I’m a big fan of System of a Down and when I found out that their guitarist, Daron, and drummer, John, had formed another band, named Scars on Broadway, I quickly got myself a copy of their latest album. SOAD is not breaking up, they’re just currently undertaking separate projects just like their lead, Serj, who has his own solo album.

The song that I really liked is chemicals:

The chorus struck me most. Daron has this twisted yet whimsical way that draws me to his songs. The lyrics is just so raw yet deep and is open to a whole range of interpretation. The song might be about a nasty break-up he just had or it might be a backlash to multi-national corporations, which sell “poisonous” product to mindless consumers.

Here’s some parts of the song’s lyrics:

Come eat some chemicals with me,
come eat some chemicals
Come eat some chemicals with me,
come eat some chemicals.

MADNESS! I’m feeling scared,
looking around and nobody there.
When I say “Fuck the world!”
as we’re ready to rock,
as I piss on your face while you suck on my cock.

Oh maybe, baby,
won’t you rape me, wont you fantasize
What about the time when we were lovers?
Well I tried to phone you,
tried to warn you but no compromise
Well I grabbed your ass under the cover.

Their first single is named “They Say”, here’s the vid:

Whoa! Daron looks so different nowadays, he could totally pass of as a Serj clone. The song is a lot more serious than “chemicals” because it deals with deeper societal issues. I think the song is about how America or the media is on this propaganda against something he thinks is exaggerated and he is talking about his rejection of this trend and doesn’t feel the need to be defending those behind this propaganda or the people that are following the trend. It’s just my own interpretation, I could be totally on the other side of he fence.

After listening to the album, I realized that Daron Malakian, is probably the influence to some of SOAD’s “humurous’ lyrics and balances Serj Tankian’s more cynical nature.