Spitak is an upcoming film set in Armenia that deals with the aftermath of a devastating magnitude 6.8 earthquake in 1988, so it makes sense that Armenian-American musician and vocalist Serj Tankian would score the score, as reported by Rolling Stone. The movie premieres on December 8 in Tankian’s hometown of Glendale, CA and the record was released by his label Serjical Strike Records on Friday.
Spitak was created by filmmaker Aleksandr Kott. You can catch a preview of the score by viewing the film’s trailer below:
The movie revolves around a man named Gor, an Armenian who lives at the epicenter of the massive quake. The movie shows the hope that Gor holds despite running into many others who have faced tragic results from the earthquake. Rolling Stone reports the music was created using strings, pianos and other orchestral elements. Tankian is no stranger to films set in Armenia, as he scored the film 1915, which is about the Armenian Genocide.
It’s been a bit of a drama filled 2018 for Tankian, at least as far as making new music with System of a Down goes. In July, the band’s guitarist and songwriter Daron Malakian gave an interview that indicated that around the time of their album Mezmerize and Hypnotize, Tankian lost interest in making heavy rock music and essentially had to be begged to complete that double-album. In the interview, Malakian suggested that Tankian wasn’t that interested in heavy metal or rock — something that Tankian would say is true soon after. Tankian recently appeared on the new Euringer album, the latest project from Mindless Self Indulgence’s Jimmy Urine, and reportedly was working on new rock music not intended for System of a Down.
Despite the lack of progress on a new System of a Down record, the band has been very active touring and have a strong working relationship. The band had 2018 Fall tour, which was their first live dates since 2015.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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