The Mirror, UK
May 13, 2005, Friday
MUSIC: TOXIC ROCKERS;
SYSTEM OF A DOWN SELL MILLIONS OF ALBUMS DESPITE HAVING THE FBI HOT
by GAVIN MARTIN
They are unlike any other metal band on the planet. The 10
million-selling LA-based Armenian Americans System Of A Down are both
activists who have been hounded by the FBI and pop craftsmen who have
been covered by Avril Lavigne.
Their frontman Serj Tankian has published books of peace-loving
mystical poetry and, before joining the band, was the head of a
computer software company. Their mastermind, singer/guitarist Daron
Malakian, admires Charles Manson and has a large collection of
hard-core pornography.
“I think we all have a collection of hardcore porn. It’s all in boxes
in my garage,” grins Daron in the group’s LA recording studio while
sharing with bassist Shavo Odadjian a pipe of marijuana strong enough
to raise Bob Marley from the dead.
The band, which also includes drummer John Dolmayan, is part of an
international campaign to have the killing of 1.5m Armenians by the
Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 recognised as an act of
genocide. So how come Daron has a fascination with homicidal hippy
maniac Manson?
“I don’t agree with everything he does or says,” he admits, “but I
just gravitate to anybody who’s going to give me some kind of
honesty, no matter who it is. I hate political correctness so I
appreciate anyone who’s giving me their opinion without any PC-ness.”
Thankfully, SOAD, who formed in LA in 1995, have much more to offer
musically than mere shock tactics. Overthrowing the formula which
makes metal peers such as Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park so
tiresome, their rocket-charged blend of rap, dub, pop, ethnic
flourishes, rib-cracking humour and impassioned politics is at its
finest on their new album Mesmerize.
The first instalment of a double album (with Hypnotize, the second
part, due in the autumn) Mesmerize showcases Malakian at his most
inspired. But although he writes, sings, plays nearly all the
instruments and co-produces with Rick Rubin, Daron is keen to stress
that SOAD are far more than a one-man band.
“Even if I write most of what you hear, I don’t want to step on
anyone’s feet,” says Daron. “Everyone has to feel involved. I’m not
the leader of System Of A Down. Nobody is. If Shavo isn’t playing
bass, he makes up with having a great imagination for what the stage
should look like or putting a video together.
“Serj and I step away and let him go ahead. We all run everything by
each other and help each other. It’s a big part of our success,
understanding each other and giving each other the room to do what we
need creatively. I’m very thankful they let me come in and produce
the record.”
Daron has relatives in Iraq and the war in the country has influenced
many of the new songs. “Everything influences the songs,” he admits.
“You watch the news, a TV show, the commercials… whatever the hell
it is, it affects you. The war was more personal to me because I have
family there. Armenians are in a lot of different places in the world
because of the genocide by the Turks. But I live in the US and I’m an
American, which makes it a very weird situation. All of that comes
into play.”
After the 9/11 attacks, wild internet rumours suggested that the
group were under investigation by the FBI and CIA because of their
Middle Eastern background and the anti-government content of their No
1 album Toxicity.
“I’m sure you can’t sell as many records as we do without them
knowing who we are,” Daron says. “But how dangerous we are to them, I
don’t know. I don’t really want to be dangerous to anyone – I just
want to open people’s minds. To help people understand that it’s not
necessary to throw bombs at people. My whole thing is that the
society we’re living in is f****d.
“It’s like these people can get married and these people can’t
because of this book called The Bible. Every move we make stems from
this book, or even the ones we don’t make. Like we’re allowed to have
certain drugs and we can have caffeine but this thing, pot,” he adds,
reaching for his pipe, “is illegal because they told us it’s bad for
us.
“But the real reason they say this stuff is bad for us is because of
racism. Long ago people made drugs illegal because they were meant to
make black people crazy. Now we’re not dealing with the same issues,
but it’s just as backward.”
Daron shakes his head and exhales, filling the room with a cloud of
smoke. If an FBI man entered the room now, the fumes would probably
stun him senseless.
Mezmerize is out on Monday. The UK tour starts June 3.