A chaotic masterpiece born from leaks, riffs, and pure SOAD madness — Riff Report style, butt!
On 26 November 2002, the mighty System Of A Down dropped one of the most unorthodox, chaotic, and beautifully unhinged releases in modern metal history:
🎧 Steal This Album!
And aye… the title wasn’t a joke. The whole record was a cheeky two-finger salute to music piracy, leaks, and the entire early-2000s internet wild west. Proper job, lads. 😆
💿 THE ALBUM THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE EXISTED… BUT THANK THE GODS IT DID
Here’s the mad backstory: a bunch of unreleased SOAD demos leaked online under a fake album name (“Toxicity II”), sounding rough as guts. Instead of crying into their choir robes, Serj Tankian and the gang went:
“C’mon butt — let’s fix the mixes and release the thing properly!”
So they re-recorded, remixed, polished, smashed, bashed, screamed, chanted, riffed and brought chaos into alignment.
The result? A cult favourite that many fans consider one of their most underrated records.
🎛️ PRODUCED BY THE WIZARDS OF CHAOS
The album was helmed by:
- Rick Rubin – the bearded guru of a thousand genres
- Daron Malakian – guitar sorcerer, melody gremlin, and part-time agent of chaos
This pairing captured SOAD’s signature blend of:
- killer riffs 🎸
- political fury 🔥
- surreal humour 😵💫
- and Armenian soul 💛
All wrapped in a neat DIY-looking disc that literally resembles something burnt on the family PC in 2002.
Only in Wales, mun… would we still be using discs like this in the car. 😅
📈 CHARTS, BABY!
Despite being a “B-sides-but-not-really” release, the album still:
🎤 Peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard 200
That’s wild for a record born from leaks and chaos. Riff Report salutes thee. 🤘
🎶 STANDOUT TRACKS (AKA: SONGS THAT SLAP YOU IN THE FACE)
🔥 “Innervision” – classic SOAD energy. Wake-up slap guaranteed.
🔥 “I-E-A-I-A-I-O” – the alphabet song if your teacher had a breakdown.
🔥 “Bubbles” – punk-spiked, hyperactive, a whole mood.
🔥 “Fuck the System” – subtle (not).
🔥 “Roulette” – Serj and Daron get all emotional and lush.
It’s an album full of curveballs — like being hit with a baguette during a mosh pit. You don’t see it coming, but you respect the chaos.
🧠 WHY STEAL THIS ALBUM! STILL MATTERS
- It captures the rawest, most unfiltered version of SOAD
- It showcases their ability to blend humour with razor-sharp political commentary
- It cemented their reputation for doing whatever the hell they wanted
- It remains a fan favourite and a hidden gem in their catalogue
Plus, who else could turn a dodgy leak into a stone-cold classic? Tidy!
🤘 RIFF REPORT VERDICT
A chaotic, rebellious, beautifully messy album that—like a Welsh mosh pit in the rain—makes no sense but feels absolutely perfect.
Score: 10/10 stolen CDs
Diolch for this one, SOAD. 🔥🔥🔥
