Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankianis a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional live rhythm guitarist of the rock band System of a Down, formed in 1994 by four Armenian-American friends...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMetal Singer
Date of Birth21 August 1967
CityBeirut, Lebanon
CountryUnited States of America
I like having songs that go from the personal to the kind of inter-relational, universal, because everything comes back to micro/macro and everything's tied in.
This will be our first live video per se, ... We've had videos where we've had fans and we played live, but it's never been at a venue that we would actually play.
The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison system, has doubled since 1985
Praise the Lord! Pass the ammunition! God wants you to go to war! (From live performance of 'War?')
The percentage of Americans in the prison system, has doubled since 1985.
It's probably a combination of personal and non-personal matters that have led us to where we are musically.
Life is that perfect fine line between ironies.
This track's pretty mellow in comparison to let's say a 'B.Y.O.B.' or something like that, ... But I'm glad we're going out with this track. It's a beautiful song.
I think it's my interaction with journalists that has pegged me more as political than my actual records, although they have obviously political aspects to them as well.
I write music when I'm free and for no particular project in mind.
I think music is a powerful medium because it co-inspires. It inspires the artist who then inspires the listener, and it's a back-and-forth process.
We fought your wars with all our heartsYou've sent us back in body partsYou took our wills with the truth you stoleWe offer prayers for your long lost soul
We fought your wars with all our hearts - You've sent us back in body parts - You took our wills with the truth you stole - We offer prayers for your long lost soul.
I am more interested in how people interpret the phrase 'Elect The Dead' than what I may or may not have intended. I named the album after the track, which is a spiritual song about love, life and death and is the heaviest song on the album without having any heavy instruments.