Today's breakdown is for the audiobook of "Down With The System" by Serj Tankian:
Being a longtime fan of the Toxicity album, I never really knew much about System Of A Down as a band. When I learned that Serj had written a memoir I got a copy immediately as unprecedented times just seemed to align with it somehow after I checked out his books of poetry recently also. I knew they were a political band, but I never knew how active they truly were and I really gained another level of respect for SOAD after reading this book. Much like the band these pages served as a history lesson about things I had never heard of before.
A truly powerful story lies within the covers that I think needs to be heard as it tells the tale of a hidden genocide and a cry for awareness that leads to one of the biggest albums of the 21st century and a legacy of activism. This is a memoir of so much more than just another band biography, this is something remarkably special. I really loved the behind-the-scenes Toxicity material and found myself laughing throughout his recollections of the lyrical content of that record. Very cool.
I also had never realized that their third album was actually all Toxicity B-sides, so I learned a lot about their inner workings and gained quite a bit of knowledge about the band and their frontman (the latter I am glad to have read statements by about 9/11 specifically as I remember some blatant lies going around that time and he clarifies his stances clearly here). Post finish, I wished I hadn't skipped out on Ozzfest 2006 so I could've seen them perform, but I wasn't really following them so I had no idea they were about to hang it up or I probably would have.
I left this one with an even bitter taste in my mouth for government corruption and the blind eye of greed, but also with a deeper resolve to the importance of never being afraid to speak up/out about what is right while resisting peacefully. Love or hate his music, you simply MUST listen to the words on these pages! If your position is simply as a fan, you get your money's worth, we are also given the very transparent reason that they no longer go on tour and why there is an almost impossibility of there ever being another System full-length release.
The audio portion was performed by Tankian who delivered the narration with a range of emotions that made its spirit move through all things said. I felt as if I were sitting right next to him as he told a saga born from a hushed tragedy of a wronged people.
5/5 stars.
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