"''Spiders''" is a song by Armenian-American heavy metal band

System of a Down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, v ...

from their self-titled debut album. The song was featured on the ''Scream 3'' soundtrack and in the video game ''

Rock Band 4 ''Rock Band 4'' is a 2015 music video game developed and published by Harmonix. ''Rock Band 4'' allows players to simulate the playing of music across many different decades and genres using instrument controllers that mimic playing lead and bas ...

''.

Music

"Spiders", like many of System of a Down's songs, is written in the key of C minor. The song relies heavily on the Cm, B♭, and E♭ chords, as well as Fm, Gm, A♭, B, and D♭. "Spiders" uses 4/4 time at a slow tempo, and employs drum-rolls and

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...

in the verses. The music can be described as haunting, ominous, dark, frightening, and depressing with its dark melody and echoing vocal overdubs.

Serj Tankian Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...

's vocals, while low and melodic in the verses, become more energetic and dissonant in the refrains. The song's minor-key intro serves as a musical motif for the rest of the song; it repeats throughout the song in its normal and raised third forms. After the second refrain,

Daron Malakian Daron Malakian (born July 18, 1975) is an Armenian-American musician. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter, and second vocalist of metal band System of a Down, and as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwrit ...

delivers a solo bridge that creates harmonic tension with its B and D♭ (non-key) chords. The song ends with a soft vocal version of the intro motif.

Music video

A music video was directed by Charlie Deaux. Recently, a second version of the video has surfaced on video sharing websites such as

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

, featuring a more coherent timeline and more footage of the band compared to the other actors. As of January 2023, the song has 115 million views on

Track listing

Chart positions

References

External links

Song lyrics
{{System of a Down System of a Down songs 1999 singles 1998 songs Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Songs written by Daron Malakian Songs written by Serj Tankian