System Of A Down

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

All topics aside, it comes down to what is really going on not only in the USA, but current events around the world.

[allegate]

If they need a new drummer they could always go with their og choice. His other band is defunct atm and he's also got a better choice anyway.

[Archive_Reports]

If they need a new drummer they could always go with their og choice.

Or literally anyone else that can play drums. The only difference between this dude and David from Korn is that David quit instead of the band breaking up.

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

Firing the drummer because he doesn't have the same political beliefs as you would be a pretty asshole thing to do. For a band that hates fascism, that would be a pretty fascist thing to do. Besides, Serj already wrote a big thing telling all the people calling for John's head to STFU and how they accept eachother despite having different political beliefs. Imagine that? Accepting someone even though they have differing political beliefs? Maybe everyone else in America (on both sides) should follow their lead

[eversonpoe]

Firing the drummer because he doesn't have the same political beliefs as you would be a pretty asshole thing to do. For a band that hates fascism, that would be a pretty fascist thing to do. Besides, Serj already wrote a big thing telling all the people calling for John's head to STFU and how they accept eachother despite having different political beliefs. Imagine that? Accepting someone even though they have differing political beliefs? Maybe everyone else in America (on both sides) should follow their lead

there's a difference between saying "i like pineapple on pizza and you don't but we can still get along" and saying "i think women/queer people/trans people/people of color don't deserve the same rights as 'normal' people." the latter is what people are saying when they support trump and his administration. there's no "let's agree to disagree" on shit like that. if anyone in my family held those views, i would literally stop having any kind of relationship with them unless they were willing to listen to reason. politics has never been a non-moral issue. your vote denotes your morals, and it always has.

[Hyperpower]

there's a difference between saying "i like pineapple on pizza and you don't but we can still get along" and saying "i think women/queer people/trans people/people of color don't deserve the same rights as 'normal' people." the latter is what people are saying when they support trump and his administration. there's no "let's agree to disagree" on shit like that. if anyone in my family held those views, i would literally stop having any kind of relationship with them unless they were willing to listen to reason. politics has never been a non-moral issue. your vote denotes your morals, and it always has.

this is a very important thing you said and yet, it gets overlooked time and time again.

[thelastdisciple]

For a band that hates fascism, that would be a pretty fascist thing to do.

For a band that hates fascism, having a member in the band that supports a fascist dweeb like Trump is pretty god damn hypocritical IMO.

[Swykk]

this is a very important thing you said and yet, it gets overlooked time and time again.

I can tell you it just got overlooked in another thread recently but luckily there are more of us here that understand this important distinction.

[Dryalex12]

Also, for anyone wondering what Serj thinks, here's what he said back in June
https://www.instagram.com/p/CByqI3tBpXN/

[allegate]

[grime_z]

Or maybe just maybe the band have much more experience with things approaching real fascism than trump. Who by the way is not a fascist. He’s a piece of shit but he’s no more of a piece of shit than Biden who actively campaigned for segregation in 1975 and whilst using a language of progressive politics has immediately returned to Obama’s policies of war in the Middle East.


isn’t about time you lot realised that the main difference between the democrats and republicans politically is whether they do it with a smile on their faces?

[richardp]

Isn't it time to get rid of Dolmayan yet?!?!?

Seriously at this point this asshole is doing nothing to add to SOAD's reputation, and is just dragging the rest of the dudes straight through the mud with this trash.

[Dryalex12]

I love how he said he doesn't believe in communism but then calls BLM a bunch of communists. The right wing in a nutshell

[allegate]

lol

[bobbie solo]

https://www.theprp.com/2023/01/03/ne...s-sustainable/

At this point the long-running creative divide within System Of A Down has been well documented. The multi-platinum nü-metal/alternative metal favorites have long been at an impasse amid a rift that developed amongst Tankian and his bandmates. As Tankian himself spelled it out back in 2018, he had grown unhappy with the lack of creative input and the financial revenue splits, along with his own desire to pursue other musical avenues.While the band did manage to issue two new tracks back in 2020 to raise funds for the people of Artsakh, neither song was an entirely ‘new’ endeavor. “Protect The Land” had been repurposed from Scars On Broadway—the side project of guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian. Likewise, the origins of “Genocidial Humanoidz” came about some 3-4 years prior amid some group jam sessions of which Tankian did not take part in.


As we approach it being two decades since the band’s last studio albums, Tankian himself has expressed his lack of interest in full-scale touring, due to both personal and health reasons.
In a new interview with the Battleline Podcast, System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan spoke at length about the band’s complicated past and his desire to push the band forward, be it without Tankian or not.
Dolmayan stated:

“Serj hasn’t really wanted to be in the band for a long time. And quite frankly, we probably should have parted ways around 2006. We tried to get together multiple times to make an album, but there were certain rules set in place that made it difficult to do so and maintain the integrity of what System Of A Down stood for. So we couldn’t really come together and agree.

