Metal Edge Magazine got an interesting interview with the band from their studio, thanks for soadomized.com for writing the complete interview.

This clearly isn't a routine listening session after all--No, this is L.A.'s Armenian-American art-metal maestros System Of A Down, previewing selections from the brace of album's they'll be unleashing in the upcoming months (Mesmerize, due in April, and Hypnotize which will follow six months later)
in the Burbank, CA, studio where exhausive mixing is in progress.
 The song we're being assaulted with--aurally, mentally and stylistically--is a un-mastered version of "Cigaro."

Songwriting for what became Mesmerize and Hypnotize began a couple of years back, and System started rehearsing tghe tunes as a band at the turn of '04. 
The tracks were recorded at the Laurel Canyon home of legendary producer Rick Rubin who o­nce again co-helmed the sessions with SOAD guitarist/chief composer Daron Malakian.

Bands like System, who've reached a level of commercial success and artistic respect which leaves them with little left to prove, seem to go in o­ne of two directions:
Either they realize they can fart o­n a record and go platinum, so they do, or they use their newfound creative freedom to produce the work of a lifetime. 
Thankfully, System Of A Down have resolutely done the latter. 

However versed you are in SOAD's previously eclectic outuput [1998's serlf-titled debut, 2001's Toxicity and 2002's Steal This Album], however up o­n the latest wave of progressive rock bands you are, you are not ready for this. 

System Of A Down has crafted somehting of incomparable complexity, beauty, terror and passion that'll have critics groping for adjectives and other bands throwing in the towel.  It's that amazing.

"The length of time that it took us to finish is the overriding memory," laughs sagely singer Serj Tankian, relaxing o­n the sofa of o­ne of the studio's side rooms. 

"There were so many songs that we ended up basically doing two records, and obviously that takes longer.  I mean, we had even more than two records, we had about three records worth of music that we pretty much completed up to tracking, and then we cut it down to a little over two records, and now we're cutting it down to two records."

From the 3 songs previewed--the aforementioned "Cigaro," "Hypnotize" and "Kill Rock 'N' Roll"--the new offerings from SOAD are more involved, progressive and bizarre than ever. 
This material is already being touted as 'Daron Malakian's masterpiece,' but Tankian isn't phased.

"I wanted something challenging, 'cause we need to grow, otherwise we're stagnant.  Daron did bring in a lot of music and more lyrics than before... In my turn, I brought in some more music than I had in the past." (Tankian plays both guitar and piano, as well as programming beats as a songwriting tool).

Drawing o­n a bulbous blunt, the unassuming Daron Malakian appears, all in black, hair grown-out, like that quiet stoner-rocker from the office IT department.

"I put a lot more focus into my insides," he states in his quietly determined tone.  "I tried to reflect it and, in tkurn, I put more focus o­n this album.  Not to say that I didn't think of the band, I'm just saying that as an artist, as an individual, in System, as a songwriter, I really worked hard o­n growing up as a songwriter, and that's really how the osngs are developed in System- -It's me sitting at home and writing a bunch of songs.

"I felt that I had to write a lot of songs," says Malakian, warming to his subject.  "It was good, because the ideas were flowing, and it was also cool because I had a lot of negative things going o­n in my life in these last few years.  The whole world has been negative, but o­n a personal level I've had a really negative couple of years, and I'm really lucky to have an outlet, to be able to write songs and be able tao express some of those things that bother me."

Malakian's creative quality control process i purely instinctive.
 "When I write something that I love, I start pacing around the house and I'm like, 'WoW! I can't believe that!' I feel so not responsible! I sit there and think, 'I had absolutely nothing to do with this--I'm such a fan of what just happened!'  It's so out of my hands that it scares me sometimes, but also I get off o­n it," he chuckles.  "I feel reall lucky, too, that if there is somebody that's somewhere else, that htey picked me to channel through certain songs that are o­n this record... I cry sometimes when I hear these songs, and  these are songs that I wrote!"

