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Serj Tankian
Elect the Dead
Out October 23rd

For his first solo disc, System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian recorded almost all the parts -- piano, guitars, bass and vocals -- himself at his home studio north of L.A. "I had a really strong vision for these songs," says Tankian (who got some drumming help from System's John Dolmayan and Primus' Brain). "I wanted them to be primarily my own execution." The result sounds a lot like System, full of crunching guitars and political invective -- as on the singles "Empty Walls" and "The Unthinking Majority" -- and Zappa-esque diversions like "Beethoven's Cunt." Tankian, who wrote most of the songs on piano, expected the finished album to have a more classical, symphonic vibe. "I honestly didn't expect to make a rock record," he says. "The songs kind of just asked for it."