Editing System of a Down (section)

=== Demo tapes and signing (1994–1997) ===
After Soil split up, Tankian, Odadjian, and Malakian formed a new band, System of a Down. The group took its name from a poem that Malakian had written titled "Victims of a Down".<ref name="blogs.myspace.com">{{cite web |title=OnTroniK: System of a Down Information |url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=512654515&blogId=526325472 |access-date=July 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220180824/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=512654515&blogId=526325472 |archive-date=February 20, 2010}}</ref> The word "victims" was changed to "system" because Odadjian believed that it would appeal to a much wider audience and also because the group wanted their records to be alphabetically shelved closer to their musical heroes, [[Slayer]].<ref name="revolver7things">{{Cite web|date=June 30, 2018|title=7 Things You Didn't Know About System of a Down's Self-Titled Album|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-system-downs-self-titled-album|access-date=December 17, 2020|website=Revolver|language=en|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930064541/https://www.revolvermag.com/music/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-system-downs-self-titled-album|url-status=live}}</ref> Odadjian switched from guitar to bass and passed on his managerial duties to Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group and its founder David "Beno" Benveniste.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview With David 'Beno' Benveniste |work=lamusicblog.com |date=March 13, 2011 |url=http://lamusicblog.com/2011/03/industry-profile/interview-with-beno-of-velvet-hammer |access-date=August 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731110059/http://lamusicblog.com/2011/03/industry-profile/interview-with-beno-of-velvet-hammer/ |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The band recruited drummer [[Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian]], an old school friend of Malakian and Odadjian who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens.<ref name="blogs.myspace.com" />

In early 1995, System of a Down performed under the name Soil at the Cafe Club Fais Do-Do, a nightclub in [[Los Angeles]]. Shortly after the event, System of a Down made what is known as ''Untitled 1995 Demo Tape'', which was not commercially released, but eventually appeared on file-sharing networks around the time of the band's success with ''[[Toxicity (album)|Toxicity]]'' about six years later. ''Demo Tape 2'' was released in 1996. At the beginning of 1997, System of a Down recorded their final publicly released demo tape, ''Demo Tape 3''. In mid-1997, drummer Khachaturian left the band because of a hand injury (he subsequently co-founded The Apex Theory, which included former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan).<ref name="blogs.myspace.com" /> Khachaturian was replaced by [[John Dolmayan]].

The band's first official and professionally recorded song was on a collection called ''Hay Enk'' ("We're Armenian" in English), an [[Armenian genocide]] recognition compilation in 1997. After playing at notable Hollywood clubs such as the [[Whisky a Go Go]] and [[Viper Room]], the band caught attention of producer [[Rick Rubin]], who asked them to keep in touch. Showing great interest, the group recorded ''Demo Tape 4'' near the end of 1997, specifically to be sent to [[record companies]]. Rubin signed the group to his [[American Recordings (record label)|American]]/[[Columbia Records]], with the band celebrating the signing with a performance at [[The Roxy Theatre]] with [[Human Waste Project]] on September 12, 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-10-28 |title=human waste project news |url=http://www.geocities.com/~humanwaste/news2.htm |access-date=2022-06-23 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028094447/http://www.geocities.com/~humanwaste/news2.htm |archive-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Afterward, System began laying down tracks that would eventually be released on their debut album with engineer [[Sylvia Massy]]. "I loved them," Rubin recalled. "They were my favorite band, but I didn't think anyone was going to like them apart from a small, likeminded group of people like me who were crazy. No one was waiting for an Armenian heavy metal band. It had to be so good that it transcended all of that."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Rees|title=The Q Interview: Rick Rubin|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=October 2009|page=98}}</ref>

In 1997, the group won the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards.<ref name="rc_awards_97">{{cite web |title=Rock City Awards 1997 |work=rockcitynews.com |url=http://www.rockcitynews.com/awards/ballot97.html |access-date=July 25, 2007 |archive-date=December 5, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001205000000/http://www.rockcitynews.com/awards/ballot97.html |url-status=live}}</ref>