But however adventurous and experimental System's osngs get, they've retained a short-sharp-shock brevity reminiscent of hard-core or punk.

"I've always said I write pop songs," Malakian asserts.  "They've been progressive, yes, they've been experimental, yes, but the core of it has been a pop song.  My goal is to create this tyle of pop, to put things in structure that were never in structure before... And to do it in a way where's it's mutated so it feels like it's not forced.

"I enjoy long, epic songs--Ya'know, Pink Floyd songs, songs that take you o­n a journey," mulls Tankian, relaxed in black pants and jacket, faded Doors t- shirt and shoulder-length ringlets of Robert Plant hair.

"But with System we've always stuck to brevity, and it works well, especially for the really heavy stuff... When there's a lot going o­n and it just goes out, then you're like, 'What just happened?' Whereas, if it was going a long way and just repeating and repeating, you may be inclined to not e as surprised or hit by it.  I would like it if both albums together told a story. 
That's the idea, because both comae from the same period of writing, the same vibe and energy."
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System Of A Down--in a classic case of "if it ain't broke"--have retained much of the same team that's helped them enjoy so much artistic fulfillment and commercial success to date. 
And they didn't radically re-tool their creative motif, either.

"In the approach that we took to doing things, it was quite similar--The difference lies in each of us trying to do things that we didn't do o­n previous records, each of us separately, then bringing that together.  The heavy's a little more dense, more progressive, there's a lot more harmonies--Daron and I are singing almost every song together, and there's a lot of lyrical ping-ponging between Daron and myself which makes it a little more frantic than o­ne person being the o­nly lyricist.  We somewhat did this o­n Toxicity, but now it's even more."

Yet, while Malakian's doing mor lyric writing and singing than ever, Tankian's not intimidated, as SOAD controls the individual egos which have torn lesser acts apart.  "I never wanted to be a frontman, to be honest," admits Tankian.  "I've always felt that a band is a group of people--I've never been comfortable taking a picture where I'm standing in front, or that kind of thing.  I've always been more of the 'all for o­ne, o­ne for all' kind of ideal with bands, and it's funner that way."

"That came naturally," claims Malakian of his increased vocal and lyrical contributions. "I know this is going to be a hard o­ne to believe, but I don't make any moves o­n songwriting and System Of A Down when it's based o­n ego.  If I think I suck for a part, I will not force myself to sing that part... Everything I'm singing--just like everything I'm singing o­n Toxicity or any other record--is because the song, to me, cries and I hand it a bottle.  And if it's crying for my voice, then I'm going to give it my voice.  This time around, I can't tell you why, the songs just kinda mutated that way."
And Malakian's careful to point out that, for all his genius, System Of A Down is not a o­ne mane band.  "Yes, I write songs, but Serj is such a big part of System Of A Down... We're a really good team.  I like being his partner, I like being in a team with him, I like what we do together.  I htink the colors tha he adds to stuff I bring in is, at times, better then even what I could think of."

More than ever, the latest bout of SOAD acitivity has been about the four individuals who make up the band--which is completed by bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan--working o­n material themselves, behind closed doors, then bringing their newly-honed skills to System's collective table.
"The majority of the writing is done at home, separately," Tankian confirms.  "Daron does the majority of the writing, I write music as well, Shavo writes some riffs as well that Daron usually helps arrange into songs, and I have my arrangement input, as well.  So it's kinda like the song's original, general structure comes in, and then we work o­n it in the studio, together.  Daron's an amazing arranger, so most of his stuff comes in pre-arrranged pretty well."

"I bring in pretty full songs, as well, but I'm more open to experimenting with rhythmical changes and seeing what John comes up with, or whatever.  Shavo, when he brings in music, it's more riffs, and he has less of an idea of the whole piece, and Daron will help put it into a whole piece, and then we all put in our input."

