SYSTEM OF A DOWN CALLS FOR JUSTICE

By Nicole Ghapgharan

With Armenia and Artsakh in the midst of war, Grammy-winning alt-metal band System of a Down has officially returned with their first new music in 15 years. In typical SOAD fashion, the two singles are packed with passion and purpose, bearing a political message.

Released via Columbia, “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” address the human-rights violations being inflicted on their cultural homelands. “Protect the Land” arrives with a new video directed by Ara Soudjian and the band’s Shavo Odadjian.

“The time to do this is now, as together, the four of us have something extremely important to say as a unified voice,” said SOAD’s Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Odadjian and John Dolmayan in a statement, which can be read in full here.

On 9/27, more than a century after the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian Genocide took 1.5m lives, the combined forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey attacked the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, historically known as Artsakh—sacred territory to Armenians. Last month, Tankian shared this video to show Armenians and activists across the globe standing in unity and taking to the streets to demand a peaceful resolution.

SOAD will donate funds from both songs and their new merch collection to the Armenian cause and is encouraging fans to donate to the Armenia Fund, which provides desperately needed humanitarian relief to the region.

“We realize that for many of you, there are more convenient ways to listen to music,” the group’s statement continued, “so please consider the opportunity to download these songs as an act of charity above all else. The music and lyrics speak for themselves. We need you to speak for Artsakh.” Both songs are available on the group’s Bandcamp page and across DSPs.

Watch System of a Down's powerful music video below.