This fall, the metal band System of a Down is on a brief tour with Faith No More and Russian Circles. At their show in Las Vegas on Oct. 16, the band played two new songs for the first time ever — their first new music in 15 years.
The Armenian-American band addressed the attack of Indigenous people in Nagorno-Karabakh in both tracks. They released the songs shortly after the incident in late 2020, but have not played them live until now. The fast-paced, punchy “Genocidal Humanoidz” and more classic-rock-influenced “Protect the Land” express pain over the attacks as well as a call to action for audiences to educate themselves on the issue in an effort to help survivors.
“This one is one of the newer songs that we have. It’s about some piece of shit government that tried again to kill our people,” guitarist Daron Malakian said in a video on Stereogum. “Fuck the genocidal humanoidz!”
Raising awareness isn’t the only way the band is contributing to the cause, though. In January, their video for “Genocidal Humanoidz” helped raise funds for Artsakh and Armenian soldiers, raising over $250,000 from that video alone.
In April, after President Biden recognized the conflict as a genocide — the first President to do so in over 100 years — lead singer Serj Tankian thanked him on Twitter. This contrasts greatly from Tankian’s public issues with former President Trump, who the singer condemned on Facebook after the president made a deal with Turkey that gave the government more control over Armenia.
Yet, the singer consistently appreciates his fans for their contributions: “[The people of Nagorno-Karabakh] are our people,” he said at the show. “At the time, System Of A Down put out two songs to help bring attention to the cause, and what we want to do is thank you, because you helped join our effort to raise funds and bring attention to this very important event.”
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