System of a Down‘s iconic video for Toxicity favourite ‘Chop Suey!’ has hit a billion views on YouTube.
The classic Marcos Siega-directed clip saw the band performing on stage surrounded by a sea of fans as the Oak Tree Inn motel in Los Angeles. Perspective editing making it appear like band members are walking through one another and teleporting on and off stage.
The video also made use of the SnorriCam technique, making it look as though the background is moving while band members remain stationary.
In cracking the big 1B, SOAD join a very small club of heavier acts to achieve the milestone – including Nirvana (‘Smells Like Teen Sprit’), Linkin Park (‘Numb’ and ‘In the End’) and Guns N’ Roses (‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’).
Earlier this month, System of a Down returned with their first new music since 2005 album Hypnotize, releasing the singles ‘Protect the Lands’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’.
The band – whose members are all of Armenian descent – recorded the songs to raise awareness and funds amid conflict in their cultural homeland of Artsakh amid conflict in the region. They were able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Armenia Fund, an organisation that provides humanitarian relief.
