Serj Tankian proved that he could stand strong on his own, without his band System of a Down, with his debut solo release, Elect The Dead in 2007. While following closely to the song writing template of System of a Down, Tankian still managed to create something different that S.O.A.D fans would enjoy, with Elect The Dead.
Serj Tankian proved that he could stand strong on his own, without his band System of a Down, with his debut solo release, Elect The Dead in 2007. While following closely to the song writing template of System of a Down, Tankian still managed to create something different that S.O.A.D fans would enjoy, with Elect The Dead.
Tankian has one of the strongest and unique voices of the rock world. Everyone is aware of how good he sounds, when backed by explosive drums and loud electric guitars, but can he pull of a stripped performance, backed by a 70-pieces orchestra? His live release, Elect The Dead Symphony proves without a doubt, that he still sounds great.
Elect The Dead Symphony
Serj Tankian took his debut solo album, Elect The Dead, plus two previously unreleased tracks; recruited arranger John Psathas and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, to re-arrange his first effort for the classical format. This classical interpretation works surprisingly well, and Tankian's vocal style suits the music perfectly. The album is fairly long, clocking in at almost an hour, but it is worth every second.
The album opens with an absolute symphonic bravado with Feed Us. In this one, 8 minute track, it is clear how well Tankian can adapt his voice to this new style. The truly great thing about Tankian is, he doesn't get lost in the orchestra, instead he almost leads it. While he gently sings the verses, he is generally accompanied by soft piano and acoustic guitar; and as he bellows out the chorus in operatic style, the orchestra goes full throttle in their accompaniment.
A particular highlight on the album would be Sky Is Over. This song just seems to fit the symphonic style like a glove. Tankian's voice grows from soft and gentle to, powerful, strong and operatic. The orchestra provides an amazing sound to the song, imparting a forceful ambiance, that heavy, distorted guitars and pounding drums could never accomplish.
Probably the only downfall on this album would be the few attempts at quirky vocals, predominatly in Lie Lie Lie. While the song does have a great jazz feel to it, at times Tankian has outburts of random noises, and eccentric vocal stylings, which suits his other work, but is out of place on this record.
All in all, Serj Tankian has done a great job with this record, and of course much credit has to go to the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and arranger John Psathas. They did a great job at transforming rock into a symphony. Fans can't expect to rock out to this album the way they did to Elect The Dead, but it's still possible; just a different form of rocking. Fans of Tankian should definitely pick up this album, and fans of symphonic rock would appreciate this record.
Christine Caruana - My name is Christine, I am an aspiring music journalist. I am currently a writer for Loud Australia Magazine where so far I have ...
