The Toxicity singles everyone knows (easy points)
'Chop Suey!', 'Toxicity' and 'Aerials' are the ones most players name in a beat. All three come from the 2001 album 'Toxicity', so casual fans bank quick points before the 2005 records arrive.
System of a Down Quiz: Guess the Song & Test Your Trivia
Test your knowledge of System of a Down's biggest hits, deep cuts and iconic moments.
System of a Down at a glance
- Main genre
- Metal (alternative and political metal)
- Active
- 1994-present (peak in the 2000s)
- Members
- Serj Tankian (vocals) and Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals), with an all-Armenian-American lineup
- Best-known songs to guess
- Chop Suey!, Toxicity, B.Y.O.B., Aerials, Hypnotize
- Deep cuts fans miss
- Lonely Day, Sugar, Spiders, Question!
- Eras in the quiz
- 1998 debut (Sugar), 2001 Toxicity (Chop Suey!), 2005 Mezmerize and Hypnotize (B.Y.O.B., Lonely Day)
- Causes in the songs
- Anti-war protest (B.Y.O.B.) and recognition of the Armenian Genocide run through the lyrics
- Related artists
- Slipknot, Linkin Park, Rammstein
- Quiz difficulty
- Easy on the Toxicity singles, hard on the Serj-versus-Daron vocals and the 2005 cuts
Guess the System of a Down Song
'Chop Suey!', 'Toxicity' and 'B.Y.O.B.' are the ones players name in a beat.
- 01
Chop Suey!
- 02
Toxicity
- 03
B.Y.O.B.
- 04
Aerials
- 05
Hypnotize
- 06
Lonely Day
- 07
Sugar
- 08
Spiders
System of a Down Trivia: Politics and Two Voices
The Armenian heritage, the anti-war lyrics, and the vocals that switch mid-line.
- All four members of System of a Down are of Armenian descent and grew up around Los Angeles, forming the band in 1994.
- 'B.Y.O.B.', a protest against the Iraq war, won the 2006 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
- Singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian trade and stack vocals, a call-and-response style that became the band's signature. That signature is a strong tell when you guess the artist from a clip.
- The band released two linked albums in 2005, 'Mezmerize' in May and 'Hypnotize' in November, both topping the US chart. Placing that year is a good warm-up for a quiz on music by decade.
- System of a Down are longtime campaigners for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, a cause that runs through several of their songs.
How Well Do You Know System of a Down's Message?
The Toxicity singles are easy points; the politics and the traded vocals are where the lead changes hands.
Telling Serj from Daron
The band trades vocals between Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian, often mid-line. A round here asks whose voice is leading, since the switch from a calm verse to a shout is a signature the casual ear misses.
The politics in the lyrics (where superfans pull ahead)
Many songs carry a message. 'B.Y.O.B.' protests the Iraq war, and the band has long campaigned for recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Naming the cause behind the song is where the deeper fans move ahead.
The stop-start tempo traps
Tracks like 'Chop Suey!' and 'B.Y.O.B.' lurch from a slow passage into a sprint without warning. A guess-the-track round leans on these, since the section you hear may be nothing like the part that made the song famous.
About System of a Down
An Armenian-American band whose songs swerve from calm to shout and carry a political charge. Guess the song and tell Serj's voice from Daron's.
Two voices and a political streak drive a System of a Down quiz, where the vocal can flip from calm to shout mid-line. Guess the System of a Down song from 'Chop Suey!', 'Toxicity', 'Aerials' and 'B.Y.O.B.', then test your trivia on the Armenian heritage, the anti-war lyrics, and the stop-start tempos. Once you have those down, challenge your friends to keep up. Tell 2001's 'Toxicity' from the 2005 pair 'Mezmerize' and 'Hypnotize', hear Serj Tankian trade lines with Daron Malakian, and find out how well you know the band that formed in Los Angeles. If metal is your ground, a music genre quiz is the next step.
System of a Down Quiz FAQ
How does the System of a Down quiz work?
You hear a snippet of a System of a Down track and name it, then answer trivia across the Toxicity singles, the traded vocals, and the political lyrics.
Which System of a Down songs are in the quiz?
Singles like 'Chop Suey!', 'Toxicity' and 'B.Y.O.B.', plus tracks such as 'Aerials', 'Hypnotize' and 'Lonely Day'.
Why is the System of a Down quiz tricky?
Songs lurch from slow to fast without warning, and the vocals switch between Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian mid-line.
Who are System of a Down?
An American rock and metal band of Armenian descent, formed in Los Angeles in 1994 and led by singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian.
Does the quiz ask about what the songs mean?
Some questions do. A few rounds tie a song like 'B.Y.O.B.' to the cause behind it, though most are about naming the track.
Is the System of a Down quiz free?
Yes. The System of a Down quiz is free to play on Songtrivia, with no account or Spotify required. You can also guess the song with friends in a multiplayer music quiz.
Sources & methodology
Sources consulted
Wikipedia · AllMusic · Pitchfork · Billboard · Songtrivia editorial team.
Our methodology
Each topic is curated by a Quiz Master with category expertise. Selection crosses cultural impact, chart performance, recognition potential and era variety.