System of a Down's blend of thrash metal, alternative rock and politics was like nothing we'd ever heard before.

Songs like 'Chop Suey', 'Aerials' and 'Toxicity' introduced new fans to heavy music in the late 90s and early 2000s – and were major breakthrough hits for the Armenian-American band that thought they'd never be played on radio. This popularity sat uncomfortably with some of the band, who wanted System to represent a middle finger to conformity and mainstream commercial success.

In this episode of The J Files hear interviews with all four band members from the triple j archives discussing the politics, the tension and the legendary live shows. We also check in with triple j legends Emmy Mack, Courtney Fry and Lochlan Watt about why they're still loving System of a Down all these years on.