SYSTEM OF A DOWN’S TANKIAN: TRACK LISTING, RELEASE DATE FOR SOLO DEBUT ANNOUNCED
Blabbermouth.net, NY
July 20 2007
Serj Tankian, the visionary frontman for multi-platinum rock band
SYSTEM OF A DOWN, will release his debut solo album, entitled "Elect
the Dead", on October 23 via Serjical Strike/Reprise Records this
fall. The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Empty Walls
02. The Unthinking Majority
03. Money
04. Feed Us
05. Saving Us
06. Sky Is Over
07. Baby
08. Honking Antelope
09. Lie Lie Lie
10. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
11. Beethoven’s C*nt
12. Elect the Dead
Known for his work with hard-rock agitators SOAD, Tankian says he
had no clue he was about to make a rock record when he began to
record at his home studio in Los Angeles last summer. "I was writing
more traditional type songs on my piano and acoustic guitar, with a
classical, almost operatic flavor; and lo and behold, it ended up being
a rock record. Funny what happens when you add distorted guitars and
drums," he says. "There are political songs, funny songs, love songs,
songs about painful experiences, vanity, and the environment. It has
a deep melancholy that runs from the personal to the global, with a
glimmer of hope in the solidarity of spirit."
Tankian produced "Elect the Dead" himself and played most of the
instruments, though the album does feature guest drummers John Dolmayan
(SOAD) and Brian "Brain" Mantia (GUNS N’ ROSES, PRIMUS).
"The singularity of vision is strong when you work alone," he says.
"I was a bit skeptical about producing it myself, but I knew how I
wanted it to sound. And as I kept going, I realized it was coming
together really well so I just finished it on my own. But I had to be
careful to push myself like an outside producer would until it was
great. I had the same energy and enthusiasm making this album as I
did making the first SYSTEM record."
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Armenian parents, Tankian is known as an
outspoken political activist who puts his money where his mouth is.
In 2006, he and Dolmayan met with members of Congress in Washington,
D.C., to campaign for support for the Armenian Genocide Recognition
Bill. Tankian is also the co-founder, along with RAGE AGAINST THE
MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, of Axis Of Justice, a non-profit
dedicated to uniting musicians, music fans, and grassroots political
organizations to fight for social justice.
With SYSTEM OF A DOWN, which has released five best-selling
albums, including two Number Ones in 2005 – the critically acclaimed
"Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" – Tankian helped the band earn a reputation
for musically innovative, politically uncompromising rock.
Through it all, Tankian, who has also published a collection of his
poetry, has written his own songs, amassing an archive of material
from many different genres. "I write all the time for no reason but to
write," he says. "I’m just doing what I’m told to do by my heart and
nothing more. I just follow my vision and end up where it takes me."