Music

System of a Down can't decide if they're writing a new album or not

by Tyler Munro

At the end of this video, drummer John Dolmayan makes a promise he can’t keep

The other night System of a Down played a big show in their hometown of Los Angeles and, as it ended, drummer John Dolmayan said to the crowd, “Next time we come back here, we’ll have a new fucking album!”

Welp, it looks like they won’t be back in LA for a while, because yesterday singer Serj Tankian was doing an AMA on Reddit and he made it clear that nope, the band isn’t recording or even writing anything new right now.

When asked if word of a new album was true, Tankian was quick to respond.

“No, that is not true. A quick scan of press online will show that we have not yet agreed on a timetable for another record due to its time commitments,” he wrote. When another fan said “everyone wants a new System of a Down album” because “it’s been too long since the last one,” Tankian reiterated his stance.

“We really appreciate that, but we have to make a record when we think it’s time, not anyone else,” he said.

Of course with Tankian, “we” means him. As has been reported since their reunion, the rest of the band is pretty keen on new music. Tankian, meanwhile, has continually pushed them away. It’s gotten him called out by the band in the past, like when bassist Shavo Odajian wrote on Facebook that said “We are just waiting for SERJ!” and asked “shall we release a record without Serj?”

That Facebook rant was quickly deleted, but its closing question might soon become a reality if these guys can’t get on the same page. System of a Down last released Hypnotize and Mesmerize in 2005, companion albums that shifted a creative change in the band with guitarist Daron Malakian’s increased vocal contributions. That seemed like an artistic choice at the time. Now it strikes more as a necessary evil.

On Reddit Tankian said that he has the “desire” to record a new album, but he also borderline mocked fans for asking, writing that “crying is clinically healthy :)” as fans talked about the emotional roller coaster the band’s put them on the last few years.