If you’ve been waiting for a new System of a Down album, it’s been two decades. Their last studio album, *Hypnotize*, came out on November 22, 2005. The band went on hiatus a year later and returned in 2010, but new music didn’t follow.
In 2018, frontman Serj Tankian shared that the band was facing a creative standstill. He mentioned that they wanted more equal input and better publishing splits among members. In 2020, System of a Down released two singles to support their ancestral homeland of Armenia during its conflict with Azerbaijan, but still no full album.
If *Hypnotize* ends up being their last album, guitarist Daron Malakian is proud of their work. He believes their five albums show a clear evolution. “The first album was very raw and heavy,” he said. “The second album was heavy too, but we added more textures and vocal harmonies. You can hear the band growing and changing.”
Even without a new album in 20 years, System of a Down remains a major live act. This summer, they played huge shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Soldier Field in Chicago, and Rogers Stadium in Toronto. Fans are still excited to see them perform, proving their lasting impact in the music world.
