Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead (2007)
Serj Tankian is a talented vocalist that's very hit-or-miss for people, best known as the frontman of System of a Down, who, at the time, had gone on hiatus in 2005, so what's left to do to keep yourself relevant aside from a sex scandal and a solo album? Okay, ixnay on the former, but the latter is very much a possible option given the fact that IT EXISTS, you dumbass!
I think most people were going into this hoping for a new System of a Down record, but truth is, it's pretty different. The music is generally less heavy and much more vocal-centric, given that the entire album is basically Serj Tankian masturbating his vocal range while talking about things that virtually anyone with an alright moral compass would easily agree with in a heartbeat, or more drugged out hazes, like the video for "Sky is Over", a fantastic song that would've never been made with System of a Down. Well, actually, I dunno: If the shitty "Lonely Day" got a pass, who the fuck knows.
That's the fantastic thing about this album: It takes leaps and bounds at different sounds than System of a Down fans had become accustomed to. Acoustic guitars, pianos, and cellos aren't rare occurrences on this album, and serve as proof that Serj Tankian can make quality music without the rest of the band by his side, with their direct musical inputs. It can be tough as shit to go solo and still maintain even roughly the same level of quality, but Serj Tankian holds himself up on his own two feet pretty well with his songwriting and ability.
However, even at his best, it still doesn't quite fire off on the same amount of cylinders that System of a Down did, and it's a shame, but still a noteworthy album to have in your collection, if anything, just to scare the shit out of yourself with the inner album art when high on mushrooms. Not me, though, because I haven't shat myself in six years and I'm still going strong without being devastated by diabolical diarrhea in my denim. There's no dung in my dungarees, if you smell what I'm (not) putting down.
If you're not a Serj Tankian fan from his System of a Down work, I can't see you suddenly becoming a fan of this weird, drug-loving alternative metal Adele based off of this album, and even if you're a fan of System of a Down, I still can't guarantee anything, but back in December of 2008, a System of a Down fan who was still distraught over the hiatus (me!) got this album and the Scars on Broadway debut album on CD (remember those?! those donuts taste like SHIT!) from my brother, and damn, that was a good day.. My brother's a good guy, I don't recall how I met the guy, though.
7/10
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Feel free to check out the song previews/buy this album using my Amazon Associate link!
