Daron Malakian, the guitarist, and vocalist of  System of A Down has announced a new album from his band Daron MScars On Broadway titled Dictator, set to be released  July 20th. This is a follow up from their self-titled debut album ten years ago, with Rolling Stone applauding is as an  “awesomely satisfying guitar crunch and sweet, soaring harmonies.” The band has also released a new song from the album, titled “Lives,” along with its music video. The visually captivating video shows the band performing with a mix of dancing troupes performing Armenian folk dances. The video was directed by Hayk Matevosyan. Check it out below:

The release coincides with the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which Malakian is of Armenian descent, had lost family members from the genocide. A portion of the sales of the new single will be donated to the Armenia Fund. In a press release, Malakian states “I want to help the innocent people currently caught in Azerbaijan’s ceasefire violations against the Republic of Artsakh and prevent another genocide against Armenians.”

Originally named Scars On Broadway, Malakian decided to rename the band to Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway. A fan recently asked about the name change with Malakian stating “Nobody quit. When I first started Scars, I always said that it would be different lineups from album to album. Depends on the type of direction I want to take. Different musicians work for different styles. That is partly why I added my name in front of the band’s.”

As for System Of A Down, the band recently announced their first U.S. tour in three years. The tour will kick off October 13th in San Bernardino, CA at the Glen Helen Amphitheater. Check out the rest of the tour dates below:

photo credit:Raymond Flotat