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So, the inevitable finally happened. Those who have followed the life of System of a Down and its lead vocalist and lyricist Serj Tankian have wondered for years when he would finally issue his debut offering. Tankian, whose political and aesthetic activity keep him wildly busy, has become an identity that cannot be contained by the trappings of a band. System’s 2005 two-part offering Mezmerize/Hypnotize, produced by Rick Rubin, was a creative high point and perhaps a pinnacle for a band whose individual members had different directions they needed to explore outside that collective. These guys did it right; they came up from the underground. They started with a well-circulated three-song demo — it reached Australia and New Zealand — and word of mouth that scored them their deal in America. They made records their own way, and went on an indefinite hiatus before those divergent interests lessened their power as a group.

Tankian’s Elect the Dead is out on his own imprint, Serjical Strike (through Warner-Reprise). He plays virtually everything on the set except for drums and strings. The drum parts were all composed and programmed on drum machines before he brought in System drummer John Dolmayan to play live drums as well. Dan Monti helped out in places with guitar, bass, and additional drum programming. While Tankian claims his second album will be “a more orchestral, jazzy record,” this one is anything but. It’s as hard a rock record as anyone would expect and is literally chock-full of instrumentation, lyrics, noise, dynamics, and yes, songs. At 45 minutes, it’s plenty long — that’s not a criticism. Tankian’s singing and writing style are certainly different from System’s. To cite one example, check the textured, poetic surrealism of “Honking Antelope.” There are strings, acoustic guitars, female-sounding backing vocals and some space. But the choruses are loaded with monstrous guitars, blasting drums, and a tension that never really finds its release even as it becomes an anthem in the refrain: “We are the cause of the world that’s gone wrong/Nature will survive us human dogs after all….” Review by Thom Jurek @ allmusic.com

Full Album Tracks Listing
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1. Empty Walls
2. The Unthinking Majority
3. Money
4. Feed Us
5. Saving Us
6. Sky Is Over
7. Baby
8. Honking Antelope
9. Lie Lie Lie
10. Praise the Lord And Pass the Ammunition
11. Beethoven’s Cunt
12. Elect the Dead