It is no secret to anyone that the relationship between the members of System of a Down has deteriorated over the years, which has caused the band to almost never go on tour and, furthermore, we have not heard a new album from them in more than a decade; However, this was about to change in 2017 when singer Serj Tankian offered to leave the band so they could look for a new vocalist.
The information comes from Tankian's biographical book, Down With The System.
“In 2017, we had a meeting with our manager, and at some point after the business-type discussions, I told them that I wanted to add a topic. So I told them 'which one of you will organize my farewell party? Who wants to be the master of ceremonies?' And he was very serious. I told them I didn't want to tour anymore because of my back problem and because it was no longer something that was within my vision.
I told them, 'I don't want to stop you. This is her dream. This is what they have worked for their entire lives. They deserve to have this. I looked at Daron, Shavo, and John, knowing that what I said next would hit home big time: 'I think you should look for a new singer.'
For a long time, System Of A Down was about the four of us. We had built it from nothing, we had been through all the battles together along the way, and if any of us left, it just wouldn't be the same. Everyone else resisted the idea [of my farewell], probably because they felt that I was looking for an exit from the band at the time, and they weren't ready to say goodbye.
For the three of them, despite the disagreements, I have a lot of respect and love. So what did I want for these three people who are closer to me than my own family? I wanted them to be happy. I wanted them to not have to depend on my health, my back, or my willingness to spend months on tour each year to have this band they loved so much. These three guys meant more to me than System Of A Down ever meant to mia, and they still do. And of course, I also wanted me to be happy. It seemed like the solution was to leave the band while they invited a replacement. I told them I would even help train a new singer.
They didn't completely dismiss the idea, but their collective response at the time was for me to basically hit the brakes. They asked me not to do it, not to announce that I was leaving the band. They promised not to put more pressure on me to tour. Our manager would simply present us with gig offers as they came up. If he said yes, we would do them and that's it. End of story.
Then I thought they had forgotten about the idea of a new singer, but about a year later, John, Shavo and I were at a fundraiser in Glendale and a singer showed up and performed a beautiful Armenian song; Shavo was sitting next to me at the table, he leaned over and touched my shoulder. “‘By the way,’ he told me, ‘we auditioned this guy as a singer. The only problem was that he couldn't scream or growl.' He surprised me. Not the fact that they had tried replacements, but that they had kept it a secret from me.
“‘Why didn’t they ever tell me?’ I whispered. Shavo shrugged. I turned to him, now looking directly at him. “Look, he's a good singer,” I told him. “I can literally take him out to the parking lot right now and teach him to growl. You should really consider it. I recently recommended to a friend that they should consider, but I don't think they ever really did.”
Serj Tankian's book Down With The System will be released on May 14 via Hachette Books.
