DARON MALAKIAN Explains Why It's Unlikely SYSTEM OF A DOWN Will Release New Studio Album

In a new interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, Daron Malakian spoke about the possibility of SYSTEM OF A DOWN one day making a follow-up to its "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005. The Serj Tankian-fronted outfit has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011 but has yet to record a full-length album of new music. The 49-year-old Armenian-American Daron said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we could do it and it might even be good. I don't know. But if you listen to even those five records that we have, if you listen to the first album to 'Toxicity', there is a difference between them. There was an evolution happening. And if I have to say one thing that the hiatus was something that… I wasn't always down with that hiatus, but whatever — it is what it is. Every band has a different story. There was a time I was a little bit more pissed off about it. Now I kind of am, like, it is what it is. But what I was pissed off about was that we didn't get a chance to continue that evolution. 'Cause I think we were capable of that. I think you've got some bands that make the same album over and over and over again. We would not have been that band. We kept our sound, but that sound would've gone into different places. So that's my only regret, that we didn't get a chance to do that. And so that's why I said what I said [in a previous interview], that making an album 20, 25 years later, where do you pick up from?"

Malakian also talked about SYSTEM OF A DOWN's enduring popularity, saying: "What's crazy to me is people still give a shit. We just came from South America, and we sold out every football stadium that was there. I don't know if you've seen any of the footage from that, but it was fucking nuts. It was nuts. I'd been doing this a while and I never experienced anything like that before. And we're about to do East Coast shows, and the band's playing stadiums and we haven't released a record in 20-plus years.

"When I did [legendary producer] Rick's [Rubin] podcast, we talked about how we're playing in front of the 60,000 people, and he was, like, 'I've never seen anything like it, where a band that doesn't regularly put out records is still [able to play in front of so many people].'"

Elaborating on why SYSTEM OF A DOWN is able to play such big shows more than 30 years into the band's career, Daron said: "I think part of it is we left off on a peak. We've had, 'Are they gonna ever play? Are they not gonna play?' And it's all this kind of thing that happens. And then when we do play, people feel like, 'Oh, this might be the last time they're gonna play.' And none of that has been done on purpose. That's just the natural way things have gone. I also think it's the songs. The songs have lived with people, and it's become some of the fabric of their lives in some cases. So many years have gone by. 'Cause when we're playing in front of these audiences, I don't see 50-year-olds in there. I see 18-year-olds. I see 25-year-olds — kids that probably were born maybe even after we released 'Mezmerize' and 'Hypnotize'. But they're there, and they're passionate, and they're into it, and it's new to them. And once again, man, I'm very, very blessed."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has only managed to record two songs in the last 20 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

In June 2024, Tankian, who had been promoting his memoir "Down With The System", was asked in an interview with "The Jesea Lee Show" what it would take for him and his SYSTEM OF A DOWN bandmates to release a new studio album,. He responded: "Egalitarian approach to everything within the band. [In other words] kind of more equality in terms of sourcing of the music, in terms of splitting everything, including publishing, in terms of ideas, in terms of sharing the vision — that kind of stuff."

He continued: "It's in the book. We call it a manifesto jokingly because I wrote points down that, years ago when I had some new songs that I thought would be amazing with SYSTEM, and so I played it for the guys. And I said, 'Guys, I've got an idea of a vision, a different way forward that I think would be very beneficial for the band.' And I presented it — we call it a manifesto in the book almost half jokingly, but bringing a manifesto to rock musicians is… [Laughs] I guess it doesn't work — it doesn't work. But I was trying to instill the same type of egalitarian principles as I love as an activist within whatever I do. And at that time, it didn't work, but maybe it will one day. We'll see."

In June, DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY released a new song and music video, "Killing Spree". The track is taken from the third full-length SCARS ON BROADWAY album, "Addicted To The Violence", which is due out on July 18.

Malakian helmed "Addicted To The Violence" as its primary creator — composing, producing, and performing — with contributions from longtime bandmates Orbel Babayan (guitar) and Roman Lomtadze (drums).

Malakian is best known as a founding member of SYSTEM OF A DOWN and songwriter of iconic tracks such as "Chop Suey!" , "Toxicity" and "B.Y.O.B."

Malakian introduced SCARS ON BROADWAY with its self-titled debut in 2008. The LP bowed in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, spawning fan favorites such as "They Say", "Serious" and "Funny". The follow-up, "Dictator", arrived exactly a decade later during 2018. In addition to praise from Billboard, Revolver and more, Rolling Stone hailed it as one of the "20 Best Metal Albums of 2018."