Often imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, however System of a Down’s drummer John Dolmayan’s latest solo effort presents heightened covers of reimagined original popular songs that makes for a unique listen. Dolmayan’s collective project, the upcoming self-titled debut, These Grey Men according to a press release is an “…eight-track album, out Friday, February 28, is an eclectic collection of reimagined songs Dolmayan was inspired by during many drives between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. These Grey Men features additional special guest artists including M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold and Tom Morello, among others, with a bulk of the album recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606.”

Yet, no other illustrious collaboration has graced the project than teaming up with fellow System of a Down member, frontman Serj Tankian on the “high-voltage revamp of David Bowie’s ‘Starman.'” Dolmayan and Tankian’s natural chemistry works like gangbusters. The collaboration between the two of them approaches the beloved classic David Bowie “Starman” with it’s glam rock sensibilities and turns it on its tail breathing new life into the track. Ramping up the bombastic aggressive stylings of System of a Down the latest cover of “Starman” sounds enthusiastically modern with its upbeat rapid chord progressions and heavy percussion that still retains the original track’s emotional depth and sentiments of speaking to the youth audience. “Starman” is not the only collaboration, as further stated in the aforementioned press release, “… that rejoins Dolmayan with System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian. Dolmayan’s commanding drumming also links with Tankian on a spirited arrangement of Talking Heads’ ‘Road To Nowhere.'”

The first single off the latest project was released last month in the form a cover of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit” which featured M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold on vocals and a guitar solo at the track’s closing by Tom Morello. As previously reported here on mxdwn the aforementioned Radiohead track gets a heavier and edgier touch, detailing that “The newly released track features the powerful vocalist, M. Shadows, from Avenged Sevenfold, who recently went through vocal recovery. The band had to cancel their tour in 2018 due to a viral infection Shadows contracted, which had a risk of permanent damage.”

Speaking on the genesis of the latest These Grey Men project, Dolmayan details the inspiration behind his latest work saying:

“While I was driving, I’d put on satellite radio and listen to whatever came on,” says Dolmayan. “Oftentimes, I’d hear something and ask myself how I would play or arrange it. I actually started to make a list of about 30 songs I might cover someday. I just got inspiration from desert driving and listening to music. System wasn’t making music at the time, but I needed an outlet for my artistic energy. So, I whittled down the list and reached out to some artists I wanted to work with.”

These Grey Men Self-Titles Album Tracklist:

1. “Hung Up” (Madonna cover)
2.  “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” (Radiohead cover) (feat. M. Shadows & Tom Morello)
3. “Beautiful Thieves” (AFI cover)
4. “Road to Nowhere” (Talking Heads cover) (feat. Serj Tankian)
5. “Rock Bottom” (Eminem cover)
6. “Runaway” (Del Shannon cover)
7. “Starman” (David Bowie cover) (feat. Serj Tankian)
8. “What You Know” (Two Door Cinema Club cover)

To listen to “Starman” Featuring Serj Tankian, stream below via YouTube.

Photo Credit: Mauricio Alvarado