And part of that is Serj‘s fault, and part of that is my fault, and Shavo‘s [Odadjian, System Of a Down bassist] and Daron‘s as well. But at the end of the day, if you have a majority of the band thinking one way and one person thinking the other, it’s very difficult to come together and make music thinking that person is important.

And every member of this band is very important to the overall sound of the band. And you’ll know this by listening to anybody’s side projects; they’re never quite that good compared to System. In fact, I think a lot of ’em aren’t very good at all. And when you compare that to what we do together as System, you understand why the team matters and having certain talents come together and merge matter and that magic thing captured doing that matters.”

He continued:

“No matter what, Daron is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever seen in my life. What he does with Scars will never be on the same level or league as System. That doesn’t mean Scars is bad; it just means it’s not System. ‘Cause at the end of the day, he doesn’t have me playing drums; he doesn’t have Shavo playing bass and bringing in certain riffs and adding to Daron‘s music, and he doesn’t have Serj bringing his melody and lyrics into the play. So it’s all those things that make us System.”

When asked why he felt that the band should have parted ways in 2006, he explained:

“I think we should have moved on, and if Serj didn’t wanna be in the band at that time, we should have just moved on and done it with somebody else. But that’s what happens when you’re loyal and you really wanna make it work; you’ll put up with things that may be detrimental to the health of the band or the health of the situation.

Maybe it would have been better if we moved on and got another singer for an album or two and continued to make music and brought Serj back later if he wanted to come back. That probably would have been better. But as it is, I think we wasted 15, maybe 20 years of our lives waiting.”

While the band are currently booked for next year’s first-ever ‘Sick New World‘ festival in Las Vegas, NV, Dolmayan feels that the group should be on the road more:

“I think we would like to be working a lot more, but Serj also has a bad back now; he’s messed up his back somehow. And he just doesn’t wanna tour as much as the rest of us do. Look, if my wife told me that we were gonna have sex once a year, I’d be divorced. So you figure that out for what it is.

I don’t think this is sustainable. The rest of us wanna work a lot more than he does. Now I don’t know if that means we’re just gonna break up and forget about it and call it a career or if we’re gonna move forward with somebody else or if Serj is gonna come around.

Ultimately, the best-case scenario for me is Serj comes around and we can do, like, 15, 20 shows a year. Even that would be enough. We’d be able to go to places that we haven’t gone in a long time and play in front of fans that have never seen us play. That’s important to me.”

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen. Even talking about System kind of bums me out, because I know what our potential is. And I know that if we make an album, it’ll be fantastic ’cause we have songs that have been ready for five [or] six years now; we just have to go in and record ’em. And I don’t know if that’s gonna happen or not.”

[Jord]

A damn shame, but maybe it is time to call it. I can't see an album released with any other vocalist really being SOAD.

I don't doubt that they have some great music still in them (Genocidal Humanoidz kicked ass) that alchemy they share is still there - it's just that they can't get out of their own way to get a new album recorded & out there - that gift they have as a band really is squandered on disagreements and it's sad to see.

[stankeybearlover]

It's been pretty clear since the Toxicity days that Serj and Daron don't see eye-to-eye on the creative structures within the band. Serj only did Toxicity because he was promised he could sing more than shout and scream. STA (consisting of Toxicity rejects; the bulk of which co-written by Serj) only got released because the demos leaked. And Serj withdrew most of his input from the Mezmerize/Hypnotize sessions for the same reasons they haven't been able to make an album since. Which happen to be the same reasons that the band had to beg Serj to participate in those sessions in the first place. That sounds like a dysfunctional relationship to me. And it seems they've made many efforts to mend it. I don't think any of them would've been happy continuing churning out albums together after Hypnotize.

If they were to permanently call it quits, they'd have had a good run. Haven't released even one bad album under the SOAD name. Out of all that they have released outside of System there might be one - maybe two - album's worth of good material.

It's somewhat heartbreaking that they couldn't do this Scars song together, though.

[gorast]

It's kind of remarkable that every single member of this band can constantly talk shit in public about the band and everyone in it and they still get together and perform live just fine. How are these guys not constantly punching each other in the face?

[henryeatscereal]

It's kind of remarkable that every single member of this band can constantly talk shit in public about the band and everyone in it and they still get together and perform live just fine. How are these guys not constantly punching each other in the face?

I gue$$$$ they are civilized per$$$$ons in the end...

[Zimbo]

Serj = the magic.

Dolmayan = The Trump fan.

Scars had its moments but Serj's first solo album was leagues better.

[allegate]

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

I gue$$$$ they are civilized per$$$$ons in the end...

Money is guaranteed the main motivating factor, but I would also add that they've also known each other for decades, and have probably said it to each others faces previously.

[stankeybearlover]

So this new Serj Tankian song is apparently one of the songs that didn't make it onto Mezmerize/Hypnotize.