A chaotic masterpiece born from leaks, riffs, and pure SOAD madness โ 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:
๐ง Steal This Album!
And ayeโฆ the title wasnโt 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. ๐
๐ฟ THE ALBUM THAT SHOULDNโT HAVE EXISTEDโฆ BUT THANK THE GODS IT DID
Hereโs the mad backstory: a bunch of unreleased SOAD demos leaked online under a fake album name (โToxicity IIโ), sounding rough as guts. Instead of crying into their choir robes, Serj Tankian and the gang went:
โCโmon butt โ letโs fix the mixes and release the thing properly!โ
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.
๐๏ธ PRODUCED BY THE WIZARDS OF CHAOS
The album was helmed by:
- Rick Rubin โ the bearded guru of a thousand genres
- Daron Malakian โ guitar sorcerer, melody gremlin, and part-time agent of chaos
This pairing captured SOADโs signature blend of:
- killer riffs ๐ธ
- political fury ๐ฅ
- surreal humour ๐ตโ๐ซ
- and Armenian soul ๐
All wrapped in a neat DIY-looking disc that literally resembles something burnt on the family PC in 2002.
Only in Wales, munโฆ would we still be using discs like this in the car. ๐
๐ CHARTS, BABY!
Despite being a โB-sides-but-not-reallyโ release, the album still:
๐ค Peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard 200
Thatโs wild for a record born from leaks and chaos. Riff Report salutes thee. ๐ค
๐ถ STANDOUT TRACKS (AKA: SONGS THAT SLAP YOU IN THE FACE)
๐ฅ โInnervisionโ โ classic SOAD energy. Wake-up slap guaranteed.
๐ฅ โI-E-A-I-A-I-Oโ โ the alphabet song if your teacher had a breakdown.
๐ฅ โBubblesโ โ punk-spiked, hyperactive, a whole mood.
๐ฅ โFuck the Systemโ โ subtle (not).
๐ฅ โRouletteโ โ Serj and Daron get all emotional and lush.
Itโs an album full of curveballs โ like being hit with a baguette during a mosh pit. You donโt see it coming, but you respect the chaos.
๐ง 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!
๐ค RIFF REPORT VERDICT
A chaotic, rebellious, beautifully messy album thatโlike a Welsh mosh pit in the rainโmakes no sense but feels absolutely perfect.
Score: 10/10 stolen CDs
Diolch for this one, SOAD. ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
