Toxicity

There is nothing subtle about <i>Toxicity</i>: With uncompromising politics and vicious satire, art-metal surrealists System of a Down go for the jugular. Society is sick and dying, and singer Serj Tankian can’t decide if he’s delighted, disgusted or both. "Shimmy" and the title cut are dizzyingly complex, rage-fuelled monstrosities, and “Psycho” is even more spastic. With shuddering, start-stop rhythms, the band go absolutely ballistic while Tankian shouts about cocaine, groupies and madness. The spooky, Middle Eastern-tinged "Arto" fittingly closes out this end-of-days soundtrack.