System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan spoke to Loudwire recently, voicing his frustration with the band’s lack of new music. We haven’t seen any new music out of the band since the Mesmerize and Hypnotize albums in 2005. Members have since gone on hiatus, working on solo projects like frontman Serj Tankian’s Orca and Jazz-iz Christ, among others. The group got back together in 2011, hitting the European music festival circuit last summer and performing in only one North American venue.

Rumors of internal problems have swirled in recent years, but none of a new album have come to fruition. Frontman Tankian shot down rumors last year after hinting that one was coming ‘when the four of us decide it’s the right time to make it.’

In his interview with Loudwire, Dolmayan said, “I feel like this band still has a lot of issues, things we just have to work out.I’m not really happy with where the band is right now. i think that it’s been way too long since we’ve made an album and I’ve kind of had enough of the mentality of ‘that’s okay.’ It’s not okay. ”

Dolmayan’s candid frustration comes in the wake of years of disappointment from SOAD fans looking for new music. Dodging any official timetable for a new album as far back as 2011, the group continues to answer calls for new music with silence. Perhaps Dolmayan speaking up will kickstart the group’s long-awaited new album. He goes on in his interview with Livewire, giving a bit of insight to his frustration,

“For me, there’s no ego involved. I don’t write songs, so I’m not worried about who’s going to write the song. I’m just ready. You just give me the canvas so I can paint on it, that’s how I look at it. So it’s easier for me, but look, there’s a lot of emotions involved with being an artist; there’s a lot of emotions involved to being a songwriter; and there’s a lot of fear involved with anything that you haven’t done in a long time. To go in together and work together? We’re different people. 2005 was the last time we were in the studio together. That’s what, nine years ago?… We’re turning into the fucking EAGLES now. 15 years are gonna go by before we make a new album. [Laughs] For me, it’s irritating. But I do the best I can to understand that there’s a lot to be worked through in order to make something great and if it isn’t fantastic, there’s no reason for us to do it…There are still some mentalities that are irritating that we can’t seem to get past or haven’t been able to get past at this point. Hopefully with more communication, which we’ve been doing more and more, we’ll be able to break down those barriers and get back to what we’re supposed to be doing, which is making music… It always seems like it’s on the cusp of happening, but there’s also some personal reasons we haven’t started yet. We could have started already, but we chose not to for personal reasons that I’m not at liberty to discuss right now. It’s positive stuff, that’s all I can say at the moment. We could have very easily have been in the studio as you and I are speaking right now, but for something very positive, we couldn’t. Let’s just leave it at that. Let people surmise what that means.”

Despite the absence of a new album on the horizon, Dolmayan’s frustration echoes the SOAD fans’ sentiment for the past few years. We’re all ready for some new music.