As fans are painfully aware, System of a Down haven't released an album in 13 years, but according to a new interview with the group's Daron Malakian, that doesn't mean he hasn't tried. The guitarist talked to Heavy Consequence and noted that the lead single, "Lives," off his solo project Scars on Broadway's latest album, Dictator, very nearly became a SOAD song. In fact, System even rehearsed it with thoughts of recording and releasing it.
Malakian admits that his songs usually can work for either band, and while the future of System lay in limbo, he decided to pour himself into recording with Scars. "I kind of waited to see what was happening with System of a Down, to see if we were going to do an album, we may need some of these songs," he explained candidly. "So, I just kind of held onto them. So yeah, I thought certain songs on Dictator might've worked with System of a Down, and we actually rehearsed the opening track ("Lives") live with System of a Down once or twice, thinking of releasing that as a System song, but we just never did."
When pressed on whether he believes System of a Down will ever come together in the studio again to make a new album, Malakian revealed himself to be less hopeful than his bandmate Shavo Odadjian has been in past interviews. He said that he and the rest of the guys are in a good spot with their friendship, and he doesn't want to push any buttons that could ruin that. "There was a time that I was waiting and rooting for it and hoping it happens, but … I'm kinda really happy with what I'm doing with Scars," he explained, adding that as a group, they "tend to have different ways of wanting to do things. And it doesn't seem like we meet eye to eye as band members."
Next up for Daron Malakian is the Sonic Temple Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on May 17th-19th, where he'll pull double duty performing with both bands. With Scars on Broadway, he just dropped a bizarre new animated music video for the song "Angry Guru" — watch it below.
