Published: September 9, 2026 · 9:51 PM EDT
The November 20 anniversary editions add an etched “Johnny” single, double-sided poster and updated packaging that finally identifies Toxicity’s hidden closing piece as “Der Voghormia” rather than “Arto”
Twenty-five years after System of a Down released Toxicity, one of the defining heavy albums of the early 2000s is returning in a series of physical editions that do more than change the color of the vinyl.
The Toxicity 25th Anniversary Edition arrives on November 20, 2026, with standard black vinyl and several exclusive variants built around the original album, an additional 7-inch single and newly prepared packaging.
Sony Music Canada is offering an exclusive Red Smoke vinyl edition, while System of a Down’s own webstore has a separate direct-to-consumer pressing with enhanced anniversary artwork.
But the strongest collector detail is not the vinyl color.
For the first time in this anniversary package, the album’s hidden closing piece is officially identified on the packaging as “Der Voghormia,” correcting the title “Arto” that had been associated with it for years.
Every anniversary vinyl configuration includes a separate 7-inch single of “Johnny.”
System of a Down and Sony describe the song as a track that was previously available only as a bonus track on rare editions from 2001. For the 25th-anniversary release, “Johnny” occupies Side A of its own record, while Side B carries a custom “25” etched design.
The package also includes a custom double-sided poster.
That gives the anniversary edition a stronger archival purpose than a straightforward colored-vinyl repress: a comparatively difficult-to-find period track is being brought directly into a new physical edition of the album.
“ARTO” IS NOW OFFICIALLY IDENTIFIED AS “DER VOGHORMIA”
The other significant change concerns the music already on Toxicity.
The hidden piece following “Aerials” was previously referred to as “Arto.” For the new editions, System of a Down states that the correct title is “Der Voghormia.”
The band explains that Der Voghormia is an Armenian spiritual hymn whose title translates as “Lord Have Mercy.” It is performed during periods of grief and remembrance and is also associated with commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. System of a Down says that when the band performs the piece live, it does so in remembrance of the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in 1915.
For collectors and archivists, that correction matters. It changes how the final piece of one of System of a Down’s most important albums is formally documented on an official physical release, a quarter-century after the original record appeared.
THE RED SMOKE EDITION IS ONE OF SEVERAL 25TH-ANNIVERSARY VERSIONS
The Red Smoke pressing sold through Sony Music Canada contains the original album, the “Johnny” 7-inch, etched B-side and poster.
Sony lists the edition at CAD $51.99 and imposes a limit of four copies per customer. That purchasing limit should not be interpreted as a published production quantity: Sony has not stated how many Red Smoke copies have been manufactured.
A standard black version carrying the same musical content and anniversary extras is also available.
System of a Down’s official store meanwhile offers a separate D2C exclusive. That version adds a newly enhanced cover presentation with a matte background, embossed lettering and foil album title, and the band specifically states that the pressing is exclusive to its webstore.
There is also an anniversary CD with new cover artwork and an updated 24-page booklet. Like the vinyl editions, its packaging corrects the hidden-track title to Der Voghormia.
No official description reviewed by Rockum identifies these releases as newly remastered, so the anniversary campaign should not be described as a remaster unless additional information is announced.
TOXICITY - 25TH ANNIVERSARY VINYL TRACKLIST
Side A
01. Prison Song
02. Needles
03. Deer Dance
04. Jet Pilot
05. X
06. Chop Suey!
07. Bounce
08. Forest
Side B
09. ATWA
10. Science
11. Shimmy
12. Toxicity
13. Psycho
14. Aerials
15. Der Voghormia
Johnny 7-Inch - Side A
01. Johnny
Side B
Custom “25” etching
TOXICITY BECAME SYSTEM OF A DOWN’S BREAKTHROUGH ALBUM
Originally released in September 2001, Toxicity transformed System of a Down from an emerging Los Angeles heavy band into an international act.
The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while two of its best-known songs later brought the group Grammy recognition: “Chop Suey!” was nominated for Best Metal Performance and “Aerials” received a Best Hard Rock Performance nomination.
Twenty-five years later, “Aerials” also remains part of System of a Down’s streaming-era catalog strength.
That continuing digital life makes the physical anniversary campaign particularly interesting: the same album is now being preserved simultaneously as streaming catalog and as a newly documented collector edition.
WHY THE 25TH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION MATTERS FOR COLLECTORS
Colored vinyl alone would have been enough to create another Toxicity variant. The 2026 campaign goes further. “Johnny” returns as a dedicated physical 7-inch, the package adds an etched anniversary side and poster, the D2C edition alters the presentation of the original artwork, and the album’s hidden closing piece finally receives its corrected title on official packaging. That last point may ultimately be the most important archival detail.
Record collecting is not only about scarcity or resale value. Physical editions can also preserve changes in how an album’s history is documented. Twenty-five years after Toxicity first appeared, System of a Down is using this edition to correct part of its own discography.
Toxicity does not need another pressing to establish its importance. The album already survived its original era, reached No. 1, produced songs that became long-term parts of System of a Down’s catalog and continues to circulate among new listeners decades later.
What makes the 25th-anniversary edition interesting is therefore not simply that the vinyl comes in new colors. It restores “Johnny” to physical circulation, adds material created specifically for the anniversary and corrects a detail that had followed the album for a quarter-century.
For collectors, that makes the 2026 Toxicity edition not just another version of the record, but a revised physical document of the album itself.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of System of a Down / Sony Music
Watch System of a Down’s official “Chop Suey!” music video below:
