System of a Down Release Two New Songs, 'Protect the Land' and 'Genocidal Humanoidz'

System of a Down Release Two New Songs, ‘Protect the Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’

2020-11-06

System of a Down have released new music for the first time in 15 years.

System of a Down – Story by Charles Ken, photo by Clemente Ruiz

Listen to two new System of a Down songs, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz,” which benefit the Armenia Fund

The move, according to a release from the band, was “motivated by the recently-erupted conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the latter aided by Turkey and accountable for the greatest violence the region has endured in 26 years.”

System Of A Down – which features Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan – have released two new songs, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz.” The song was produced by Malakian, who also wrote the music and lyrics.

Both tracks are streaming now on all digital platforms are available for purchase on Bandcamp with band royalties going to the Armenia Fund. Listen to both songs and watch the music video for “Protect The Land,” which features footage of the protests and on-the-ground fighting in Artsakh, below.

The story behind the song came out of the “surprise attacks and bombings of civilians perpetrated by Azerbaijan and Turkey,” which led to Dolmayan texting his bandmates.

“I texted, ‘no matter how we feel about each other, no matter what issues linger from the past, we need to put them aside because this is bigger than System Of A Down and bigger than all of us…..we need to do something to support our people,'” Dolmayan said in a statement.

“The aggression and injustice being perpetrated against the Armenian people in Artsakh and Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey is a human rights violation and a war crime,” added Tankian. “All of us in System realize this is an existential battle for our people, so this is very personal for us. What we need right now is for the world to put politics aside and support Armenia by sanctioning Turkey and Azerbaijan and recognizing Artsakh.”

“I wanted to show the unification of our people around the world for one common cause, illustrating the power in numbers,” added Odadjian, who executive produced the video and created the cover art. “So, we brought together people from all ages and professions who believe in and are fighting for that same cause. It’s one thing to come up with an idea, but to see it come alive as happened with this video, has been just incredible.”

Odadjian added, “It was such a pleasure for us to be together in the studio again, very comforting and natural, like no time had passed at all.”

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.