SYSTEM OF A DOWN Drops ‘Johnny’ Digitally as “Toxicity” Turns 25

Twenty-five years after “Toxicity” changed the scale of their career, System Of A Down are finally putting one of its more elusive tracks where it can actually be heard without hunting down an old physical copy. ‘Johnny’, long absent from streaming and download services, has now been released digitally as part of the album’s 25th-anniversary campaign.

Released on September 4, 2001 and produced by Rick Rubin, “Toxicity” arrived at a moment when System Of A Down were moving rapidly beyond the confines of the metal scene. The album went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while ‘Chop Suey!’ became their first track to enter the Billboard Hot 100. More than two decades later, the record remains one of the defining releases of their catalogue, having reached 7x Platinum status in the US and 2x Platinum in the UK, with worldwide sales estimated at around 15 million units.

Its impact came from the way the band refused to keep its influences in separate compartments. Aggressive guitar work, Armenian musical references and politically charged writing shared the same space, with songs addressing environmental destruction, protest, American foreign policy and the broader absurdities surrounding them. ‘Chop Suey!’ alone passed two billion Spotify streams in May, giving one of the album’s most recognisable tracks an audience far beyond its original era.

Then there is ‘Johnny’, which has always occupied a slightly strange position within the “Toxicity” story. The song appeared on international editions of the album and on a UK 7-inch released alongside ‘Chop Suey!’, but never received the kind of digital release that would make it part of the everyday streaming catalogue. That changes with the anniversary edition.

The new vinyl package pairs “Toxicity” on red smoke-coloured vinyl with a one-sided 7-inch devoted to ‘Johnny’. Its reverse side carries a custom etched “25”, while a double-sided poster completes the set. The release also tidies up an old piece of album trivia: the hidden closing track previously credited as ‘Arto’ is now correctly identified as ‘Der Voghormia’.

For a record that has spent 25 years accumulating certifications, streams and cultural weight, the anniversary reissue is doing something surprisingly simple. It is putting a missing piece back where it belongs. ‘Johnny’ is no longer a track you have to know exists before you can find it. It is finally part of the digital record.