Aaron Grech June 4th, 2020 - 8:15 PM
System of a Down has seen a fair amount of disputes these days with drummer John Dolmayan recently stating that he’s “over it” in regards to making a new album with the metal outfit, after previously calling for the band to “check the massive egos at the door.” He also made claims that the band’s frontman Serj Tankian was absent from writing sessions for a new album, while Tankian recently claimed that the band could not see eye to eye, and is now planning on releasing an EP of rock songs intended for the band.
Now it appears that these disputes have extended across political lines, as Tankian, who is known for his leftist politics, has recently called for the resignation of US President Donald Trump on social media, while Dolmayan has expressed praise for the president on the same platforms.
Tankian recently uploaded a post on Instagram criticizing the president’s decision to visit a bunker amid the George Floyd protests unraveling in Washington D.C. and across the country. He went on to criticize systems in power which have historically subjugated people of color, along with the “superdelegates of a two party duopolistic Neo-liberal corporatocracy” before critcizing his decision to declare antifa a terrorist organization, before the KKK.
“You make antifa a terrorist organization but not the KKK?” Tankian wrote in the post. “The lessons of the 2018 peaceful successful revolution in Armenia can be applied in the US and elsewhere in the world. Coordinate online and block every street everywhere and force the regime to resign. The time has come. Your time has come.”
Dolmayan on the other hand was quick to defend Trump, calling him the most attacked president in history, while saying that he is the “greatest friend to minorities.” He also shared an image claiming that Trump has done more for the African American community than any other president since Lincoln.
“Let’s not let the narrative that’s being spun make us forget the truth of this statement,” Dolmayan wrote. “The most attacked president in history yet the greatest friend to minorities! Don’t believe it ? Look at the stats . Don’t like it , doesn’t change the truth of it.”
In a follow up post. Dolmayan shared a picture of David Dorn, a retired St. Louis police captain who was killed while responding to an alarm at a pawnshop on Monday. “Injustice breeds injustice, for those of you who vilified me for calling for peaceful protests you should be ashamed of yourselves for perpetuating violence and advocating for mob justice. This man had a family too,” Dolmayan wrote.
A few months ago the two teamed up for a cover of David Bowie’s “Starman,” alongside Dolmayan’s band These Grey Men. Tankian’s long awaited Fuktronic project alongside Jimmy Urine has finally been released and he recently released a classical Armenian influenced song titled “Hayastane,” with lyrics written by the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
