Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead Review
Posted by Matt Reno on 10.29.2007
System of a Down frontman goes it alone.
Like many System of a Down fans, I was bummed when I heard they were going on hiatus, especially since it was not long ago that they released two very good albums in one year. Not all was lost, however, as Serj Tankian announced he would be releasing his first ever solo effort, Elect the Dead. System had already proven itself an inventive collective, so I wondered what this eccentric singer would deliver on his own. What kind of surprises did Serj have in store with this album?
As it turned out, the biggest surprise was that it doesn't diverge very far from the System of a Down sound. While Elect the Dead certainly strays from SOAD's heavy metal sound, much of this album is unmistakably for System fans. In fact, the strangest part of this album is that it's not very strange at all.
Overall, the album contains Tankian's soaring vocals over a hard rocking backdrop, often bolstered by piano and even cellos and violins to give these songs a more epic feel. The album opens with first single "Empty Walls," on which Serj jumps between slow crooning and fast-paced singing, setting the stage for the creative vocal delivery he's known for to continue throughout the album. "The Unthinking Majority" is a bit closer to System-style metal, as it rocks hard, fast, and loud in the verses then stops abruptly and slows down for the chorus. That metal sound also pops up briefly in "Money." But even songs such as "Baby" and "Sky Is Over" that aren't quite so heavy still contain enough energy to crank up and rock out to.
The track that was closest to what I expected for this album is the title track. "Elect the Dead" closes the album as a slow, mournful, piano-laden track on which you can hear pain and longing in Tankian's deep voice. As he recently told Revolver magazine, this is the sound that will most likely be more prevalent on his next solo album.
As expected, Tankian's political views are in plain view throughout Elect the Dead. He slams religious hypocrisy as it relates to war in "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" and blames our addiction to anti-depressants for our collective apathy towards government wrongdoing in "The Unthinking Majority." Tankian also alludes to apocalyptic visions for humanity while reinforcing his love of nature in songs like "Feed Us," "Sky Is Over," and "Honking Antelope." He even injects bits of humor into his angry rants such as in "Money" during which he tells us to "hump your money." Unfortunately, the lyrical limitations that can bring down SOAD songs are here too, as Serj tends to repeat verses verbatim throughout a song rather than write different ones to create variety.
When singers break from their bands to create solo albums, they aren't always for fans of that band, as the singer often tries to do something completely different. Shockingly, that is not the case with Serj Tankian's Elect the Dead. While there are several elements that vary from System of a Down's usual sound, this album should still easily appeal to the band's longtime fans. While I would have liked to have seen what kind of strange new places Tankian could have taken his music to, this is still an album with an interesting sound. It's emotional while still hard-rocking. If System's sound is a bit too heavy for you, Elect the Dead might be the way to go. And for System's fans, this doesn't stray too far from the sound you already love.
The 411: Though I was hoping for something really out there, I'm still happy with the hard rock Tankian has created on his solo debut. System fans should enjoy this one, and non-fans might even use this as a starting point.
