System Of A Down fans have been waiting nearly two decades for a new album, with the band’s most recent release being 2005’s ‘Hypnotize’. Now drummer John Dolmayan has said the band should have replaced vocalist Serj Tankian back in 2006, citing the difficulty in agreeing on the direction of new music.
In a new interview, Dolmayan spoke to the Battleline podcast (via Blabbermouth) about the difficulties the band has faced in releasing a new album. He said that the band should have parted ways with Tankian in 2006, and continued to make music with someone else.
“But that’s what happens when you’re loyal and you really want to make it work. You’ll put up with things that may be detrimental to the health of the band,” Dolmayan said.
He continued: “Maybe it would have been better if we moved on and got another singer for an album or two and continued to make music, then brought Serj back later if he wanted to come back. That probably would have been better. But as it is, I think we wasted 15, maybe 20 years of our lives waiting.”
Dolmayan went on to say that the group “tried to get together multiple times to make an album, but there were certain rules set in place that made it difficult to do so and maintain the integrity of what System of a Down stood for.”
In the years since, they have at least managed to put out a couple of tracks, including 2020’s charity singles ‘Protect The Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’.
System Of A Down are set to headline the inaugural Las Vegas’ Sick New World Festival alongside Korn, Deftones, and Incubus on 13th May 2023, but until then, fans will have to wait to see if the band is able to come together to release new music. It doesn’t sound too hopeful currently.