When it comes to lyrics, System is reluctant to be drawn o­n specific meanings or intentions behind the songs.  The band has even said that they wouldn't caare if Serj just sang "la, la, la, la, la", so long as the intended spirit was communicated.  But, having said that, the words are far from gibberish.

"I think it's direct enough to make a point, but open enough to have it interpreted in many different ways," Tankian hedges.  "Especially Daron's lyrics, I think--I may be a little more direct.  The important thing is that we're both willing to chop off words if it doesn't put the emotion across, and make it either simpler, or make it goofy, or whatever, so long as that emotion comes through and it matches with the music, obviously."

"The lyrics that I write, I like to be, like, very 'common,'" says Malakian.
 "Almost as if this conversation was my lyrics.  I wrote the words, 'I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl,' from 'Hypnotize,' in an alley waiting for my ex-girlfriend.  And I realized, ya'know, a lot of people ask us all these political questions, a lot of people ask us this shit and start treating us really fucking imoportant, and I'm like, 'I'm just some guy sitting in my car waiting for my girl.' And then there's these things in the world that flash to me, like the Tiananmen Square thing [also referenced in 'Hypnotize']... People do things in other parts of the world because it's life or death--And I'm an 'important person'? I'm sitting in my car waiting for my girl! You know what I mean?"

What's also amazing about System's new material is that it'r retained the cathartic, confrontational sound which it's known for, despite now being couched in the luxurious lap of success, with all the material benefits and constant ego-feeding this brings.  Put it this way: They're not the hungry young men they were when System formed nearly ten years back.

"I think the hunger for us is musical and artistic and expressionistic, rather than angst," counters the ever-thoughtful Tankian. 

"I've said for years that when I scream I'm not angry, I'm more trying to bring out a certain spirit, bring out a certain voice, or challenging something in a really pronounced way.  I would say that maybe our first record was more of an angry record, but since then, I think it's more raising attention and awareness, and that spirit is used for that purpose."

"I'm not focused o­n the money that we make," Malakian insists.  "I know, we make money, and I live in a nice house and all that crap, but I'm focused o­n songs, I'm focused o­n this band.  I don't go out and party very much.  Today's the first time I left my home in two weeks! 
I haven't left my living room in two weeks because I've been writing.  I have this record, but I have, like, thirty new songs! And I don't just play the guitar--I play everything.  I've written some of these songs behind a drum kit.  It doesn't matter how a song comes out, as long as the song comes out!"

An extreme example of htis is a tale that's rapidly becoming Spinal Tap-esque, studio folk-lore: How Malakian had all for walls of o­ne of the ballrooms at Rubin's home covered with guitars while he played another guitar in the center of the room, in a quest for an elusive tone he heard in his head.

"It was an acoustic resonation thing.  I had them go out and buy a bunch of acoustic guitars, and I had and idea that, instead of the music bouncing off a wall, the sound comes out of guitars.  So why not have the amplifiers and everything push the sound into the quitars and bounce it right out of the guitars, that way you've got a guitar going through a guitar.  It was an experiment, I wasn't sure if it was goin' to work or o­nt, but we tried it, and it gave me exactly what I thought it was going to give me: A lot of cut, a lot growl--I like growly guitars!"

Whereas, after the multi-platinum success of 2001's Toxicity opus, SOAD decided to release another disc of recordings from those same sessions--2002's Steal This Album--This time the band has planned and scheduled to release a two-disc set, albeit six months apart.

"This time it was a bit different, because when we were doing Toxicity we were thinking of o­ne record... It was less of a conscious decision with Steal This Album, and we didn't really support it with touring or singles, it was just put out as an 'extra' record.  Whereas, with this new record, it's kind of like a double-record release from the beginning, except we're taking time in between so people can digest the first o­ne before getting th second."

"I don't think people drop enough acid these days to listen to a double album like that, "laments Malakian. 
"It's a different time--It's click song two, click song three, click song seven."

Judging by the intensity, diversity and ferocity of the tracks the band previewed, a double album really would be sensory overload if taken in o­ne hit.

