Boston Herald, MA
Oct 13 2007
`Elect’ Tankian
System of A Down’s outspoken leader chooses to go solo
Politicians in Washington spent last week heatedly debating whether
to pass an official resolution declaring the Turkish slaughter of
Armenians in 1915 an act of genocide.
It’s a controversy that System of A Down leader Serj Tankian takes
personally. His 97-year-old grandfather recently died, though not
before he revealed the horrors of surviving the Armenian slaughter in
distressing detail to his 40-year-old grandson.
`He was a very special man to have survived such a horrendous thing
in his life,’ Tankian said. `When we look at this older generation,
they suffered a lot more than we have because they don’t have the
luxuries we have. How could they have lived so long with all that
pain? But what I’ve learned is that all that pain makes them want to
live longer and want life.’
Add in Tankian’s strong feelings about the war in Iraq and it’s easy
to understand the stomach-clenching frustration, rebelliousness and
chilling emotion of his new and first solo CD, `Elect the Dead.’
Tankian brings his solo act to the Paradise on Monday on a bill with
another politically outspoken musical renegade, Tom Morello of Rage
Against the Machine.
Speaking by phone from a New York City hotel, Tankian said his
grandfather’s death `had a strong effect on me.’
`For me, it’s always been a personal issue, not a political one,’ he
said. `His presence and his life has motivated me. And the denial of
the Armenian genocide has opened my eyes to other issues around the
world.’
In addition to being one of metal’s quirkiest, most creative and
engaging frontmen, Tankian is also one of the most talented. Aside
from contributions from System of A Down drummer Bryan Mantia and
Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde, he played nearly every note on every
instrument on `Elect the Dead,’ which he recorded at his home studio
in Los Angeles.
The CD is a majestic tour de force. Whether Tankian is crafting a
scale-climbing, sing-along chorus by stringing together the word
`lie’ dozens of times in `Lie Lie Lie’ or asking `Wouldn’t it be
great to heal the world with only a song?’ in `Honking Antelope,’
Tankian is able to snap from frantic punk spazz rocker to soothing
folkster in a nanosecond. And like Jello Biafra and Frank Zappa
before him, his pointed cultural commentary is scathing, while
maintaining a sense of wit.
As for System of A Down, the platinum-draped band that’s backed him
for a decade, it’s on indefinite hiatus.
`We’re still friends,’ Tankian said. `The door is open for future
collaborations but we haven’t made any plans.’
Either way, it’s clear he’ll continue to push boundaries with an eye
toward halting atrocities like the one that befell his ancestors.
`We haven’t learned the lessons of the past with this disease and
that’s genocide,’ he said. `It’s a crime against humanity.’