Serj Tankian: “We Tried” to Write New System of a Down Music

All four members of System of a Down are on record as saying that creative differences are to blame for the lack of new System of a Down music over the past 15 years — despite the fact that the guys get along just fine and enjoy touring together — but that likely won’t ever stop interviewers from bringing up the topic ad nauseam.

In a recent live chat, Serj said the following:

“There’s been many things said, but it’s quite simple. We just haven’t been able to see eye-to-eye creatively to go to the next level. And to me, and I know to the other guys in the band, System’s very special, and what we’ve done together is very special. And we can’t do something unless we’re all really, really into the same direction, into the same goal, into the same vision. And that hasn’t happened. We tried. I would say a couple of years ago, we made that effort — songs were written by myself, by the other guys, et cetera, but we just couldn’t see eye-to-eye, and that’s really it. And that’s okay. We’re still all friends, we have great relationships, and we tour together, we have together, and that’s that.”

The above is consistent with drummer John Dolmayan’s recent quote that the band’s three non-Serj members wrote 12 songs “maybe two, three years ago,” as well as Serj’s assertion that some he planned to repurpose some rock songs he wrote with System in mind as his own solo release.

In a lengthy statement back in 2018, Tankian also said a disagreement over how to split the band’s publishing profits and writers credits were responsible for the lack of new material.

The above quote comes from Metal Injection although the “live chat” source was not named or linked.