SERJ TANKIAN

SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian is the first to break the band's self-imposed hiatus with his debut solo album, "Elect the Dead", and the most immediate and welcome thing is that the record, of course, is free of the overbearing, whiny vocals of SYSTEM guitarist Daron Malakian, whose apparent need to take more of the vocal spotlight was a distraction on the last two SYSTEM records, the joined-at-the-hip "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize". Tankian's unique, emotionally evocative and sometimes chant-like voice has always been one of SYSTEM's most distinguishing trademarks, and it was unfortunate to hear less of him on those last two efforts.

Having said that, if you're not a fan of Tankian or SYSTEM to begin with, it's doubtful you'll find much to like here. Since Tankian is the singer and one of the two main songwriters in that band, his first outing on his own sounds a lot like a SYSTEM album, full of quirky yet powerful heavy rock tunes that incorporate all kinds of eccentric twists and turns into punk, Eastern music, folk, electronics and just about anything else he can get his hands on, all while sounding mostly cohesive at the same time. But if you do enjoy SYSTEM's music and Tankian's highly individualistic writing and vocal skills, then "Elect The Dead" will be welcome relief to fans missing SYSTEM since they started their extended vacation in late 2006.

The album begins with "Empty Walls", which could easily be a classic from any one of SYSTEM's albums. It roars out of the starting gate with a fierce, galloping rhythm and explosive guitars. The most notable difference from earlier SYSTEM material is the introduction of strings right away, which add a subtle enhancement to Tankian's emotionally charged vocals. "Unthinking Majority" follows and is one of the singer's more frenzied type of songs, making up with sheer energy what it lacks in a killer chorus.

Tankian introduces more outside elements throughout the album, starting "Lie Lie Lie" with piano and bringing a truly bizarre falsetto/female chorus into the mix. His most ambitious track, however, and one of the best and most moving he's ever done, is "Saving Us", which starts with a gentle acoustic guitar, building slowly and blending a monster chorus, equally huge riffs, more orchestral arrangements and a beautiful backing choir to create a haunting, poignant number about a doomed relationship. The title track, which closes the record, features Tankian accompanied only by piano and softly strummed guitar in an eerie, mournful paean of loneliness.

Some of Tankian's experiments fall somewhat flat or veer too far into the "weird" territory that he took some of his SYSTEM material into. "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" is an electronics-driven groove/funk jam that relies too much on effects and doesn't add up to much of a song, while "Baby" is all over the place and "Honking Antelope" jams too many lyrics into each line, although it redeems itself with another solid performance from the singer.

Tankian's clear, powerful and uniquely sincere vocal style naturally drives the record from start to finish, and the gradual diversity of material on the album is a tribute to the singer's underrated talents as a songwriter. What he does may not be easily categorizable as merely heavy music, and its more iconoclastic side will be a turn-off to some, but apart from his band he continues to create highly original, thoughtful and resonant music.