System Of A Down returned with new, touching tracks, addressing the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
“No matter how we feel about each other, no matter what issues linger from the past, we need to put them aside because this is bigger than System Of A Down…” – texted drummer John Dolmayan to his pals from System Of A Down. It was time to bring all the SOAD band members back together.
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Fans have been waiting for 15 years for new music from System Of A Down, and the band has kept promising the new material was in works, without an actual outcome. Now, on Friday, the band finally premiered two emotional new tracks, ‘Protect The Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’, both referencing the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
As patriots of Armenia, who will always be standing for freedom in their homeland, Serj Tankian and co. couldn’t not “speak of a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia.” United by a cause “bigger than System Of A Down”, the musicians are helping “create a better homeland for the Armenian nation,” as all the proceeds will go to the Armenia Fund.
The neverending Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was worsened at the end of September, as AltPress reports:
“On September 27, the combined forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey (along with Isis terrorists from Syria) attacked the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which we as Armenians call Artsakh,” says the band. “For over the past month, civilians young and old have been awakened day and night by the frightful sights and sounds of rocket attacks, falling bombs, missiles, drones and terrorist attacks. They’ve had to find sanctuary in makeshift shelters, trying to avoid the fallout of outlawed cluster bombs raining down on their streets and homes, hospitals and places of worship. Their attackers have set their forests and endangered wildlife ablaze using white phosphorus, another banned weapon.”
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System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian couldn’t stay indifferent and wrote two new songs, ‘Protect The Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’. The first one is accompanied by a touching music video, showing disturbing footage of the destruction, tanks in the streets and people protesting:
“I wanted to show the unification of our people around the world for one common cause, illustrating the power in numbers,” bassist Shavo Odadjian said about the video. “So we brought together people from all ages and professions who believe in and are fighting for that same cause.”
And even though drummer John Dolmayan and vocalist Serj Tankian have held different political beliefs over the years, System Of A Down managed to put this all aside and write new music to expose the conflict and support Armenian citizens in the war-ridden area.
Since 2019, System Of A Down have been telling media they were working on a new album. But the plans were delayed again and again due to Tankian’s unavailability:
“Serj wants to do things a different way”, says Malakian. “And it’s not just me. It’s kind of three of us that don’t necessarily see eye to eye with where he would wanna take the band.”
SOAD’s previous official full-length record was back in 2005, when we got two albums from the rockers at once: Hypnotize and Mesmerize. That’s when we got to enjoy such masterpieces as ‘Lonely Day,”B.Y.O.B.’ and ‘Radio/Video’.
Check out the moving two tracks, ‘Protect The Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’, below:
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