After the unexpected release of ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’ and ‘Protect the Land.’ Fans of System of a Down where left exited by this possibility for some new music after 15 years of silence. 

But are they really back? and has it really been an entire 15 years without music from this fan favourite band in the genre.

What the Two Tracks meant For the Band?

Both ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’ and ‘Protect the Land’ represent each of the band members attempts to address the conflict in Armenia, which the heritage of the entire band is based in. Both songs show an emotion and ferocity, showing the fans and supporters that they haven’t lost their voice and neither should their cultural homelands.

But although it shows the band coming together after years of political disagreements and arguments the two songs seem to simply be a collaborative effort to use their biggest platform to give their fans the opportunity to understand what their music is supposed to be about. Understanding corruption and stopping it from harming the unawares.

It has also been said that the two songs were not made by the entire band, but where written by Daron Malakian alone for his side project ‘Scars on Broadway,’ leading by angry reactions by fans calling Malakian an egomaniac before having their mind changed.

Judging by these Instagram posts it could be said that this is not a return from the band but a collaboration of the four artists after 15 years of solo projects that will be expanded upon shortly. If there are anymore system of a down albums it is unsure if that time is now. But there is still traces of System of a Down out there that people can explore.

Scars On Broadway

Scars on Broadway is probably the closest one can get to System of a Down without it being the real deal. Guitarist and Vocalist for System of a Down, Daron Malakian, has released two albums in this project. 2008s self-titled album and 2018 Dictator. Both albums feature songs teased in very old live recordings of System of a Down with tracks like ‘Enemy’ stemming from a 1-minute System song called ‘Drugs.’ Overall, it is a very strong contender and I believe Malakian will keep creating music in the future, also considering that he wrote the two new System songs in their entirety it bodes well for the future of the project.

Serj Tankian – Solo project

The voice of System, Serj Tankian, has created a lot of work during his time away from the band. Having featured on tracks with Tech N9ne. But because of Serj Tankian’s affinity towards more classical music it does not have the ferocity previously stated in some of the songs, exceptions being ‘Empty walls’ and ‘Sky is Over.’ The themes remain the same and Serj’s vocals are almost ethereal to listen to.

These Grey Men

‘These Grey Men’ is the drummer, John Dolmayan’s recent side project focusing on covers of songs, it is a good listen and features two tracks by Serj Tankian himself, that’s almost half of the band themselves. It features some amazing collaborations, as a genuinely impressive side project much like Dave Grohl’s ‘Probot’ project.

North Kinglsey – Shavo Odadjian

Bassist Shavo Odadjian recently began a new band, North Kinglsey. This is a very different sound to what a typical System fan would appreciate, but its genuinely good. The songs seem to focus on the troubles with social media with tracks like ‘Die for the Pic’ focusing on the ideocracy of social media. This is the least System sounding out of the four, but as a producer Odadjiin seems to have found a place amongst the rap community.

In Conclusion 

Although System of a Down may not be around anymore the band will continue to be making music for the foreseeable future, even if it isn’t under the name of S.O.A.D

Purchasing the two new tracks on Bandcamp means that the funds earned will be donated to the front towards giving aid to those who need it in the current war on free will by Azerbaijan and Erdogan leaders of Turkey in Artsakh. https://systemofadown.bandcamp.com/