The System Of A Down Classic That Tom Morello Called “Crazy Person Music” When He First Heard It

In an interview with Rick Beato in 2025, Rick Rubin, the co-producer for System Of A Down, said that when he played songs that would appear on Toxicity for Tom Morello, the guitarist for Rage Against The Machine, he said, “That’s crazy person music.”

The album Toxicity, released in 2001, became one of the most well-known of System Of A Down’s discography. Its uniqueness in sound and political themes left many people intrigued or repulsed.

System Of A Down’s ‘Toxicity’ Labeled as “Crazy Person Music”

In the interview, Rubin said that finding an audience for music as unique as System Of A Down is quite difficult.

“It has to be so good that you like it in spite of the fact that it’s crazy person’s music,” said Rubin.

Despite being seen as “crazy person music,” many listen to System Of A Down for a reason. The “craziness” and uniqueness are crafted so thoughtfully to make something worth listening to.

The Uniqueness of Sound in ‘Toxicity’

When listening to almost any System Of A Down song, particularly from Toxicity, one can notice the diverse styles that create something so unique. Many of their songs presented in the album go from “screaming” tones of the nu metal genre to the soft singing of lead singer Serj Tankian.

In the album’s title track, “Toxicity”, Tankian has a softer singing voice with softer instrumentals in the opening lines:

“Conversion, software version 7.0 / Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub / Eating seeds as a pastime activity / The toxicity of our city, of our city.”

However, it quickly shifts to more of a screaming singing style with heavier and scratchier instrumentals as the song approaches the bridge:

“You, what do you own the world? / How do you own disorder? Disorder / Now somewhere between the sacred silence / Sacred silence and sleep / Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep / Disorder, disorder, disorder.”

The Unique Instruments and Other Things Used in the Making of ‘Toxicity’

With the uniqueness of the instrumentals, there were unique instruments and things used as instruments in the making of Toxicity.

In 2021, guitarist Daron Malakian told Variety Magazine about the unique sound of the album.

“There is a mandolin, there was some banjo and there was an actual sitar on ‘Aerials’,” said Malakian. “I had never played one before, so I kind of winged it. In the beginning of ‘Psycho,’ if you listen to the guitar intro, there is this kind of whizzing sound in the background. I took a vibrator, and I put it next to the [guitar] pickup, and I kept you know turning the top of the vibrator, and the power would make that noise, so that’s in the beginning of ‘Psycho.’ Why was there a vibrator in the studio? I can’t remember.”

Although being called “crazy person music,” Toxicity debuted on top of the Billboard album chart, selling 225,000 copies after just one week of being released.