Updated 23.34 | Published 23.25
CONCERT It’s a fond reunion with alternative hard rock’s uncrowned kings System Of A Down.
At the Strawberry Arena, the California quartet deliver their unique and iconic song material with the strength, power and intensity of a big band orchestra.
System Of A Down
Place: Strawberry Arena, Stockholm. Audience: Sold out, but no exact audience figure. Length: one hour and 40 minutes, circus. Best: Kind of everything. The songs! The sing-along! The energy! The atmosphere! Worst: The tinny sound of the arena sometimes puts a strain on the otherwise well-oiled machinery. But it’s really little things.
System Of A Down is unique in the true sense of the word.
The American metal act’s distinctive sound spans a range of different genres and styles: alternative metal, funk, prog rock, eastern folk, thrash and fan and his crazy aunt. In addition, insane rapping, growl and beautiful singing, merciless mangle and velvety melodies about each other. Music that, in theory, shouldn’t work for the broad masses.
The California quartet, who reunited in 2010 after a four-year hiatus, have also toured extremely sporadically and not released a new album in over 20 years.
Over the years, the exclusivity and shyness have strengthened the band’s iconic status and made their five full-length records into rare beautiful birds in the metal fauna.
In 2026, 28 years after the self-titled debut, the group fills the world’s largest arenas without any problems whatsoever. The summer gigs have been sold out for a long time.
So also the gig at the Strawberry Arena, the European premiere of the ongoing world tour.
The atmosphere is sometimes sea-wild already when the desert rocks in Queens Of The Stone Ageone of the evening’s two bands, is on stage. People of all ages and backgrounds are huddled in oppressive heat. I glimpse Tools-tables and Armenian folk costume details as well as ironed turtlenecks and cowboy boots. A truly telling image for the broad impact of the main act.
The sing-along and dance of joy during “A song for the dead”, which even gives rise to several sweaty moshpits, is however a gentle fart in space compared to the decibel level inside the arena when Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan appears on stage.
It is a fond reunion to say the least. Most recently the band played on Swedish soil was nine years agothen at Bråvalla in front of a mixed festival audience, to say the least.
The crowd outvotes both Tankian and Malakian during “BYOB”, which replaces the opening “Solder time” (short version).
“Where the fuck are you?” is a highly relevant question to anyone who is not in the Strawberry Arena right now.
Because what awaits is two hours of anarchy, chaos and lack like no other.
Tankian alternately roars and screams, alternately raps at a furious pace. Meows like a cat in “Darts”, sings about pulling tapeworms out of her ass in “Needles”, and so on. Malakia, in turn, spins around in circles or headbangs so hard that he loses his hat – when he doesn’t match the song. The Dolmayan, who outwardly appears to be as calm as a file bowl, feverishly stomps on the bass drum’s pedal. Odadjian next door abuses his poor bass strings.
Everything is going at breakneck speed.
Just a few songs in, it feels like I’ve downed an entire tray of energy drinks. The heart races, the chest vibrates, the brain does backflips inside the skull. Yes, you get it.
And so the madness continues. Through impact in the self-titled disc debut to the sibling albums “Hypnotize” and “Mezmerize” via “Toxicity” (which is almost played in its entirety) and “Steal this album!”. Mega hits like “Chop suey!” and “Toxicity” is housed alongside live rarities such as “Dam” and “Streamline”.
The tempo and intensity only seem to increase with each song. During “Dreaming”, “Hypnotize” and “ATWA”, in which the band slows down the tempo, everyone involved gathers their breath.
– Are you all right? Do you feel happy? Malakian asks a little later.
I think I can answer for everyone inside the arena when I write:
– YES!
That the group will release new music in the near future does not feel very likely. Most likely, the twelve songs that the band had ready in 2016, according to drummer Dolmayan, have been scrapped and will never see the light of day. But what does it do when the material that already exists is delivered with the power, strength and intensity of a big band orchestra?
System Of A Down, and the audience for that matter, completely crash over the finish line with “Sugar”.
The standing ovations afterwards are more than justified.
The text will shortly be updated with a song list.
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