SYSTEM OF A DOWN BRINGS ITS SUBTLY SATIRICAL SELF TO TOWN
By Ross Raihala
Pioneer Press, MN
Sept 22 2005
With its innovative, complex music and surreal lyrics, System of a Down
isn’t just the most unusual band in metal (that’s the closest genre
that fits the virtually unclassifiable band). It’s quite possibly
the weirdest million-seller on the charts.
“I love that,” said vocalist Serj Tankian during a phone interview
from Manhattan. “We’ve really never approached anything from the
typical angle. We came into the music scene in L.A. from left field.
“We always did our own thing, taking everyone’s career advice and
then not following it.”
So far, the anti-plan has worked.
The Armenian-American quartet stops by the Xcel Energy Center Friday
night during its most successful year to date. The band launched
“Mezmerize” in the spring with an instantly sold-out guerrilla club
tour. Follow-up disc “Hypnotize” hits stores in November and is
already one of the fall’s most hotly anticipated releases.
” ‘Mezmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’ are really one record divided into two,”
Tankian said. “It’s not a concept album in terms of completing a story,
but it is kind of like completing a circle.”
Critics have long praised System of a Down’s unbridled creativity,
which brings a Frank Zappa-esque sense of the surreal to pounding,
operatic and politically charged metal. But it’s the kids who fill
the mosh pits at SOAD shows and have snatched up more than 10 million
copies of the band’s albums worldwide.
Does Tankian ever worry his young fans might be missing some of System
of a Down’s more subtle commentary in favor of merely rocking out?
“No, no – rocking out is the reason why we’re doing this,” he said.
“I think as long as people instinctively feel our music, they don’t
have to psychologically analyze it.
“A lot of people do come up with all sorts of theories and
understandings from the lyrics. A lot of people don’t, too, and that’s
OK. We just want people to connect to our music in some way.”
Tankian points to the song “B.Y.O.B.” As far as SOAD goes, it’s a
fairly straightforward protest song with pointed lyrics: “Why don’t
presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?”
“You may not be anti-war yourself,” he said, “but you will definitely
feel the power of the sarcasm in that song. You don’t have to theorize
about it – you just feel it.”
But there’s also a satirical side to System of a Down that often gets
overlooked amid all the anger.
“There has been such a focus on the political aspect of the band or
the heritage aspect of the band,” Tankian said. “But I think people
are starting to get now that humor is a huge part of what we do, too.”
Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at
[email protected] or 651-228-5553. Read more about the local
music scene on his blog, “The Ross Who Knew Too Much,” at www.
twincities.com. What: System of a Down, with the Mars Volta and Hella
When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd.,
St. Paul Tickets: $43.25-$35.75 Call: 651-989-5151