Hear SYSTEM OF A DOWN's SERJ TANKIAN Guest On BEAR MCCREARY's New Song 'Incinerator'

March 22, 2024

Today, two-time-Grammy-nominated, Emmy- and BAFTA Award-winning composer Bear McCreary shares the second single from his upcoming project "The Singularity". The new track, "Incinerator" features SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian on vocals and was mixed by ARIA-nominated producer and mixer Forrester Savell.

McCreary says: "Once I heard Serj's searing vocals, I knew immediately that 'Incinerator' would be the first song on the album, acting like a warning that a massive, aggressive, and emotional journey lay ahead."

Tankian adds: "When I got the music, when I got this song specifically, I was blown away. It's explosive."

"The Singularity" is an epic concept album, graphic novel, and concert experience featuring a legendary lineup of rock talent.

"The Singularity" arrives on CD, vinyl, and digital formats via Shadows & Sparks Records and Mutant on Friday, May 10; the digital version arrives a week early on Friday, May 3; pre-orders are available now. On Wednesday, May 8, Image Comics will release the ambitious graphic novel companion to the album, created by McCreary with Mat Groom and produced by Black Market Narrative.

McCreary and special guests will celebrate "The Singularity" with an exclusive live concert performance at Los Angeles, California's historic Fonda Theatre on Sunday, May 12.

"I began writing 'The Singularity' when I was fifteen," says McCreary. "I was obsessed, even then, with melding my love of hard rock, symphonic film scores, and dramatic storytelling into a cohesive whole, laying the groundwork for what would become a concept album, graphic novel, and multimedia concert experience. I spent the next three decades trying to perfect it."

"The Singularity" sees McCreary creating a unique hard-rock adventure bursting with cinematic energy from use of live orchestra, choir, and international colors including bagpipes, morin khuur, and nyckelharpa. In addition to Tankian, McCreary is joined by a truly extraordinary cast of musicians and vocalists that includes Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Rufus Wainwright, Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT),Jens Kidman (MESHUGGAH),Joe Satriani, Buck Dharma (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT),Asdru Sierra (OZOMATLI),Gaelic rapper and poet Griogair, Kim Thayil (SOUNDGARDEN),Scott Ian (ANTHRAX),Brendon Small ("Metalocalypse"),Billy Boyd ("The Lord Of The Rings"),Eivør ("God Of War"),Guthrie Govan and Bryan Beller (THE ARISTOCRATS),Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa),Ben Weinman (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN),Steve Bartek and John Avila (OINGO BOINGO),Warren Fitzgerald (THE VANDALS),Esjay Jones (WE ARE PIGS),Sigurjón Kjartansson (HAM),Raya Yarbrough ("Outlander"),rapper Mega Ran, and legendary metal drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DETHKLOK). "The Singularity" was co-written and co-produced by McCreary's brother, Brendan McCreary, who also contributes lead vocals to eight songs. The accompanying story is revealed in three spoken-word monologues lifted directly from the graphic novel, performed on the album by celebrated actors Lee Pace ("Foundation", "The Hobbit"),Danai Gurira ("Black Panther", "The Walking Dead") and Ryan Hurst ("Sons Of Anarchy", "God Of War Ragnarök").

McCreary began his career as a protégé of legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, before bursting onto the scene scoring the influential and revered series "Battlestar Galactica" in 2004. Since then, McCreary has been a four-time Emmy Award nominee and Emmy winner for "Outstanding Original Main Title Theme" for "Da Vinci's Demons", a musical palindrome that sounds the same forwards and backwards. McCreary has won multiple International Film Music Critics Association Awards and been named the 23rd Most Definitive Bear In Popular Culture by The Ringer. Recent projects include the Amazon Original hit series "The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power"; "Foundation" for Apple TV+; the beloved Starz series "Outlander"; Netflix's Academy Award-nominated documentary "Crip Camp" (produced by Barack and Michelle Obama); Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' "Godzilla: King Of The Monsters"; Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Films' "10 Cloverfield Lane"; AMC's global phenomenon "The Walking Dead"; Marvel's "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D."; and the video game "Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy's Edge" for Disney. McCreary's acclaimed scores to Sony PlayStation's blockbusters "God Of War" and "God Of War Ragnarök" have earned him honors including Grammy Award nominations for "Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games" and awards from the Game Awards, the D.I.C.E. Awards, the Hollywood Music In Media Awards, the International Film Music Critics Association, the ASCAP Composers Choice Awards and the BAFTA Games Awards.

McCreary has long enjoyed collaborating with artists from across the musical spectrum, including Hozier, Fiona Apple, the late Sinéad O'Connor and Shirley Manson (GARBAGE),among many others. He has composed concert commissions for the Calder Quartet and Getty Center, the Hagen Philharmonic and Ballet in Germany, the Television Academy, the Seattle Symphony, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra. In July 2014, maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducted a suite of McCreary's music with the L.A. Philharmonic and L.A. Master Chorale at the Hollywood Bowl.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

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