System of a Down Drummer John Dolmayan’s New Album Will Feature Serj Tankian and Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows

Amidst all the back and forth between Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian — and the occasional quip from Shavo Odadjian — I’d lost track of the fact that System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan is readying his own new album under the moniker These Grey Men in the absence of any new music from System.

The fan group SOAD Mexico recently interviewed Dolmayan and learned that he will release the These Grey Men album “within the next four months,” surely welcome news to anyone who contributed to the $55,000 crowd-funding campaign for it all the way back in 2014. Additionally, both Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows and System’s own Serj Tankian have contributed vocals. Neat! I have no idea what These Grey Men will sound like, but with those two involved it seems likely it’ll be in a rock vein.

I’ve always liked Dolmayan’s drumming, but I’m certainly curious to hear where his brain is at creatively when left to construct a full band’s worth of music on his own [Update: The PRP reminds us that These Grey Men was originally conceived as a covers project.]. Presumably we’ll find out within four months.

[via Kerrang!]