Review Summary: Definitely one of the best solo albums recorded by a high profile lead vocalist from a very successful band going solo.
Elect The Dead is the long-awaited album from one of the most recognised vocalists in rock music today – System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian. Since SOAD stopped any activity in August 2006, Tankian began working on a highly ambitious solo record. Elect The Dead consists of both new songs and some old material that Serj recorded during his time with SOAD. Tankian played most of the instruments on the album himself, except of some help from his numerous colleagues, including System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan. There are a lot of interesting eastern-influenced melodies appearing here and there in the songs. The CD is very rich in sounding – lots of very different instruments are multi-layered in almost every song on the album.
The problem facing a uniquely voiced frontman from a high profile band going solo is that comparisons between the group and the man are almost unavoidable. Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's solo endeavor ended up sounding very much like a group effort, mostly due to his distinctive croon and the fact that the didn't venture terribly far from the sonic terrain of the band. However, with Serj Tankian, his solo effort sounded very much like a solo effort if you ask me, his voice stands out and is easily recognised, but rather than opting for intense Heavy Metal music throughout the whole album, guitar parts are replaced with piano, and his vocals are much more melodic than they were in SOAD.
Tankian compares the process and excitement of writing this album with the first System Of a Down album in 1998. Each song lives its own little life, carrying its own story, changing unpredictably from verse to chorus and awakening surrealist images in your head. Even though some guitar parts are replaced by piano, there are still plenty of heavy astonishing riffs in the tracks. The majority of the album is furious with galloping tempo. There are very few quiet moments that burst out after a few seconds. “Baby” starts as an acoustic guitar ballad and turns into a heavy rock intense song after the first verse.
The vocals on the record are excellent. The intro track, "Empty Walls," begins with a slight electronic burble before exploding into driving guitars and crashing drums. Things slow down a bit for the verse sections, Tankian whispering and warbling in his signature metal-operatic sneer. The sheer tenacity and delivery of his vocals is very impressive. “The Unthinking Majority” and “Money” is where he begins to sing more aggressively, but with "Baby" Tankian really hits his stride with epic crunching guitars and emphatic vocals that remain on the mean and lean. With a more straight forward approach Tankian seems to be in his zone. Song title of the album definitely goes to "Honking Antelope," and the song itself continues the streamlined approach to solid effect. The album’s closing piece, "Elect The Dead," is a beautiful song where the piano stands out very well; this is one of the best ending songs to an album I’ve ever heard.
Just by looking at tracks’ titles you can tell those are not your average “sky is blue, grass is green” songs. Tracks like “The Unthinking Majority” or “Beethoven’s C***” don’t leave you any doubts this is something interesting, though nothing else is to be expected from the System Of A Down frontman. Everything he has recorded is interesting in mostly a good way, on occasions it might be bad.
The songs have some of the most deepest and thoughtful lyrics I’ve heard in rock songs in the last ten years. Of course, the subjects of Iraq and modern society bother the author the most. Like the single “The Unthinking Majority,” which is a song about the current catastrophe of failing democracy. The back vocals are as diverse as the album itself -from soft female chorus in “Lie Lie Lie” to mad impossibly high screams performed in “Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition.” I don’t think Serj performed those screams, though, but I don't really care, it's a brilliant song.
Even though the tracks are very different, Tankian somehow turned it into a very solid piece. Due to its constant tempo and mood changes, the album turns out to be moving and alive. The tracks are full of energy and fury with words of anger that matches the intense music. Even if you’re tired of endless moaning about politics, world issues and dumb society, Elect The Dead is a great rock album. This is the case when the attitude of the musician can’t spoil the genius.
Recommended Tracks
• Empty Walls
• Baby
• Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition
• Elect The Dead