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SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian, who’s selling his lately launched memoir “Down With The System”, was requested in a brand new interview with The Jesea Lee Present what it might take for him and his bandmates to launch a brand new studio album, practically 20 years after the arrival of “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize” LPs, which got here out in 2005. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Egalitarian method to every little thing inside the band. [In other words] sort of extra equality by way of sourcing of the music, by way of splitting every little thing, together with publishing, by way of concepts, by way of sharing the imaginative and prescient — that sort of stuff.”
He continued: “It is within the e-book. We name it a manifesto jokingly as a result of I wrote factors down that, years in the past after I had some new songs that I assumed can be wonderful with SYSTEM, and so I performed it for the blokes. And I stated, ‘Guys, I’ve obtained an thought of a imaginative and prescient, a distinct approach ahead that I believe can be very helpful for the band.’ And I introduced it — we name it a manifesto within the e-book virtually half jokingly, however bringing a manifesto to rock musicians is… [Laughs] I assume it would not work — it would not work. However I used to be attempting to instill the identical sort of egalitarian rules as I really like as an activist inside no matter I do. And at the moment, it did not work, however possibly it’s going to sooner or later. We’ll see.”
“Down With The System” was launched on Might 14 by way of Hachette Books.Within the memoir, Serj revealed that his SYSTEM OF A DOWN bandmates had auditioned a brand new vocalist after he had requested out of the group in 2017. Serj stated that his disdain for touring led to his resolution to inform his bandmates to hold on with out him so they might proceed dwelling their dream. Tankian later realized that the band had begun taking a look at new singers, and he additionally shared that in “more moderen years”, he had pitched an in depth good friend as a possible alternative however he did not assume the band ever severely thought-about the supply.
Final month, Tankian defined to Patrick Ritter of the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station why he felt, from SYSTEM OF A DOWN‘s early days, that the advanced dynamics inside the band and the ensuing conflict of egos and artistic tensions would in the end led to the group’s demise. The singer stated partly: “John [Dolmayan], my drummer who’s additionally my brother-in-law, lately — he is obtained an unimaginable reminiscence. My reminiscence isn’t pretty much as good, however he principally stated, ‘Yeah, ever since ’99, you had been trying and going, ‘This could’t proceed this fashion.” And I believe it had loads to do with the discrepancy between our perspective and Daron‘s [Malakian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist] perspective towards the band and towards every little thing that was occurring. I believe for Daron, he had grown up with this turning into his every little thing. In John‘s case, for instance, regardless that he is performed drums since he was eight years previous — I believe it was eight — he is achieved many, many issues in life. He is had a comic book e-book firm. Shavo‘s [Odadjian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist] achieved different issues as effectively, regardless that music’s been an enormous a part of his life. However for Daron, it was the one factor. And I had achieved many issues in life — labored in several industries, obtained a school diploma and went into music virtually late, later than all the opposite guys, positively. So I believe there was a scarcity of appreciation of stuff occurring or no matter it was. I can not keep in mind the precise circumstance, however I felt like there was one thing incorrect with this puzzle that I do not assume we might remedy from a really early time. And music had turn into my every little thing at the moment. I had screamed on the gods saying that I wanna do music. And I knew that was my imaginative and prescient. I knew I might be doing music for the remainder of my life, it doesn’t matter what, with or with out SYSTEM OF A DOWN, ‘trigger that was my calling. However early on, I might see that schism, that schism creating.”
Tankian beforehand addressed how his relationship with Malakian has developed over time, significantly because it pertains to their collaborative partnership, earlier final month in an interview with Tom Energy, host of “Q” on Canada’s CBC Radio One. He stated: “Properly, altering the dynamic is principally years of time and the development of the band, the success of the band, every little thing that occurred in between the day that we met and now, principally, so 25, 30 years. Lots modifications in that point. And so I believe that is part of it.
