Metal Anarchy

System Of A Down guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian has taken to social media to offer more details on the “Arto” bonus track that appears on the band’s 2001 album “Toxicity.” He had the following to say about the song, which features Arto Tunçboyaciyan:

“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.”