At this point, I've all but given up hope on new music from System of A Down, and it seems so has John Dolmayan. Drummer John Dolmayan, who has been hard on his own band this year, saying they've been half-assing it, has now taken it one step further.
A few weeks back during an interview, Dolmayan made this revelation when asked if the band is closer to a new album:
“We’re further away. We were getting close for a little while. Shavo, Daron and I were in the studio – this is two, maybe three years ago now. We finalized the music for 12 songs. They were very good. But due to internal problems and rifts, I don’t see that happening.”
In a new interview with Loudwire, he elaborates on this statement and thinks they never reached their full potential:
“First of all, nothing is finished until all four members are on it, and Serj had nothing to do with it. He wasn’t at those rehearsals, he wasn’t in the process of bringing the songs and working on them or writing them. These were just things we did with the anticipation of a record happening, which never happened.
“We’re a very stubborn and stupid band. As sad as that is to say, we never reached our potential, and I don’t think we ever will.”
It is crazy to think about how it has been 15 years since the release of that double album and what type of music SOAD could've released in the interim.
Vocalist Serj Tankian has said the band's members "haven’t been able to see eye to eye", guitarist Daron Malakian said Tankian didn't even want to do the 2005 albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize. Beyond creative differences, it seems there is a business dispute on how to split songwriting royalties.
Daron Malakian's Scars On Broadway ended up using some material that was meant for the System Of A Down record that's basically never going to happen. Serj Tankian explained that the main hold up was a disagreement on how royalties were to be distributed amongst the band, as well as who has creative input. Now, Tankian has told fans he's ready to release the music they wrote a few years back, and that fans just need to convince the other members.
While Dolmayan has tried to rally the band in recent weeks, he seems defeated, saying in this Loudwire interview “I don’t think we ever will” in regards to making new music.
At least SOAD are playing a ton of shows this year. Here is their routing:
05/22 Los Angeles, CA — Banc of Hollywood Stadium [Tickets]
05/23 Los Angeles, CA — Banc of Hollywood Stadium [Tickets]
06/03 Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome [Tickets]
06/05-07 Nurburg, GER – Rock am Ring [Tickets]
06/06-07 Nuremberg, GER – Rock im Park [Tickets]
06/08 Berlin, GER – Waldbuhne [Tickets]
06/10-13 Nickelsdorf, AUT – Nova Rock Festival [Tickets]
06/14 Donington, UK – Download Festival [Tickets]
06/16 Prague, CZE – O2 Arena [Tickets]
06/17 Budapest, HUN – Laszlo Papp Sports Arena [Tickets]
06/19 Zurich, SWI – Hallenstadion [Tickets]
06/23 Stockholm, SWE – Ericsson Globe [Tickets]
06/25-27 Seinäjoki, FIN – Provinssirock Festival [Tickets]
06/30 Krakow, POL – Tauron Arena [Tickets]
07/01-04 Viveiro, SPA – Resurrection Fest [Tickets]
07/02-03 Lisbon, POR – VOA Heavy Rock Festival [Tickets]
Dolyman is releasing an album of covers under the monkier These Grey Men, on February 28th. He recently released a great cover of David Bowie's "Starman" with some help from his buddy, Serj Tankian.
