Before we talk about this latest development in the System of A Down saga, let's do a quick recap of the events that led us here, shall we?
Vocalist Serj Tankian has said the band's members "haven’t been able to see eye to eye", guitarist Daron Malakian said Tankian didn't even want to do the 2005 albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize. Beyond creative differences, it seems there is a business dispute on how to split songwriting royalties.
Daron Malakian's Scars On Broadway ended up using some material that was meant for the System Of A Down record that's basically never going to happen. Serj Tankian explained that the main hold up was a disagreement on how royalties were to be distributed amongst the band, as well as who has creative input.
All of which is to say the only thing the band could agree to would be to play more shows. They already have a ton of European dates scheduled for next year (dates at the bottom of this post) and today, we have an interesting new development.
Serj Tankian launched a Patreon not too long ago, and one of the perks is you can chat with Serj occasionally. During the chat, Serj was asked if he supports a petition recently launched by fans to get System to released their unreleased songs from the Mesmerize and Hypnotize sessions. As of this writing, they have almost reached their goal of 2,500 signatures.
Serj responded to the news of the petition by saying "For the unreleased SOAD songs? Yes, I'm all for it. Convince everyone else."
So, this fan has now taken to social media to get the attention of the other members of the band to release the songs. We'll keep you posted if they respond.
Here are System of A Down's scheduled shows for 2019.
6/03 Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome [Tickets]
6/05 Nurburg, GER – Rock am Ring [Tickets]
6/07 Nuremberg, GER – Rock im Park [Tickets]
6/08 Berlin, GER – Waldbuhne [Tickets]
6/10 Nickelsdorf, AUT – Nova Rock Festival [Tickets]
6/12 Milan, ITA – I-Days Festival [Tickets]
6/14 Donington, UK – Download Festival [Tickets]
6/16 Prague, CZE – O2 Arena [Tickets]
6/17 Budapest, HUN – Laszlo Papp Sports Arena [Tickets]
6/19 Zurich, SWI – Hallenstadion [Tickets]
6/21 Clisson, FRA – Hellfest [Tickets]
6/23 Stockholm, SWE – Ericsson Globe [Tickets]
6/25-27 Seinäjoki, FIN – Provinssirock Festival
6/30 Krakow, POL – Tauron Arena [Tickets]
7/01-04 Viveiro, SPA – Resurrection Fest [Tickets]
7/02-03 Lisbon, POR – VOA Heavy Rock Festival [Tickets]
[via Rock Feed]
