See System of a Down's Insanely Heavy "X" Performance From 1997 | Page 2 | Revolver

See System of a Down's Insanely Heavy "X" Performance From 1997

First time alt-metal weirdos played 'Toxicity' banger — four years before its release

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On Halloween night of 1997, System of a Down played an intimate show at the Showcase Theatre in Corona, CA,  and absolutely tore the place apart. The fledgling alt-metal weirdos wouldn't even release their debut album, 1998's self-titled, for another eight months, but they were already captivating their audience with a mesmerizing blend of death-metal heaviness and funky, Eastern-influenced melodies. During their set that night in Corona, System introduced a new song called "X," which wouldn't actually appear on recording for another four years, when it was slotted as track five on 2001's Toxicity

Nevertheless, the guys gave it an astoundingly heavy live debut that night, launching into its opening breakdown at ear-piercing volume and wriggling around the stage like lunatics while Serj Tankian — whose hair boasted some snazzy frosted tips — growled his parts like a rabid dog. Watch the exhilarating performance above via YouTube and bask in the FOMO of not getting to see this shit in person.