Review Summary: Ratatouille.
All things considered, I am actually surprised that Daron Malakian’s post-SOAD career played out as miserably as it did. I mean, a bad album from Korn or Linkin Park wouldn’t surprise anybody, but System of a Down has always maintained a certain standard of quality even on their later releases, and Daron was largely responsible for the band’s unique sound as its main songwriter and guitarist. Granted, SOAD was always more than the sum of its parts, and it was unlikely that Daron’s releases without Serj and Shavo would reach that level. Still, a decent solo career with a regular release schedule was certainly in the cards. SOB’s self-titled debut wasn’t perfect, but it could have become a decent starting point (I don't believe it deserves all the hate it gets). And I don’t think that even people who hate Daron’s singing or anything he did after SOAD disbanded could expect him to release an album as ugly and inane as “Dictator.”
It is equally surprising though, that the new Scars on Broadway release represents a significant improvement in comparison to the above-mentioned miscarriage. You see, even though “Dictator” was thoroughly and justly criticized here on Sputnik, it actually received decent to rave reviews elsewhere and made it to the Rolling Stone list of 20 best metal albums for 2018. I mean, we all know that Rolling Stone sucks, but the fact remains that the general critical consensus stated that “Dictator” was fine and there was no need to change anything. Indeed, “Addicted to The Violence” does not contain any dramatic stylistic shifts in comparison to other SOB releases. And yet, it sounds sharp and fresh. So, what gives?
First of all, unlike both of the previous Scars on Broadway LPs, “Addicted to the Violence” does not attempt to go in all directions at once. With both the ST and “Dictator” it seemed like Daron just threw every idea he had into the mix. With the new album it seems like he finally defined his core sound and stuck with it. The album’s brief runtime and simple structure also serve to its benefit, making it feel concise and focused.
More importantly, “Addicted to the Violence” is the first SOB album which is not a closed circuit with Daron in its center. He wrote the debut LP entirely by himself, and on “Dictator” he even played absolutely all the instruments! We all can see how that worked. This time Daron cooperated with multi-instrumentalist Orbel Babayan, who gets four co-writing credits and handles keyboards, mandolin, and several other instruments. That allowed Daron to focus on what he does best, which is writing songs and bringing the riffs.
Indeed, the album is very riffy. Only the title track is based around a synth melody, which is simple, but effective. Otherwise, the guitar is front and center here. If you know Daron’s style, his riffing here will be instantly recognizable for you. But this time the riffs feel just familiar in stylistic terms, not reduced, reused, and recycled like it was on “Dictator.”
Overall, there is a simple yet reasonable pattern to the album. It starts with three heavier guitar-based tracks where the drums sometimes pick up the speed and the vocals follow suit. That trio is followed by a more relaxed “The Shame Game,” which is the second and the last song on the album that features a prominent keyboard section. Then, the same pattern repeats itself: three heavier songs are followed by a mellower “You Destroy You,” after which we get two more songs to round things up, a heavy and a melodic one. The key point here is that the album consists of actual songs, unlike the jumbled mess of aimless riffs and drab melodies that was “Dictator.” Even the shortest “Your Lives Burn” which doesn’t even reach a two-minute mark feels like a proper and fully developed song. Besides, it’s not all just heaviness for heaviness sake. Most of the songs here are quite catchy and equipped with memorable choruses and hooks. Also, even the heaviest tracks normally have a counterpoint provided by mandolin or softer guitar parts. Thus, the heaviness never becomes monotonous and overwhelming, while remaining the main priority for most of the tracks. Thus, we get a nice package of well-balanced and engaging songs. The only song I don’t like here is “You Destroy You,” as its singer-songwriter “three chords and truth” style doesn’t really suit Daron. Anyway, a song like that is needed in the context of the whole album as a temporary respite after several heavy tracks in a row.
To sum up, “Dictator” felt like somebody barged into a kitchen, took some ingredients, threw them into a pot and left them to boil into inedible mush. In contrast, “Addicted to the Violence” feels like somebody took the same ingredients, but followed an established recipe, while adding their own touch to the dish. Granted, there are no masterpieces like Toxicity here, but the album is full of fun, heavy and catchy bangers (with juvenile lyrics, of course. That hasn’t changed). This is the sound of Daron putting considerable care and effort into his music. Let’s see what happens if he gets truly inspired one day.
