In recent weeks, members of System of a Down publicly aired their grievances as to why the band went on hiatus from 2006 through 2011, and why they haven’t recorded a new album since reuniting.
To quickly summarize, guitarist-singer Daron Malakian told Kerrang! magazine that it was vocalist Serj Tankian’s decision to have SOAD go on hiatus, and further called out Tankian for preventing the band from recording what would be their first new album since 2005 because of creative differences.
Tankian then responded with an open letter to fans, admitting that his heart wasn’t into the band’s 2005 albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize, and that he did indeed set the band’s hiatus in motion. He also admitted that he wanted to take a different creative approach to a new album.
Now, in a new interview, Malakian tells Metal Hammer that despite the the creative differences within the band, the members still get along. “In System of a Down, we’re not enemies. There’s nobody in the band saying, ‘I can’t be in the same room with that guy.’ It’s nothing like that.”
He added, “It’s more about creative differences; differences on how I want to move forward and how certain other members want to move forward. We just can’t come to an agreement with that.”
Malakian also explained why SOAD only play shows sporadically, saying, “I’m the only one in the band that doesn’t have kids and I’m the only one who’s not married. So when we do play, we don’t go on these year-long tours… It’s just enough for us to get out and play and have a good time, and then for everyone to come back home to their families and not be gone too long.”
System of a Down will be playing the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, this October, as well as a handful of headlining gigs on the West Coast. Tickets for the band’s shows can be found here.
Makakian, meanwhile, released a new album titled Dictator with his band Scars on Broadway last month.