While System Of A Down‘s landmark 2001 6x multi-platinum sophomore album “Toxicity” isn’t the best-selling nü-metal album of all time — Linkin Park‘s “Hybrid Theory” is seen as holding that title with its 12x platinum status — “Toxicity” is often hailed as one of the most influential records to arrive during its era.
However, some 25 years after its release, there’s still some apparent misconception about a hidden track that closes out the record. Fans have often referred to it as “Arto“, and for good measure. It does after all feature a guest appearance from Arto Tunçboyaciyan, an avant-garde Armenian-American music who would later team directly with System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian on a project dubbed Serart.
Given that it appeared as a hidden track, the song wasn’t listed by name on the original album art for the record. However, it is listed as “Arto” on streaming services as of press time. With yesterday, April 24th, being Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, the band’s guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian took to social media to set the record straight in a sense, even though those familiar with Armenian church hymns are likely long aware of the song’s true origin.
Given the original composition’s ties to Armenian culture and the aforementioned genocide — an incident the Armenian-American metal band have long campaigned for global recognition of — Malakian took a step to clear up any confusion about the track as follows:
“There is a hidden track at the end of the Toxicity album that fans call “Arto.” However, the composition is actually a spiritual Armenian hymn called “Der Voghormia” (“Lord Have Mercy”).
The piece is often used to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, like in this video depicting priests performing Der Voghormia at the Genocide Memorial in Armenia, over a century later.
When we, as System Of A Down, perform the song live, we do it to remember the 1.5 million souls who lost their lives in 1915.”
System Of A Down are set to play their first show of 2026 tonight, April 25th, headlining the ‘Sick New World‘ in Las Vegas, NV. They also have the following dates scheduled for later this year.
With IDLES:
05/27 Mexico City, MEX – Estadion GNP Seguros
05/28 Mexico City, MEX – Estadion GNP Seguros
With Queens Of The Stone Age & Acid Bath:
06/29 Stockholm, SWE – Strawberry Arena
07/02 Paris, FRA – Stade de France
07/04 Paris, FRA – Stade de France
07/06 Milan, ITA – Ippodromo Snai la Maura
07/08 Berlin, GER – Olympiastadion
07/10 Dusseldorf, GER – Open Air Park Dusseldorf
07/13 London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
07/15 London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
07/18 Warsaw, POL – PGE Narodowy
07/19 Warsaw, POL – PGE Narodowy
System Of A Down:
10/24 Fort Worth, TX – Sick New World
