2023), the band repeatedly stated they would only record new music if the political chemistry felt "right."

After a world tour supporting Hypnotize , internal creative tensions (primarily between Tankian and Malakian over lyrical direction) led to an indefinite hiatus in 2006. The band has reunited sporadically for tours (2011, 2013, and a massive 2024-2025 world tour), but there has been no new studio album in nearly two decades.