In a new interview with Spin, System Of A Down guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian opened up about his ongoing work with Scars On Broadway, who just released their third studio album “Addicted To The Violence” last month. Malakian also spoke on where his head is at with SOAD at the moment.
The latter multi-platinum Armenian-American outfit have of course been mired in a much-publicized creative impasse that has persisted for decades at this point. Vocalist Serj Tankian went on to address the matter publicly back in 2018. His transparency emerged in response to inner tensions between himself and the band spilling over into the press.
In this publicly shared 2018 ‘manifesto’, Tankian pushed for the band to operate in a more egalitarian fashion, calling for more consideration being put towards creative input from each member, as well as a reworking of financial splits, and other concerns.
In his so-called manifesto, Tankian went so far as to state, “By the time Mezmerize/Hypnotize came around we were at the diametrically opposite end on both with Daron controlling both the creative process and making the lions share of publishing not to mention wanting to be the only one to do press.”
While Tankian has thus far been unsuccessful in his aforementioned attempt to reshape the band’s operating parameters, the group’s roster still remain friendly and partake in sporadic touring each year. However, the prospects of System Of A Down ever releasing a follow-up to their 2005 one-two punch of “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize” remain painfully low.
Malakian himself has previously questioned how much he really wants that anymore, as has drummer John Dolmayan. The latter went so far as to cite his concerns with the amount of “drama involved” with getting back on the same page in a studio setting. In this new chat, Malakian echoed his previously expressed apprehension, stating:
“System Of A Down has been such a blessing to me in my life and has given me everything I wanted in my life, but then there’s a side of me that’s an artist and a songwriter, that sometimes I feel like waiting for System has held me back. It’s partly why I haven’t put out so many records through the years by myself.
If you asked me 10 years ago [about new System Of A Down], I would probably still be like, well, okay, maybe. But I’m at a place now where I feel more free and a little bit more comfortable, and I’m not even sure I want to do another System Of A Down record. I think those records that we have stand up. I will always be proud of those records.”
Malakian also admitted to having not read his System Of A Down bandmate Serj Tankian‘s 2024 memoir, ‘Down With the System‘, but is aware of the vocalists side of the impasse and the behind the scenes struggles that led to the band’s considerable downtime. Malakian however feels his side of the matter also merits some consideration. He explained:
“There’s his viewpoint on how things went down, and there’s my viewpoint on how things went down. Serj and I have never hated each other. And I’ll be honest with you, there’s nothing that I ever did in those days to hurt Serj or purposely hurt Serj in any way, shape, or form. I love Serj. Serj is my brother. He’s my family.”
Malakian went on to say that the sessions for the band’s aforementioned final pair of albums came with immense pressure imposed upon him in particular. With Malakian serving as the primary songwriter, much of the weight of delivering those albums fell on his shoulders.
Not only was he fielding regular calls to get the record done from then Columbia Records chairman Don Ienner, but also producer Rick Rubin and the band’s management. Malakian newly reflected back on that stressful time, offering:
“I’m the guy that’s getting these phone calls in the band. I’m the guy that’s got this fucking pressure on my shoulders, man. And I’m young. I haven’t reached peak wisdom yet. I’m taking all this in, and all this is happening to me too—all this fame and crowds and this album has become this big deal now. There’s money riding on all this. So, how I reacted to that and how I became what I became in the middle of all that, you gotta look at things in my shoes too.
There was a time during ‘Mezmerize‘ and ‘Hypnotize‘ that I might’ve even held on really tight, because I could see that we were changing. [Serj] was going in a different direction. He might not have been completely happy. And I was like, these records have to be great no matter what we’re going through, even if they’re the last ones. So I might’ve taken the bull by the horns a little tightly.
None of it was to hurt anybody. In fact, it was me trying to do what I thought was best for the band and best for our legacy and best for our albums.”
Malakian wasn’t wrong in his assessment of Tankian‘s level of commitment during those sessions, as the vocalist has since admitted to having been “emotionally checked out” during the recording process for those records. As Tankian has explained since, he essentially felt creatively stifled, with his own songwriting input not getting the consideration he felt it deserved.
As the impasse persisted, Tankian himself offered to vacate his position a number of years later, giving the band his blessing to move on without him. However, while auditions for his replacement did take place, the decision was ultimately made to retain their core lineup, feeling it best represented the music they have created together.
Having toured Latin America earlier in the year, System Of A Down have a string of live performances booked for the coming weeks:
With Korn, Polyphia & Wisp:
08/27 New York City, NY – Metlife Stadium
08/28 New York City, NY – Metlife Stadium
With Avenged Sevenfold, Polyphia & Wisp:
08/31 Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
09/01 Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
With Deftones, Polyphia & Wisp:
09/03 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
09/05 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
