System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian returns with his other project Scars On Broadway, and presents this new album “Dictator”, which took him years to release
But we are all good friends. We still love live. But making an album is so different… You need a little more solidarity, a little more commitment, and I'm not sure that everyone is ready to embark on this path so hastily. And that's how it is.
I can't force them! Regardless, we continue to support each other as friends, in everything we do.
Is it the time spent making an album or a creative disagreement?
It's both creative and a question of timing. They all already have children. They are distributed almost everywhere. Today is not the time.
And you, apart from Scars, what are you focusing on?
I write a lot. I have a lot of side projects, although it's true that I've focused on music for the last two years. I collaborated on a Linkin Park album a few years ago (“The Hunting Part”, released in 2014, editor’s note). When things happen, I'm happy about them, but I always focus on writing. I didn't release anything because we weren't sure what was going on with System. It was a hesitant period. I'm the type of guy who enjoys writing, even if no one listens to what I'm doing.
Speaking of Linkin Park, you joined the group on stage last year for the Chester Bennington tribute. Was it difficult for you?
It was a bit strange playing over Chester's backing vocals… but also particularly moving.
I really enjoyed working with these guys on “Rebellion”. What happened with Chester was such a shock, something I never would have anticipated. He was the kind of guy who would cheer you up, if you were in a bad mood. But this track was fun to produce, and I think there's a bit of System in there. Whether I'm working with Linkin Park or Scars, this signature style endures.
How did this style evolve?
A long time ago, in the early days of System, Serj and I were in a band called Soil. That’s when this sound developed. With Soil, we composed songs of six, seven minutes, with a lot of riffs. When I was 18 or 19, I started listening to legendary musicians like Bowie and the Beatles, and I said to myself that this was the song structure that suited me the most. This is how System's style developed. At the time, I wanted to write music that I couldn't buy at the record store. I wanted a group that had All. You can see System as a heavy band, but yet there are things happening there, stylistically speaking, that are not heavy metal at all. I'm not afraid to mix other genres with metal. I've always worked like that, and I'm doing well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmk3pdZUmYQ
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