SERJ TANKIAN Goes Symphonic In Milan: Photos, Video Footage Available

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and political activist Serj Tankian brought his "Elect The Dead Symphony" show to Milan, Italy's Teatro Degli Arcimboldi on Sunday, July 4. Accompanied by the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana and by two members of his FCC touring band, the Armenian/American singer played symphonic versions of songs from his debut solo album, "Elect The Dead", and presented two new tracks from the upcoming sophomore CD, "Imperfect Harmonies", due out on September 7.

Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be viewed below.

Photos of the concert are available on the Italian news blog Musica Metal.

Tankian's setlist was as follows:

01. Feed Us
02. Sky Is Over
03. Lie Lie Lie
04. Money
05. Baby
06. Blue
07. Gate 21
08. Peace Be Revenged (new song)
09. The Charade
10. Honking Antelope
11. Saving Us
12. Disowned Inc. (new song)
13. Elect the Dead
14. Falling Stars
15. Beethoven's Cunt
----------------------
16. Empty Walls

"Imperfect Harmonies" will be released on Serjical Strike/Reprise Records on September 7, 2010. The CD is the second solo release from the SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman, following up his critically acclaimed 2007 solo debut "Elect the Dead". As with "Elect the Dead", Tankian produced "Imperfect Harmonies" himself at his home studio in Los Angeles. The CD's first single, "Left Of Center", goes to radio on July 12.

"Where 'Elect the Dead' was essentially a rock record with progressive melodic elements," Tankian says, "'Imperfect Harmonies' could be classified as rock because it is punchy with many peaks throughout, but the instrumentation is somewhat different. Though there are live drums, bass, and some guitars, the driving aspects are electronic and orchestral. It's quite unique in its sound palette. This is, in essence, music that has sat in the vat and matured to a ripe sensation and is now ready to serve."

"Imperfect Harmonies" is as powerful and musically eclectic as its predecessor. "I have been calling the music 'electro-orchestral-jazz-rock' because it has all of those aspects in prominence within the songs," Tankian says. "A few are more stripped down, but the majority of the songs have this huge wall of sound presented in a way I've never heard before. It's not common to have a song that is both electronic and orchestral since one is synthetic and the other organic, but I found a way of meshing a lot of these colors together."

The album has been influenced by Tankian's experience making "Elect the Dead Symphony", a symphonic interpretation of his debut that had its inaugural performance in New Zealand with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2009. The performance has been captured on the CD/DVD "Elect the Dead Symphony".

"The making of 'Elect the Dead Symphony' gave me the confidence and tools to create ensemble pieces for orchestra more confidently and effectively than before," Tankian says. "And that became one of the primary colors for this record along with electronic, jazz, and live instrumentation."