System of A Down’s Serj Tankian has been in the studio making new music this past weekend. However, it appears the music may not be for the band, but for a solo project. After recently making a statement about the band’s dispute in making new music, admitting he was responsible for the hiatus they took and 2006 and making new records, it seems Tankian wanted to make a sound of his own.

Tankian also mentioned that there were artistic differences between the bandmates, another reason why the band’s new album is at a standstill. He stated “I’ve always felt continuing to do the same thing with the same people over time is artistically redundant even for a dynamic outfit like ours. By that time I felt that I needed a little time to do my own work. I wasn’t discounting restarting the process with the band later.” He continues to state “I wanted to leave the band before Mezmerize/Hypnotize for these developing reasons. This is why I personally don’t feel as close to the music on those records. There were songs I wanted to bring in but was hampered by unkept promises coupled by my own passivity at the time.”

Earlier this year, Tankian also stated that he had 5 written songs for the band’s new album, but those did not work out. Tankian told Rolling Stone, “We have [attempted to make an album]. We’ve discussed it and we’ve played each other songs, but we still haven’t come eye to eye on how things should be done for us to be able to move forward with it. And that’s where it’s been.”

According to the PRP, those five songs will likely appear on Tankian’s possible EP. The band was recently announced to headline the Force Metal Festival near Mexico City along with Slayer, Alice in Chains, and Lamb of God in October and will then be hitting the west coast shortly after with shows in San Bernardino, Phoenix,  and San Diego before concluding October 19th in Las Vegas, NV. See the full list of dates below.