[Music] Top Ten Albums: Number 10

So begins the mega-awesome (and somewhat long-winded) countdown of my favorite albums of all time!

Number Ten: System of a Down - Toxicity

I am not that much of a metal guy, but I do enjoy some good old heavy music now and again. I love bands like Metallica and Black Sabbath, but if I had to choose just one metal band to listen to for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be System of a Down. There is just something so frantic and other-worldly about their music that just attracts me to it. SOAD can be both extremely loud, heavy, fast, and scary, and at the same time can be strangely melodic and musical. I don't think there is another metal band as melodic as SOAD. System of a Down has only put out five albums and are now on break, and I hope that they reconvene soon because the music world needs their strange brand of metal mayhem more than ever.

Of all their albums there was really only one that I could put in this list, and that is Toxicity. This album came into my life when I was listening to strictly pop-punk music and was still somewhat frightened by metal music. A friend of mine clued me into this band back in 2001, and after hearing the title track from this album on the radio I bought the album right away. Toxicity turned me onto a whole new area of music and is most likely the reason why I listen to more heavy stuff today. From the opening mayhem of "Prison Song" to the beauty of the closing song "Aerials", Toxicity covers a wide range of musical styles, which is why I think I embraced the album so much. This is a metal album without a doubt, but System of a Down really shows their prowess as musicians here. Toxicity contains some of the craziest riffs I have ever heard. And of course, Serj's voice is from some other world.

Even though I still think the Mezmerize/Hypnotize is a little bit more accessible than this album, there is no doubt in my mind that Toxicity is my favorite SOAD album, as well as my favorite metal album ever. Every time I need something to pump me up or to get my mind racing, I just crank up Toxicity. This album still scares the shit out of me, and I love it. I couldn't imagine my life without System of a Down.

My Favorite Tracks:

"Prison Song", "Chop Suey", "Bounce", "Science"

Live Video (Chop Suey Live in 2002):

Stay tuned next week for Number Nine!