Serj Tankian - Left of Center

After System of a Down were catapulted to mainstream success with their much less than mainstream metal sound, and after after they went on a hiatus that was frankly torturous for the fans, the members of the band were involved in several individual projects. Guitarist and vocalist Daron Malakian formed Scars on Broadway, which drummer John Dolmayan was a part of before forming his own band, Indicator. Bassist Shavo Odadjian was a big part of the hip-hop scene for a while, doing notable work with RZA of Wu-Tang Clan among other artists.

Serj Tankian, however, decided to go it alone – and I don’t think he could have made a better decision. Not because his bandmates or other bandmates would be holding him back, far from it. It just gave him a space to explore his own themes, sound and imagery that had been present in his SOAD work, but not as thoroughly explored.

There’s no denying that American-Armenian Serj has a mastery of that very unique sound – heavy as you like metal guitars and drums cutting in and out of an almost dreamlike lightness that is as effective as it is memorable, while his incredibly recognisable and skilled vocals tie it all together.

One of my all time favourites of his comes from probably his least acclaimed solo album, Imperfect Harmonies, which never reached the consistent quality of his debut and couldn’t quite match 2012s Harakiri, for my money. However, Left of Center, our pick for this week’s Rock Song of the Week, is a fantastic track that really nails down what is so good about Serj’s solo efforts. Especially that voice! It’s a track I could listen to over and over and I implore you to do the same, until everyone in your neighbourhood either joins in or drives you out for disturbing the peace. You win either way!