Today, System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian has released Covers, Collaborations & Collages, the latest project in the artist’s solo career. As part of the release, Tankian has also released the final track off the album, a cover of “When Death Arrives” by Armenian poet and singer Ruben Hakhverdyan. The track can be found on Tankian’s YouTube channel.

The second of two covers produced for the album, “When Death Arrives” once again has Tankian providing his iconic voice and powerful emotional range to a somber song. “When Death Arrives” features very stripped back instrumentals, primarily just an acoustic guitar with some piano work; though strings and organs can be heard in a few moments as well. Tankian’s moving vocals underscore each lyric on the track.

Tankian covered the story behind the song in a final post for the album shared on his YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. He describes “When Death Arrives” as a “very important song,” introducing and praising Hakhverdyan. Tankian explains the song was originally in Armenian, and he translated it to English for his cover, providing new instrumentation as well as a new chorus. He calls the song “Bob Dylan-y,” explaining the song comes from the perspective of a deceased singer reflecting upon life and their position. Tankian says he is “amazingly proud” to cover the song and share it for English-speaking audiences.

The release of “When Death Arrives” marks the final release of Covers, Collaborations & Collages. All ten songs from the album were previously released as singles, but can now be found as part of the album.