"Toxicity" is a song created by Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released in 2002 as the second single from their second studio album Toxicity. The song was written by band members Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and Serj Tankian. It is known for its dynamic chorus, aggressive vocals, and prominent drum beat. The song is predominantly in triple meter, alternating between , and time. The guitar during the verse plays in using a 2+2+2 phrasing while the heavy part ("somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep") makes use of a hemiola with the guitar switching to a 3+3+3+3 pattern while the drums remain in compound duple meter until the bridge. The song was ranked number 14 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs, and was called a nu metal classic by Stylus Magazine.
Background
"Toxicity," an important song for System of a Down, was initially brought to the band by bassist Shavo Odadjian, who introduced the composition under the title "Version 7.0." Odadjian conceived this title in reference to the then-popular AOL software, stating, "When this song comes out, it'll be on Version 7.0, and we'd be telling the future." It has also been described as progressive metal, with Brendan Appleton of Kerrang! Radio arguing that "they certainly verge more towards progressive metal on this track." Serj Tankian has noted that "sacred silence" alludes to the spiritual understanding within Native American cultures, serving as a state of meditation where one can find both loss and discovery.
Track listing
Charts
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|+ Weekly chart performance for "Toxicity"
! scope="col"| Chart (2002)
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!scope=row|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)
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{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2025 weekly chart performance for "Toxicity"
! scope="col"| Chart (2025)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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