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  • Tankian Sure To Surprise And Impress

    TANKIAN SURE TO SURPRISE AND IMPRESS
    By Richard Smirke

    Metro
    Sunday, August 31, 2008

    Serj Tankian

    Political activist, environmental campaigner and, most famously, voice
    of alternative metal band System Of A Down, Serj Tankian has never
    followed a conventional rock'n'roll career. The Armenian-American
    has long been one of the more contentious and idiosyncratic frontmen
    in rock.

    Now that he is effectively a solo artist, following the announcement
    in 2006 that System Of A Down were in indefinite hiatus, he is proving
    just as unpredictable. In October last year Tankian's solo debut,
    Elect The Dead, was released to positive reviews, expressing relief
    that the singer had abandoned the obscure Armenian folk of his previous
    side project, Serart.

    In contrast, Elect contained the same blend of soaring guitars,
    skewed time signatures and classical arrangements that had made SOAD
    so distinctive.

    Unsurprisingly, Tankian's plans for the follow-up record are somewhat
    different. 'I am putting together a world-class orchestra and a few
    opera singers to collaborate with for the next one,' he says. 'I
    am looking at doing a jazz/orchestral record: jazz on the intimate
    side and orchestral on the grand side. I want the orchestra to be
    the electric guitar.'

    Tankian is also working with playwright Steven Sater on a musical
    adaptation of Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound. 'I have never done
    a musical or a play, so to me i t's interesting new territory as a
    composer,' he says, describing the project as 'ranging in style from
    classical to pop, noise to rock to electronic'.

    Although keen to stretch himself, Tankian has not abandoned
    his rock roots, with this rescheduled UK tour mostly based on
    Elect The Dead. Then again, if you're not prepared for the odd
    orchestral-jazz-noise-rock fusion moment, you just don't know Serj.

    Mon Sep 1, ABC, 300 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. 7pm, £18.50, sold
    out, returns only. Tel: 0870 400 0818. www.serjtankian.com

    --Boundary_(ID_W86DcI7tmNQXgm FJksfSbw)--
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