At the peak of Oasis’s fame, Noel Gallagher’s confidence was unshakable. “We’re not arrogant, we just believe we’re the best band in the world,” he famously declared. From that viewpoint, any band that wasn’t Oasis was essentially beneath them. Add to that Noel’s notoriously prickly demeanor and tendency to dish out criticism with the same warmth as a cactus, and you’ve got a recipe for some brutally honest opinions.
Over the years, Gallagher didn’t hold back when criticizing other artists. He took aim at Blur, ridiculed Coldplay, and dismissed Harry Styles as someone “with nothing to say.” But his sharpest barbs were saved for one band. In fact, he didn’t just bash them—he went so far as to express relief that he lived in a time when he could confidently say the “bottom of the barrel” had been reached.
In typical Noel fashion, he didn’t mince words: “Do you ever look at the sky and think, I’m glad I’m alive? After I heard System of a Down, I thought, I’m actually alive to hear the shittiest band of all time. Which is quite something when you think about it. Of all the bands that have gone before and all the bands that’ll come after, I was around when the worst was around.”
System of a Down emerged in 1994, around the same time as Oasis, but their approach couldn’t have been more different. While Oasis was all about carefree anthems celebrating the weekend, the Armenian-American band was taking a much darker and more politically charged path, dissecting society’s flaws with heavy, confrontational music. But Gallagher wasn’t impressed.
Admittedly, many of us have rocked out to tracks like “Toxicity” in a club or at an indie night, but Gallagher’s distaste isn’t just rooted in their genre. It’s the delivery. System of a Down’s lead vocalist, Serj Tankian, has penned lyrics that Gallagher certainly didn’t appreciate. T
ake this example from a track that made its way into Tankian’s poetry anthology: “I feel I’ve become the victim of countless manipulations/Stemming from self-righteous shits of society/In the name of business, in the name of art/In the name of music, in the name of freedom/Country, and other fucking bullshit.”
To Gallagher, it was more about the pretension than the message. With no rhyme, meter, or rhythm, Tankian’s words felt more like a rant than art, a fact that clearly grated on Gallagher’s nerves. Known for his anti-pretense attitude, Noel found Tankian’s Nietzschean poetics hard to swallow, which probably explains why the band’s approach left such a sour taste in his mouth.
It’s easy to see why Noel’s harsh criticism comes from someone who not only values authenticity but also excels in the art of insult. After all, few do it quite as masterfully as Gallagher, whose career has been built on blending scathing remarks with undeniable talent. So, whether you’re a fan of System of a Down or you share Noel’s dislike, there’s no doubt that his ability to express his disdain with humor and sharp wit remains unmatched.