Though the members of System Of A Down all indulge in numerous other projects--both Tankian and Malakian now have their own record labels, Odadjian DJs and helps out bands like Abloom with management and production duties, and Dolmayan has sat in o­n other recording projects--They o­nly see this as beneficial to System.  "If someone does other stuff and comes back, they're growing," Tankian stresses.  "It's all about growth, otherwise, again, you're stagnant."

"It's mostly me and Serj who get involved in that kind of thing," says Malakian.
 "And I respect it--I would like to see everybody in my band have that kind of thing... I'd like to see everybody in the band being as bad ass as they can possibly be, at what they contribute, and that's what I work o­n night and day.  I work o­n becoming better at what I do, whether it's just as a musician or a writer.  I separate those things--I separate being a musician and being a songwriter."

Of the 3 songs paraded as teasers, neither Tankian nor Malakian want to go beyond broad strokes of description or background. 
"We generally don't like to give away the reality of what songs mean to us, because then it takes the fun out of people interpreting it for themselves," Tankian explains.  "The way I see 'Cigaro' is like Dick Cheney with a big cigar in his mouth... It speaks about arrogance."

"It's a song about ego, it's a song about politics," Malakian, the song's principal architect, expands.  "It's a song about so many different things, and that's how it is with almost everything with the songs--They're not al about o­ne thing... Our heaviest song has kinda a funny lyric.

 'Cigaro' is none of the heavier tracks o­n the record and the lyrics are, like, 'My cock is much bigger than yours!'  I listened to a lot of European, mostly Norwegian, black metal around that time, but there's more than that in 'Cigaro'--I'd say the aggression and the blast beats in three and suff like that... I don't know, I can't tell you, shit just flies out!"

Hypnotize" continues SOAD's love of micro/macro lyrical juxtapositions, references to global events back-to-back with journal entries of mind-numbing mundanity.  "It's personally political or politically personal," Tankian surmises.  "I wrote the second verse, Daron wrote the first verse."

"Yeah, and there's a lot of vice-versa vocal interaction with me and Serj," says Malakian.  "Like he'll sing the first part of the verse, I'll sing the next part of the verse, then we'll both sing the chorus." It's this sort of multiple-personality arrangement trickery which lends the new System material a quasi-operatic air reminiscent of early Queen--Albeit o­n steroids and uppes.

"Kill Rock 'N' Roll," another Malakian composition, embraces passages of unexpected, closely- harmonized pop candy.  "It's like early Beatles to me," Tankian enthuses, "and I never thought we'd be doing a song like that, so to me it's exciting."

"Our voices are so damn different from each other," says Malakian, though o­n the new cuts his vocals sound closer and closer to Tankians's tone, if a little more boyish.  "When they come together they compliment, and I think it helps the music to be, to me, alive."

Another tune from their new collection, "Old School Hollywood," was inspired by Malakian's participation in a celebrity baseball game at L.A.'s Dodger Stadium--He's a huge baseball and hockey fan, but very rarely 'schmoozes' with celebrities.
 "It was very surreal, almost like a funny nightmare, and I just came home and the first thing I did was pick up my guitar and 'Old School Hollywood' came out!  The riff is very influenced by Kraftwerk and the song has some Kraftwerk elements like some Vocoder suff ans ome synthesizer.  But it's a rock song, it does not sound like Kraftwerk, but it was inspired by that and by a very strange day."

Any discussion with System Of A Down about their music is littered with phrases like "I just don't know," and "I just can't explain." And that's the very essence of their collective magic--There's mystery about the songs which channel through Daron Malakian, about his creative partnership with Serj Tankian, about the chemistry of the fouf of them in the studio and o­n-stage.

 Otherwise, there'd be bands this great o­n every street corner.  And so, however genial and well-intended, any analysis of System Of A Down, any description, any critique--even this article--is futile and inconclusive.

Daron Malakian sums-up System's boundary free, almost exhausting shape-shifting perfectly--"What are you? Yes."

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