Tankian, Serj
Elect The Dead
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 2019 2LP 180gm Audiophile Reissue, Includes Insert And Has An Etching On Side D. Featuring "Empty Walls", "Lie, Lie, Lie" And "Sky Is Over". "So, The Inevitable Finally Happened. Those Who Have Followed The Life Of System Of A Down And Its Lead Vocalist And Lyricist Serj Tankian Have Wondered For Years When He Would Finally Issue His Debut Offering. Tankian, Whose Political And Aesthetic Activity Keep Him Wildly Busy, Has Become An Identity That Cannot Be Contained By The Trappings Of A Band. System's 2005 Two-part Offering Mezmerize/hypnotize, Produced By Rick Rubin, Was A Creative High Point And Perhaps A Pinnacle For A Band Whose Individual Members Had Different Directions They Needed To Explore Outside That Collective. These Guys Did It Right; They Came Up From The Underground. They Started With A Well-circulated Three-song Demo -- It Reached Australia And New Zealand -- And Word Of Mouth That Scored Them Their Deal In America. They Made Records Their Own Way, And Went On An Indefinite Hiatus Before Those Divergent Interests Lessened Their Power As A Group. Tankian's Elect The Dead Is Out On His Own Imprint, Serjical Strike (Through Warner-reprise). He Plays Virtually Everything On The Set Except For Drums And Strings. The Drum Parts Were All Composed And Programmed On Drum Machines Before He Brought In System Drummer John Dolmayan To Play Live Drums As Well. Dan Monti Helped Out In Places With Guitar, Bass, And Additional Drum Programming. While Tankian Claims His Second Album Will Be "A More Orchestral, Jazzy Record," This One Is Anything But. It's As Hard A Rock Record As Anyone Would Expect And Is Literally Chock-full Of Instrumentation, Lyrics, Noise, Dynamics, And Yes, Songs. At 45 Minutes, It's Plenty Long -- That's Not A Criticism. Tankian's Singing And Writing Style Are Certainly Different From System's. Coming To Grips Will Take Several Listens. Perhaps Countless Listens. In Other Words, This Is No Mere Egotistical Solo Release. It's An Ambitious Egotistical Solo Release, And One With The Chops To Pull It All Off. The Well Placed Spaces And Lithe Textural Moments Of Delicate Instrumental Engagement And Interlude Prevent Elect The Dead From Going By In A Blur. Truth Of The Matter Is That If You Will Only Open Yourself To It, You'll Be Able To Hang On To Those Words, Debate Them, Hold Them In Your Heart, In Your Mind, And All The While Have A Cathartic Emotional Experience. The Pretentious Prog Excesses In These Songs Pay Off Abundantly, Because They Are Rooted In The Craft Of Songwriting, Production, Conviction, And Tough, Serpentine Rock & Roll By Someone Who Actually Has Something To Say. Elect The Dead May A Rather Curious Title For A Recording As Wide Ranging And Savvy And Committed As This One, But From Seeming Paradox And Contradiction A Brave New Musical Vision, One That Makes It Completely Ok To Take Chances With The Form Again, Emerges." AMG Review By Thom Jurek.