June 20, 2011 - 16:57 AMT
5 platinum albums in 7 years equal System of a Down to The Beatles - Kommersant

System of a Down band is an unprecedented example of conversion within Diaspora and world popularity in the music industry, which grew on the soil of the basketball ground of the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Hollywood, says an article in Kommersant daily.

“Serj Tankian, the future keyboard and vocal, and Daron Malakian, the guitar, met here in small Armenia,” Boris Barabanov writes in the article he titled “Armenians Together Again.”

“It is difficult to explain the success of System of a Down, ignoring the Diaspora's factor. They managed to record five platinum albums within seven years, total circulation is 20 million copies, of which 6,5 million was raised by the second album Toxicity,” the article says.

“Mezmerize and Hypnotize deserve special mention as well. Both albums climbed to the first place in the Billboard chart. Before System of a Down, only the Beatles succeeded in doing that. These two bands are similar in their disposition to experiment and lack of fear.”