That cello. You know the one. It starts low, vibrating with a kind of melancholy that feels too heavy for a radio hit in 2002. Then the drums kick in. It’s a march. It’s a funeral. It’s a celebration. Honestly, Aerials System of a Down is a song that shouldn't have worked on paper, yet it became the definitive anthem of a generation that felt stuck between the neon pop of the late 90s and the crushing reality of the post-9/11 world.
Most people remember the video. That pale, strange-looking kid with the elongated face walking through a circus. It was unsettling. It felt like a fever dream you’d have after eating too much junk food and watching too much cable news. But beneath the visuals, the song itself was doing something radically different from the nu-metal "bro-rock" that dominated the airwaves back then. While Limp Bizkit was yelling about breaking things, System of a Down was singing about the interconnectedness of the human spirit and the trap of the ego. It’s deep stuff for a band that also wrote a song about "pogo sticks."
The Complexity Behind the Simplicity of Aerials System of a Down
Rick Rubin, the legendary producer who worked on Toxicity, has often talked about the "magic" of System of a Down. They weren't just a metal band. They were a folk band with distortion pedals. Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian brought this middle-eastern melodic sensibility to the writing process that made Aerials System of a Down feel ancient. It doesn't sound like it was written in a studio in Los Angeles; it sounds like it was unearthed from a tomb.
The song is famously played in CGCFAD tuning (Drop C). This gives it that massive, floor-shaking resonance. But have you ever really listened to the vocal harmonies? In the chorus, Serj and Daron do this haunting close-harmony work that is straight out of traditional Armenian liturgical music. It’s jarring. It’s beautiful. It’s exactly why the song stood out on a playlist next to Puddle of Mudd.
People often argue about what the lyrics actually mean. "Aerials in the sky / When you lose small mind / You free your life." It’s basically a critique of materialism and the narrow-minded way we view our existence. We are the "aerials," reaching up, trying to catch signals, trying to find meaning, but we’re often just picking up static. Serj Tankian has mentioned in various interviews that the song touches on the idea that we are all part of a larger whole, yet we act like isolated islands.
That Secret Track You Probably Forgot
If you bought the physical CD of Toxicity back in the day—remember those?—you know that Aerials System of a Down isn't actually the end of the album. After the song fades out into silence, there’s a hidden track. It’s called "Arto," named after Arto Tunçboyacıyan, a renowned Armenian avant-garde musician.
It’s nothing but tribal drumming and chanting. No guitars. No screaming. Just raw, percussive energy. Including "Arto" immediately after "Aerials" was a brilliant move. it centered the band's identity. It told the listener, "Yeah, we’re a platinum-selling rock band, but this is where we actually come from." It’s an essential part of the listening experience that often gets cut off on digital streaming platforms or radio edits, which is a total shame.
Why the Music Video Still Haunts Your Dreams
Shavo Odadjian, the band's bassist, co-directed the video with David Slade. They wanted to capture a sense of "alienation." They found a young actor named Richie Akiva, who had a very distinct look, and used prosthetic makeup to make him look even more otherworldly. The kid represents us. He’s the "aerial." He’s placed in these high-glamour, high-pressure environments—photo shoots, trailers, celebrity circles—and he looks utterly miserable and out of place.
It was a middle finger to the music industry of the early 2000s. While every other band was trying to look "cool" or "tough," SOAD made a video about a kid who looked like a literal alien being paraded around for profit. It’s a visual representation of the song's core message: when you lose the "small mind" of fame and ego, you realize how ridiculous the whole circus actually is.
The Legacy of a Masterpiece
It's wild to think that Aerials System of a Down was the final single from Toxicity. It was the closer. It was the punctuation mark on an album that changed how people thought about heavy music. It hit number one on both the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. A song about spiritual transcendence and Armenian folk roots was the most popular rock song in America. Think about that for a second.
The song has aged incredibly well. Unlike a lot of the rap-metal from that era that feels dated or cringey, "Aerials" feels timeless. You can play it today and it still sounds fresh. It’s been covered by everyone from Machine Gun Kelly to cellist collectives, proving that the skeleton of the song is just rock-solid songwriting.
Some fans think the band peaked here. I don't know if I'd go that far, but there’s definitely a specific gravity to this track that they never quite replicated on Mezmerize or Hypnotize. It was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment where their politics, their heritage, and their sheer musical talent collided perfectly.
Common Misconceptions About the Song
One thing that drives me crazy is when people say this song is about "aliens" or "UFOs" just because of the title and the weird-looking kid in the video. It's not. It's metaphorical. "Aerials" are antennas. It’s about communication and perception.
Another myth is that the song was written as a response to the 9/11 attacks. While the album Toxicity famously hit number one the same week as the attacks, the songs were written and recorded long before that. The dark atmosphere was already there; the world just happened to catch up to the band's anxiety.
Actionable Ways to Experience the Song Today
To truly appreciate what went into this track, you have to go beyond just hitting play on a Spotify playlist.
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- Listen to the high-fidelity vinyl version. The separation between the acoustic intro and the heavy drop is significantly more impactful than a compressed MP3.
- Watch the "Arto" session videos. If you can find the behind-the-scenes footage of the band recording the hidden track with Arto Tunçboyacıyan, watch it. It puts the "folk" elements of the main song into a whole new context.
- Check out the 2002 Reading Festival performance. There’s a specific live energy to "Aerials" when played in front of 50,000 people that proves why this band was untouchable in their prime.
- Learn the riff. Even if you aren't a guitarist, looking at the tabs for the intro reveals how simple and elegant the melody is. It’s only a few notes, but the phrasing is what makes it haunting.
Aerials System of a Down remains a masterpiece because it refuses to be just one thing. It's a heavy metal song you can hum. It's a chart-topper that critiques the very idea of being a celebrity. It’s a bridge between the ancient world and the modern one. If you haven't sat down and really listened to it—without distractions—in a while, you're missing out on one of the most layered pieces of art to ever come out of the mainstream rock scene.