# Was System of a Down the Defining Artist of the 9/11 Era in 2001? (Greatest Pop Stars Podcast)

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/was-system-of-a-down-the-defining-artist-of-the-9-11-era-in-2001-greatest-pop-stars-podcast/
- Published: 2026-10-29T16:18:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:25:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Billboard
- Original article: https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/system-of-a-down-2001-greatest-pop-stars-podcast-1236370314/
- Topics: Americas, Art, Business, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Markets, Music, World

## Key points

- *Toxicity* topped the US album chart in 2001.
- System of a Down’s political metal resonated after 9/11.
- A podcast revisits the band’s rapid rise and future.

## Summary

System of a Down’s 2001 breakthrough is examined as part of a podcast discussion about artists who came close to pop stardom. Their album *Toxicity* topped the US chart as the country grappled with the 11 September attacks, and its anti-war themes and challenges to authority made the band’s music feel especially timely, although it was created before the attacks.

The discussion with Vulture writer Craig Jenkins considers how the Armenian-American band’s unconventional metal reached a broad audience, and how its members’ contrasting personalities shaped its music. It also revisits the airplay of “Chop Suey”, Serj Tankian’s “Understanding Oil” essay, *Toxicity* being named SPIN’s top album of 2001, and whether the group will record again.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.