Serj Tankian “emotionally checked out” during last two System of a Down albums
Posted On
(Credits: Press)
Serj Tankian, the frontman of the alternative metal group System of a Down, has revealed in a new interview that he had “emotionally checked out of the band” during the recording of their two final albums.
Recorded in unison, Mezmerize and Hypnotize are the band’s two albums from 2005. They remain their two most recent full-length efforts. They were recorded as a double album that would be released in two parts.
Mezmerize was released in May 2005 to critical acclaim and featured the Grammy Award-winning track ‘B.Y.O.B.’. Its companion record, Hypnotize, was released in November of the same year to similar plaudits and featured the track ‘Lonely Day’.
Speaking in the new interview with Metal Hammer, Tankian claimed that “because of the push and pull, I became very passive. There was music I wanted to bring in that I felt like I couldn’t… I was in a weird place. I contributed creatively, but I didn’t.”
He would continue to speak on the matter, clarifying that he does look upon the two records fondly in retrospect, but added: “when I think back on it, I also remember that it was a weird phase of my life, and that’s something I have to be aware of as well”
After the double release and subsequent tour, the band went on an extended hiatus, ceasing activity from 2006 to 2010. However, after a four-year break, the group returned with the same lineup for a series of tours and festival performances.
System of a Down formed in Glendale, California, in 1994 and released five studio albums prior to their hiatus, including the six times Platinum-certified Toxicity in 2001. The bandmates, who are all of Armenian descent, have always adopted a highly politicised viewpoint in their lyrics, tackling anti-war themes and campaigning for prison reform.
The only music they have released together as a band since their return is a pair of singles in 2020 entitled ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’ and ‘Protect the Land’, released in an effort to raise relief funds for displaced individuals affected by the Azerbaijani genocide of Armenian and Artsakhi people.
Since their initial hiatus, Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian have worked on other projects outside of System of a Down. Tankian’s most recent solo album, Foundations, was released earlier in 2024, and Malakian has released two albums with his own band, Scars on Broadway, the most recent of which was released in 2018.
[embedded content]
Related Topics
