Serj Tankian, not exactly a name which would provoke immediate recognition amongst the masses, but Mr. Tankian is the brainchild behind the magnificently deranged heavy mentallers System of a Down. He has taken flight on his own for his debut solo effort backed by his band the FCC (apparently the Flying C*nts of Chaos. Quite).

Would the Lebanese born, Armenin-American depart from the well trodden SOAD path of kooky vocals, bizarre time changes and all out bonkers noise? With song titles such as “Honking Antelope” and “Beethoven’s C*nt” it was a safe bet that he had stuck to the SOAD blue print. Elect the Dead takes a more punk approach and ditches some of the heavier moments but this solo effort would sit nicely amongst the SOAD back catalogue.

Occassionally a more delicate side is glimpsed, the opening bars of “Money” evoke Travis(!) in all their pomp, before the blistering refrain of the chorus disturbs the slumber. As the album develops, a piano effect is added to the mix in greater quantities, so much so that “Lie, Lie, Lie” could almost be Keane(!) for all of thirty seconds. However closer attention to the lyrics reveals a much darker undertone “Take my hand and lets end it all, she broke her little bones on the boulders below,” complete with mock screams. It’s not something you would expect from Tom Chaplin.

The political motivations of Tankian are never far from the lyrical content; “We are the cause of a world thats gone wrong, Nature will survive us human dogs after all” (surprisingly serious for a song called “Honking Antelope”) and “You’re not-so-gentle persuasion, has been known to wreck economies, of countries, of empires” (“Sky is Over”). Tankian is not a big fan of war and upset Sony by posting an essay about the 9/11 attacks on the SOAD website….it was promptly removed.

Elect the Dead is unlikely to win many new fans but anyone looking to investigate SOAD would be wise to start here and work back. This album is a gentle introduction to what, at times, can be a difficult back catalogue to appreciate. It’s not as good as SOAD at their best but is a worthy effort in what has been a slow year for decent metal albums.
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Links
Serj Tankian [official site] [myspace]