Although they haven’t been significantly energetic lately – and have solely launched two singles within the final twenty years – followers are nonetheless clamouring for extra from System Of A Down.

Whereas SOAD do play collectively from time to time, frontman Serj Tankian has as soon as once more poured chilly water on any hopes of System Of A Down getting again on the street, going as far to say that the notion is “artistically redundant”.

Throughout an look on the Soul Growth With Rainn Wilson podcast, Tankian speaks about his reluctance to embrace lengthy durations on the street.

“We’ve had unbelievable, sudden success as a really far-flung sort of progressive steel band with our Toxicity document in 2001 and touring and doing what we did. And after a few years of touring, once we have been making the previous few data which we made collectively, Mezmerize and Hypnotize. These recordings have been accomplished on the similar time, then launched as two data inside six months of one another in 2005 and 2006,” he says [as transcribed by Blabbermouth].

“Earlier than these periods, once we first began these periods, I informed the [other] guys [in the band], ‘Guys, this sort of cyclical factor that we’re doing with making data for a yr, touring for 2 years at the moment, doing all this promo publicity,’ it was simply cyclical. It was, like, ‘I’ve gotta cease. And I additionally wanna do my very own factor. I’ve different creative adventures that I wanna get on.’”

Tankian even says that he advised the band go on hiatus earlier than Mezmerize and Hypnotize have been made and goes on to emphasize that his reluctance to tour doesn’t imply he doesn’t get pleasure from performing stay. Certainly, the band headlined Sick New World within the US in April and had been lined as much as return to Citadel Donington for Obtain earlier than Covid obtained in the best way.

“I mainly informed the blokes, ‘Pay attention, I’d prefer to take a hiatus. I’m not saying I by no means wanna do that, however I’m saying I can’t do that proper now anymore. And I wanna do my very own factor and in addition take day off and have a life, and all of that stuff.’ It wasn’t taken effectively on the time. I gained’t get into that. However years later, we began touring once more in 2011, and it grew to become a enjoyable factor, ’trigger it left… Nothing was completely resolved creatively, nevertheless it grew to become a enjoyable factor as a result of we no less than put every part to the facet and mentioned, ‘Look, we’re mates, we’re brothers. We’ve identified one another for a very long time. We nonetheless respect and love one another. Let’s go have enjoyable and tour collectively.’

“And we’ve been doing that since. Not as a lot as they want, let’s say, or I’m not gonna converse for every particular person of the band, as a result of that wouldn’t be honest of me both. However typically I’m the final particular person that wishes to tour. A part of that’s bodily, as a result of it’s tiring. I’ve accomplished it for 20, 25 years, and I had again surgical procedure just a few years in the past. I’m significantly better now and all of that. However a part of it’s that.”

He concludes: “A part of it’s that it’s artistically redundant after some time, as a result of it’s ‘Groundhog Day’; you’re repeating your self. David Bowie mentioned the primary two weeks of each tour is mainly – I’m paraphrasing – artistic; after that, it’s redundant, sort of factor, which is appropriate. So it’s that. However I do get pleasure from enjoying with the blokes, and when it’s a one-off, it’s really enjoyable, ’trigger there’s no stress to do that complete rigamarang of an extended tour or press or something. You simply rehearse collectively, make your dumb jokes, have meals collectively, after which go and play that one present and it turns into a hoorah. In order that’s what we’ve been doing. And I’m grateful for that.”