System of a Down is composed of four musicians who have set opinions about love, life, death, sex, politics, and pretty much everything else, and aren't afraid to share them. The music is nu-metal of a more avant-garde, thrash-punk kind, and shies away from the themes of grief and personal alienation usually explored in the genre. Rather, SOAD focuses on songs centered on activism, humor and the absurd, and social commentary, with a few power ballads thrown in the mix. The music is extremely sophisticated, with excellent composition, and shows mind-blowing proficiency with the use of the instruments (just take a look at the work on the drums!)