SOAD's Serj Tankian Goes Solo
Releases a solid effort that is somewhat missing its mark.
Serj Tankian
Elect the Dead
Released on Nov 30, -0001
The debut solo release from System of a Down lead vocalist Serj Tankian is impressive in that all songs are written and performed by Tankian himself (drum duties are handled by Primus/Tom Waits/Praxis drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia and SOAD’s John Dolmayan). From the barrelhouse piano break in “”The Unthinking Majority” to the menacing, atonal guitars in “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”, Tankian displays a substantial musical vocabulary; however, despite having some great ideas, the songs tend to get weighed down with conventional arrangements.
Perhaps it’s unfair to hold Elect the Dead up to System’s catalogue, but it’s clear that collaboration with an arranger of SOAD guitarist Daron Malakian’s ilk could have helped this material. Tankian is clearly the superior singer in System, but Malakian had a gift for gluing all of the pieces together. This outing almost feels like a System demo in which the fat has not yet been trimmed. Only “Beethoven’s C***” and “Lie Lie Lie” (with an excellent guest vocal by Ani Maldjian) feel like they flow and clock in at just the right time.That being said, System fans are going to dig this. The trademark operatic harmonies, frenetic scat singing, and surreal lyrical imagery are all used to great effect. Tankian establishes himself as a formidable musical presence, but the songs as a whole are just missing the mark.
High Point
Low Point
Posted by Mike Greaney on Feb 15, 2008 @ 12:00 am