Serj Tankian is the lead singer and figurehead of System of a Down. He is a 54-year-old Armenian-American and till now has released five albums as a joint product of System of a Down and five solo albums.
The System of Down bandmates wishes that the band come back to life soon as it had been several years since the last song was released with the participation of all the band members. Serj Tankian and Dolmayan have not been in a good relationship, so while addressing it to Forbes, he revealed that Dolmayan is his brother-in-law.
What bad happened between SOAD’s Serj Tankian and Dolmayan
The events date back to 2020, when two members of the band, System of a Down, got into political disintegrate. John Dolmayan and Serj Tankian are not on good terms due to Donald Trump’s run for the presidential elections.
If we put both the bandmates on the political spectrum, Tankian falls on the extreme left while John leans on the right wing. When the elections got near, Dolmayan wholeheartedly wished Donald Trump good luck in the elections. Following this, all eyes were turned towards Tankian who found it better to reply in a traditional way as he uploaded the lyrics of a song.
Tankian posted on his Instagram a post under which he had written lyrics of the song ‘Temper’. It was recorded in 1996, even prior to Dolmayan’s arrival into the band.
View this post on Instagram
The song, Temper, can be termed ‘controversial’ by many Americans as it highlights the events in which America has caused much disruption not only in the lives of its citizens but also in countries as far as Iraq, Grenada, Nam, and Chile. Tankian is against Trump and mentions that whoever likes the lyrics and likes Trump too is truly a hypocrite.
The difference in the political views of Tankian and Dolmayan is quite evident in the fact that when Tankian was working on gathering people to end Trump’s regime, that’s when Dolmayan said that Trump was minorities’ trusted friend.
Tankian was interviewed by Forbes about his political beliefs and where his views stand in American politics. He began with his bond with Dolmayan and put light on the fact that they are quite good when it comes to anything outside of the political world. Tankian also shared how they both gracefully accepted each other’s political views and regardless of this, they care for each other as a family and do not discuss anything that includes politics.
Who knew this political nuisance would have a long-lasting effect on the band’s progress? It is said that the last album released by the System of a Down was back in 2005, titled Hypnotize. Should political beliefs in any way affect our practical life? As Daron Malakian, a member of the band said that positive progress in Tankian and Dolmayan’s relationship does not seem near. He also highlighted the fact that Tankian is quite stubborn in such scenarios and it is his procrastination that has resulted in delays when it comes to song making. Malakian also added that he and all the members of the System of a Down (SOAD) are apologetic for their inefficiency in creating a product.
Recently in 2021, when Trump’s Presidency met its end, he was supposed to give legal rights to Turks over their property in Turkey’s region. Tankian is a native Armenian and is well aware of the political upside down in his region. Contrary to what was expected from Trump, he signed a disastrous bilateral pact. Tankian was much disheartened by this news and sarcastically thanked Trump and regarded him as a ‘c**k’.
Tankian also put light on the heartwrenching stories of genocide in Armenia, his motherland. To address such an inhumane act he had been working on a film, Truth to Power, since 2018.
Being an activist, Tankian has been making the world aware of the circumstances of Armenia, as a war broke out in that region in September 2020. Furthermore, in an interview with h-pem, he made it known that he fully supports the Black Lives Matter campaign most significantly following the murder of George Floyd.
