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LA RECENSIONE
The System Of A Down are in crisis: guitarist Malakian starts taking too much space, wanting to do everything, play, sing, dance, count, and eventually Tankian gets tired of it.
This is just one of the many rumors about the fate of the band, which has decided to take a long break after 10 years of activity and only 5 albums. In reality, the members have announced that they will return sooner or later, and they are convinced of it, although they don't know exactly when. In the meantime, they're certainly not sitting idle.
Thus, while Malakian works on his new project "Scars On Broadway," singer Serj Tankian releases his first solo album: "Elect The Dead."
The first impression of listening to this album is not negative at all, just different (if you're used to their previous works). In fact, this album is the fading of SOAD, a stylistically incomplete work. While it does feature the screams, laments, and various "la-la-la's" of the singer, it certainly lacks the intrusively heavy guitar and the typical tight rhythms of the band.
The atmosphere is indeed a bit "lamenting" (in the sense of "there's not much to laugh about") like in the latest "Mezmerize/Hypnotize," but perhaps even too much so. Essentially, it's difficult to hear a typically metal imprint, truly distant. Let's understand each other; this is not a bad album, in fact some tracks are quite good, but it's hard to get used to ONLY Tankian's voice, never interrupted by a nice, angry riff from the good old days, or Malakian's shrill choruses (although not always perfect).
In my opinion, for a fan like me of SOAD (my favorite metal band, even though I listen to almost nothing from this genre, and maybe you already know this), their absence is strongly felt here. It used to be reassuring to know that System existed; I had a guarantee from a great band that was still capable of surprising after albums like the self-titled or "Toxicity" (I would have never expected two masterpieces from the last two albums), a band that was different but terribly human. Now the emptiness is felt, and a Tankian album, although nice, cannot fill it.
3.5 /5
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Summary by Bot
Elect The Dead marks Serj Tankian's solo departure from System of a Down's signature sound, presenting a more subdued and lamenting atmosphere. The album showcases Tankian's distinctive voice but lacks the heavy guitar riffs and tight rhythms fans expect. While some tracks stand out positively, the absence of the full band leaves a noticeable void. Overall, the album is an intriguing but incomplete stylistic exploration.Tracklist
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician, composer, poet, and activist, best known as the lead vocalist of System of a Down. His solo career spans rock, electronic, and orchestral works, including Elect the Dead (2007), Imperfect Harmonies (2010), Harakiri (2012), and Orca: Symphony No. 1.05 Reviews
Other reviews
By onirigeno
This album seems to be Tankian’s response to the fans of the masterpiece 'Toxicity'.
A good album here, that flows nicely and can be very pleasing but is somewhat disappointing concerning the expectations of thousands of very excited fans.
