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Its their first new music together since 2006.
Hes as passionate and insightful on the phone as he is on his records.
In November, you released two new System of a Down benefit songs.
Last month, you put out a cover of Gang of FoursNaturals Not in It with Tom Morello.
This month you release a documentary, next month its a new EP.
Whats inspired all this activity?The film and EP were in the works for a while.
We were actually holding them back; they were going to be released last year.
It was very important for us to get those songs out.
So, we put all the rest of the releases aside.
By the time it came out, he had passed [in February 2020].
Toms one of my good friends.
Weve done a lot of covers together, and a lot of causes.
We had a nonprofit called Axis of Justice years ago.
We had a radio show together for years.
I mean … quarantine, man.
It gave me a lot of time to finish music.
Elasticityis your first batch of rock songs in something like a decade.
But when Im writing on my own, whatever comes comes, and it could be classical.
It could be jazz.
It could be rock.
These rock songs came to me about five years ago.
These songs came to me, and they kind of had a very punk ethos to them.
It must be frustrating for this particular band to have such public political tension.
You had aBernie supporterand aTrump supporterin the same band.
Its interesting because Johns not just my drummer.Hes my brother-in-law.
Were family, so we have very similar views on certain things: morals, ethics, Armenian issues.
But we have completely different opinions on American politics.
I always tell people that Im not the only person with a brother-in-law with a different political agenda.
The important thing is to have respect and love for each other, respect for differences of opinion.
Thats how we deal with it.
A lot of rock documentaries paint a bands good years out to be this perfect golden era.
I always say that a good band has to have different push and pulls within itself.
Otherwise, the music wont be great.
With System of a Down, it is.
Were equal owners of the name and all of that.
Theres always push and pull.
That push and pull creates interesting music, and I havent seen a band thats good thats otherwise.
But it also creates tension, and thats important to show.
Its good satire on top of everything else.
I wonder where that sensibility comes from.Probably from my dad.
Hes kind of a joker.
He loves cracking jokes and decreasing the tension in any room.
I dont know, its ingrained.
It is part of Systems music as well.
You dont know if hes taking it seriously or if hes joking through the music.
We both have that in our songwriting, which works.
In the end as an artist, youre still entertaining, right?
Bob Marley did it best, because he made us dance while spreading his message.
If you’re free to do that, its both entertaining and informative.
I have gotten a lot of flak for my activism as an artist.
All over the planet, you know?
They didnt want to hear criticism of the U.S. government and policy.
So, I took a lot of flak.
Its something you get used to as an activist, I guess.
You lose a lot of fans, too.
A lot of artists arent prepared to do that, so they dont get into that world.
Or, theyll criticize a figure thats already unpopular because its safe.
Ive never looked for safety.
Ive always looked for the truth.
Is it annoying to tell people where theyre headed and watch them slowly cruise there anyway?Yeah.
Prison Song is a good example.
Weve been in a lot of wars.
I mean, we invaded Iraq because of 9/11, and it had nothing to do with 9/11.
They used the weapons of mass destruction issue.
There were no weapons of mass destruction.
Yes, Saddam Hussein was a dictator, but he was also theCIAs dictator.
The same thing happened in Libya, in Syria … As an activist, you rarely see the fruits of your labor come true.
You work your whole lifetime toward something, and you hope that youll make positive change.
You believe you will.
But to actually see some good news is really very affirming and encouraging.
But even democracies, in terms of foreign policy, act like 8-year-olds over resource acquisition.
The U.S. is no different, in that sense.
I dont think that these are mishaps.
I dont think that they are short-term concepts of not doing nation-building after invading.
It went platinum, a rarity for a compilation of leaks.
is sitting at a band meeting at our management offices.
We finished them asSteal This Album!quite quickly in the studio with Rick Rubin.
I looked at the guys, like, Were all over the radio.
Its not fair to the artist to release unfinished songs, so we should release this.
We made a video for the song,Boom!,which is about bombing people.
There was the growing government program to invade Iraq at the time.
Its a fight, man.
Its a fight to always do the right thing.
But streaming is a byproduct of technology evolving.
As a consumer, I love streaming.
As an artist, I love and hate it at the same time.
Its a whole different thing.
And its pennies and micro-pennies on the dollar for each stream for an artist.
[Joseph]Goebbelswould be proud of what were living today.
He was the revolutionary leader that started the 2018 Velvet Revolution, a high point in history.
Now is an incredibly low point in our history.
Its a very tenuous situation.
The majority of Armenians are in a state where they dont know who to support.
A lot of them are angry at what happened in the government.
Theres issues of mismanagement of the war that are being raised, and other things.
Right now, its a divisive time.
But, the only way forward has to be a democratic one.
The army should not take over.
Opposition shouldnt just take over.
No one should just take over.
There should be fucking elections.
Thats what I have to say about that.
Then, we got the bad man out and danced in the streets.
What else is left, right?
You guys are really fucking this up.
- Or, like the Danny Elfmanscored Tim Burton movieMars Attacks!
We come in peace, and they just shoot everyone.
I dont know, man.
We are living in weird times.
I have to say that it is a breath of relief seeing Trump go.
There was incredible chaos.
It didnt feel like government.
I felt like people that were in charge of the government wanted to take the government apart.
It was the perfect sabotage, the perfect coup.
He basically took apart the whole government.
Maybe thats what some people wanted.
Nobody trusts American politics anymore.
Thats why something like that was able to happen.
I think going back to normal is our own extinction.
Im hoping that I can see some engagement in the positive sense with the Biden administration.
We have to stop being a corporatocracy and start really becoming a democracy.
Otherwise, were not truly going to survive.
Thats what it really comes down to.
Its legalized in its electoral college, super-delegates, K Street lobbying firms.
All of these are legalized forms of corruption.
And its not just the government of Turkey doing this.
We know that because of fighting for recognition of the genocide.
Every country does that.
Our government is up for sale because of money in politics.
Its time to end that.
This is our country.
We are the citizens.
They work for us.
Its not frustrating to me.
That Ill respond to, and say Go fuck yourself.
But, it is what it is.
As an artist, you have to make the music that you feel most comfortable with.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
