Serj Tankian
Harakiri

While for nostalgics he's on tour with System Of A Down, Serj Tankian continues his solo journey by releasing his third album, "Harakiri."

After the experimentation of "Imperfect Harmonies," this album marks a partial return to a more rock and aggressive sound, while still incorporating various influences that have now become an integral part of his repertoire, which is always quite varied, vast, and complex.

The album is preceded by the first single "Cornucopia," a call for greater attention to the burning issues related to environmental respect, handled as always with the right weight and skill that we've come to expect from him.

The oriental melodies of "Ching Chime" are excellent, as is the rocking drive of "Butterfly," which opens the way to the title track "Harakiri," the first truly great and successful experiment. Tankian once again, in his own way, expresses his doubts about the futile fight among men, described as something that often results in the superfluous, "We are herds that hurt each other with lies." Following this, the well-crafted rock of "Occupied Tears," which just as it seems to wink at something already heard on previous records, halts to make way for a poetic-styled interlude, only to resume its initial rhythms. Small details show how Tankian once again leaves nothing to chance. The first track with an electronic and experimental base is the good "Deafening Silence," a song in which his songwriting abilities are expressed, certainly not easy to understand on first listens, but in the long run deserving of praise.

As the album progresses, the pleasant surprises continue, as evidenced by the value of songs like "Forget Me Knot" and "Reality TV," the latter a denunciation of the now rampant trash TV "I abhor the whore who calls herself reality, reality TV " - "I hate the whore who calls herself reality, reality TV." After a decent "Uneducated Democracy," the closing belongs to the good rock of "Wave On."

Overall, the first observation that can be made is that this "Harakiri" represents the balancing point between the hard rock grit of his debut "Elect The Dead" and the experimentation - at times somewhat excessive - of the previous work, the aforementioned "Imperfect Harmonies." Despite all this, the album confirms its non-commercial appeal. Tankian appears on the cover with a tense and serious, composed, almost stern expression, visually hinting at the guidelines of the album, undoubtedly among the most anticipated and satisfying rock releases of the year. Awaiting the three subsequent solo albums already abundantly announced by the Beirut-based singer-songwriter, there's nothing left to do but enjoy the creativity of the current "Harakiri," an ambiguous title that alludes to anything but the 'suicide through fault' of a musician on the rise.

Rating: 9