DARON MALAKIAN On SYSTEM OF A DOWN: 'As Bandmembers, We Tend To Have Different Ways Of Wanting To Do Things'

SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian has once again said that it's unlikely the band will make new music anytime soon.

Last summer, Malakian publicly accused singer Sej Tankian of not wanting to record, with Tankian responding that creative and financial issues with Malakian led to the stalemate. In a message on Facebook, Tankian wrote that Malakian wanted to control SYSTEM's creative process, take more of the publishing money and be the only band member to speak to the press.

Daron, who reactivated SCARS ON BROADWAY last year, told Consequence Of Sound in a brand new interview that he would rather not dwell on the creative differences that have prevented SYSTEM OF A DOWN from working on new music. "Honestly, I don't think the fans really give a shit why we're not making an album, but I think a lot of the fans just want an album," he said. "Like, for example, I'm a VAN HALEN fan. When David Lee Roth and VAN HALEN split up, I didn't really care why. I was just sad that they split up and I wanted another VAN HALEN album. I think I just didn't want to do anything that was going to be a back-and-forth [thing]. I think maybe there might've been some backlash. I think Serj might've been getting some backlash from fans and felt like he wanted to express himself. Me and him, we've talked about it already through e-mail and it's between me and him. But from my end, I just didn't want to do a back-and-forth thing. He gave his point of view. I have my own point of view and my own recollections, I guess you could say, of how things went down 10, 15 years ago. But like I said, it's not something I want to like hash out in front of the fans."

Regarding whether he feels SYSTEM will eventually get together to make a new album, Daron said: "There was a time that I was waiting and rooting for it and hoping it happens, but… I'm kinda really happy with what I'm doing with SCARS. We all get along as friends in SYSTEM OF A DOWN. So as friends, everything is cool and I have no problems with anybody. But then as bandmembers, we tend to have different ways of wanting to do things. And it doesn't seem like we meet eye-to-eye as bandmembers. So, I never say never, because you never know what happens. But at the same time, I don't see that happening anytime soon that we're all going to get together and make a new SYSTEM OF A DOWN album."

Serj recently told Rolling Stone that the public airing of his dispute with Daron didn't open up any more conversations about SYSTEM's future. "I think it released a lot of tension and negativity," he said. "Everything became more public and open, and that was that. There were no further discussions."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian confirmed in an interview with Consequence Of Sound that disagreements between Malakian and Tankian over the band's songwriting process have been brewing for a decade, explaining: "That stuff happened a long time ago. So, it's like, 10 years later, something new came up, but it wasn't really new. It was something that was really old, and they were just hashing it out."

SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan revealed in a 2016 interview that the group had written music for more than a dozen new songs. Odadjian concurred, remarking: "Between you and me and this world, and to the people who read this interview, we have material that tops everything we've done. And that's me telling you, honestly. I can't wait to record that and drop it."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has several live shows on tap for 2019, including headlining slots at Columbus, Ohio's Sonic Temple festival and Chicago Open Air, both in May.