For almost all of their profession, multi-platinum Armenian-American nü-metallers System Of A Down have operated with a pervading stage of dysfunction. 30 plus years into their profession, the acclaimed outfit have largely spent a minimum of the previous decade and alter present as a legacy act.
Exterior of two new songs that arrived for charity in 2020, the band’s final substantial providing of latest music arrived again in 2005. Since then, a longstanding deadlock involving disputes over each inventive and monetary points of the band has saved them out of the studio.
Likewise, the band’s touring schedule additionally receded, partially due to vocalist Serj Tankian‘s personal self-professed disinterest in being on the street for weeks at a time, but in addition on account of points along with his again.
In 2021, Tankian underwent surgical procedure for that situation and it will seem that point headlining the primary two ‘Sick New World‘ festivals since could have a minimum of rekindled a few of his ardour for taking part in greater than only a single present or two a 12 months.
After a number of years of one-off vacation spot festivals, System Of A Down are bucking their a lot maligned established order in 2025. Final December, the band rolled out a relatively intensive run of each North And South America, representing their largest stint on the street in a single 12 months since 2017.
In a newly performed interview with SiriusXM‘s ‘Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk‘, the group’s bassist Shavo Odadjian admitted that beefed up schedule is as he put it, the band ‘testing the waters’, of the right way to function going ahead.
Talking of the response to the announcement of the primary three dates for North American leg, which promptly offered out, Odadjian said:
“Actually inside a number of hours we offered out each present, and it was a shock to us. However I’m very glad that the stadiums had been accessible close to these dates. We had a band convention that it offered out. My supervisor hit us up. He’s, like, ‘Dude, you guys offered all of it out.’ … It floored me. Individuals are, like, ‘Why ought to or not it’s so stunning to you?’ Everybody sees us a sure means. I nonetheless see us as that band from Hollywood. I’m not seeing us as this large band that might promote out MetLife twice, two nights in a row. Soccer stadiums, bro. So, we determined, ‘Let’s add one other present to every.’ And we put it on the market the subsequent day and people offered out too.”
When questioned why the group are solely hitting up three North American cities, he replied:
“We haven’t performed loads collectively for some time. We’ve been doing one or two reveals a 12 months since 2017. So, the relationships weren’t as nice as they’re now. It’s simply everyone wasn’t on the identical web page. We’ve been speaking. Every part’s nice, knock on wooden. Everybody’s blissful. So we determined to check the waters and play some reveals. And that’s what it’s.
There isn’t a technique to it, there’s no plan to do the remainder of the world simply but. I’m not saying it’s not gonna occur; I’m not saying it’s gonna occur. We instructed one another, ‘Let’s play it by ear, do these reveals, see how we really feel afterwards. If we don’t wanna do any extra, we don’t do any extra. If we wanna do extra, we’ll do extra.’ There’s no heavy accountability on anybody, as a result of I really feel like numerous it’s simply considering an excessive amount of, overthinking what might occur.”
He continued:
“Unhealthy experiences have occurred to sure folks, they usually form of maintain that as PTSD, I believe. And now that issues are higher, we’re older, we’re, like, ‘Dude, no stress, bro. Let’s simply do it. If we prefer it, we do. If we don’t prefer it, we [don’t].’ ‘Trigger what? Serj had a good time at Sick New World final 12 months. We had such an incredible, enjoyable present and everybody left the stage hugging.
And so he known as again, he’s, like, ‘Dude, I liked it. Let’s do extra of those.’ In order that’s the place that occurred. We’re, like, ‘Let’s go.’ So long as everyone seems to be down. Daron [Malakian, System Of A Down guitarist/vocalist] was down. So we determined, ‘Let’s take a look at the waters. Let’s not simply go full blast and begin doing months. Let’s simply take a look at the waters with three reveals.’ These three reveals turned to 6.”
Responding to why the group settled on three Jap cities for that trek, he provided:
“We haven’t been there for a very long time. ‘Trigger we’ve been doing West Coast stuff loads, as a result of we haven’t been leaving the West Coast. Like I stated, we’ve been form of dipping our toe within the water, testing the temperature of the water. So, we’ve been form of upsetting the East Coast. It looks like we don’t like going there, however we love the East Coast. We love throughout. We love the whole nation.
It’s not private in any respect. So once we determined to do some additional reveals, we stated, ‘We have to go to the East Coast. That’s the place this 12 months needs to be.’ In order that’s the rationale — as a result of we the East; we actually do. We discuss it daily — John [Dolmayan, System Of A Down drummer] and I discuss it daily. We’re, like, ‘We are able to’t look forward to this.’ So we’re trying ahead to seeing the gang, being there and seeing the town and having fun with it with that eye once more. We’re taking part in the town once more. And to play two stadiums in every metropolis is simply — it’s a present.”
After being requested if it’s difficult for the group to ship stadium stage reveals with such little time spent collectively as of late, he responded:
“We are able to do it. Look, for the previous few years, we’ve been doing one or two reveals. And we go and we rehearse two weeks for one present. I believe that’s not good. So six reveals is healthier than one present to me. I’ll take it. I’ll take it, and I’m not gonna ask for extra. I would like it to occur organically. I believe our band is that band — we will’t be instructed what to do. The extra we push one another to do one thing, the much less we do. So I determine the much less we push, the extra we’ll do. It ought to be finished as a result of we wanna do it, we like to do it, and that’s why we do it.”
System Of A Down‘s 2025 touring slate runs as follows:
04/24 Bogota, COL – Estadio Nemesio Camacho El Campin
04/27 Lima, PER – Estadio Nacional
04/30 Santiago, CHL – Parque Estadio Nacional
05/03 Buenos Aires, ARG – Estadio Velez Sarsfield
05/06 Curitiba, BRA – Estadio Couto Pereira
05/08 Rio de Janeiro, BRA – Estadion Nilton Santos
05/10 Sao Paulo, BRA – Allianz Parque
05/11 Sao Paulo, BRA – Allianz Parque
With Korn, Polyphia & Wisp:
08/27 New York Metropolis, NY – Metlife Stadium
08/28 New York Metropolis, NY – Metlife Stadium
With Avenged Sevenfold, Polyphia & Wisp:
08/31 Chicago, IL – Soldier Subject
09/01 Chicago, IL – Soldier Subject
With Deftones, Polyphia & Wisp:
09/03 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
09/05 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
[via Blabbermouth.net]