“Daron‘s been a lifer and he is extremely severe about his music and he is extremely protecting of his music and weak because of his music,” Serj defined. “All of these issues sort of go collectively. So it is these issues, I believe, that created a number of the artistic variations that we began discovering. And it is also our development. Pay attention, when Daron and I began working collectively, I did not actually write quite a lot of instrumental music — I principally wrote lyrics; I used to be the lyricist; I used to be the singer. And he did not write any lyrics; he simply wrote music. However as time progressed and I performed extra musical devices and I began turning into a songwriter/composer and he began writing extra lyrics, we began sort of masking one another’s territory. And I used to be okay with that. If he wrote lyrics, I used to be attempting to encourage him to write down extra, as a result of I imagine in creative development. I imagine in development. I do not imagine in issues staying the identical approach, for music’s sake. In any other case the music turns into the identical factor again and again. That development is critical in each artist’s life or in each group’s life. So I used to be very encouraging of that. And I simply want that I obtained a few of that again. And in order that wasn’t the case, and it was disappointing. And it grew to become a artistic distinction over the band’s path, and whatnot, over time.”
Requested why he wished to write down about this in his e-book, Serj stated: “Loads of it has been publicized in a really sensationalist format by media, music media principally, and I sort of wished to place it in a correct perspective and grounding perspective, however with love and with steadiness and understanding that this stuff occur. That is regular. You’ve gotten a relationship and you’ve got variations in opinion as [to] the way you wanna go ahead, whether or not it is a band or a wedding or no matter it’s. And this stuff occur. And so I wished to take that facet out, I wished to take the sensationalist facet out of the entire thing and be, like, this isn’t solely what occurred, however that is how I see issues.”
Tankian additionally addressed the truth that SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, however has solely managed to report two songs within the final 19 years, “Defend The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”. Launched in November 2020, the tracks had been motivated by the battle between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN‘s ancestral homeland of Armenia. Together with different donations from followers on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.
“We have not been making new music,” Serj stated. “We solely put out two songs when the invasion of Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh occurred in 2020 by Azerbaijan, as a result of we felt just like the Azeri trolls, the government-sponsored trolls had been taking up social media and the information networks, and the victims of those assaults weren’t getting the phrase out. So we grew to become sort of obsessive about getting the phrase out, as a result of we had been seeing our folks endure. So we put out these two songs due to that and we donated quite a lot of the proceeds for that to the trigger as effectively.”
Requested how he balances the love and obligation he may really feel towards his followers, those that love SYSTEM OF A DOWN, and the inner struggles inside the band, Tankian stated: “That is an extremely good query. It is actually exhausting catering — once you’re an artist, it is actually exhausting catering. When you’re an entertainer, catering is [what you do], however in case you’re an artist, you then’re simply creating what involves you. You are virtually unaware of what folks need. Sure, if it is one thing heavier, you recognize persons are gonna prefer it extra. However in case you’re a superb songwriter, you might do each. I do orchestral music, I do movie music, I do rock music — I do all of it. So I get pleasure from ’em all, however I do know that if I do rock, extra persons are going to take heed to it than a piano, instrumental orchestral piece of music, soundtrack sort of music. Nevertheless it does not imply that you do not do each, as an artist. So it is exhausting to essentially cater to folks’s emotions. What I really like is, and I do know that I can communicate for the remainder of the blokes within the band, that it doesn’t matter what’s happening with our artistic distinction or the band not making new music or not touring absolutely or no matter, everybody’s extremely appreciative of what now we have by way of the love that we get from our followers and the best way that folks react to our music and the best way that we get all these e-mails about the way it’s modified folks’s lives and all of that stuff, and that’s mind-blowing. It is the largest honor. And after I meet folks on the road, I am nonetheless extremely honored that somebody would choose me out and take a look at me in a optimistic gentle, not figuring out who I’m personally, however figuring out me by means of my music, by means of our music, as an example. And I believe that is an important fucking honor. I really feel blessed for it. Nevertheless it does not imply that that factor ought to proceed ceaselessly both.”
SYSTEM OF A DOWN performed its first dwell present in 11 months on April 27 as one of many headliners of the Sick New World competition in Las Vegas, Nevada for the second 12 months in a row.
Malakian has resurrected his SCARS ON BROADWAY challenge for its first dwell appearances in 5 years: October 5 on the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles because the help act for KORN, and October 11 on the Aftershock competition in Sacramento, California.
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