Stora System of a down-tråden

Hiatus and the future of the band

In May of 2006, the band announced they were going on hiatus. Guitarist Daron Malakian has confirmed the break will probably last a few years, but insists that the band is not splitting up. He tells MTV, "We're not breaking up. If that was the case, we wouldn't be doing this Ozzfest. We're going to take a very long break after Ozzfest and do our own things. We've done System for over 10 years, and I think it's healthy for us to get away from it for a while and come back to it later on. So, this is probably going to be... well, it's not a farewell tour, but it's going to be a little while before we go out again." He adds, "I'll always be a member of System Of A Down. That will never change. There isn't a rule that says you have to make records constantly, like clockwork, to continue being who you are." Malakian claims that he needs a break from the band because he wants to live his life more. He has written the majority of the songs for the band for ten straight years.[1]

Even though various members of System of a Down have insisted that the hiatus is NOT a break up, at the kick off of Ozzfest '06, on June 29, the band appeared to be on the verge of a break up. In one particular instance, Daron improvised lyrics from Lonely Day, changing them to "Such a lonely day, hanging out with the band/ This motherfucker, I can't stand" while looking at vocalist Serj Tankian. However, according to Lauren Valencia of Velvet Hammer (System's management company) not only was that statement never made but the band is closer than ever. On July 8th, while playing Lonely Day, Daron improvised the lyrics to, "Such a lonely day, with the band/I love these guys right here." Tankian quickly followed that by stating "everybody should mind their own business!" During their performance in Houston, Daron also took a moment to say, "There's been a lot of rumors about us breaking up. Well don't fucking listen to them. Us four right here, we will always be System of a Down!"

During the Hiatus, Daron will be in a band called Scars on Broadway, and will have its debut album out in fall. Shavo might be participating in this, but he has plans with the Wu-Tang Clan. Serj plans to keep recording as a solo artist in "Serjical Strike", while John plans to open a comic book store online, which should be up online in November 2007.

System of a Down's final performance before their scheduled hiatus will take place on August 13, 2006 in West Palm Beach, FL.

This album was released shortly after a collection of medium-quality MP3s found their way onto the Internet under the name "Toxicity 2", a year after the release of the group's multi-platinum record, Toxicity. The band issued a statement expressing their disappointment that their fans were hearing unfinished material, and released the finished versions of the leaked material. Most, but not all tracks from the original leak made it onto Steal This Album! (e.g. "Virginity"), and several new tracks such as "Roulette" were also added. Many song titles, lyrics, and melodies were changed, making the new album significantly different from the unfinished product.