For years the Armenian hard rock/ Nu metal band “System of A Down” has been dormant. They haven’t recorded an album together in 15 years due to infighting and differing opinions on where to take the band next, but they’re back to deliver a message that the whole world should hear. Throughout all of their albums the band members have worn their pride of their Armenian heritage on their sleeves, but now more than ever they want the people to know their heritage, and the cowards who are trying to end it.

After a decade and a half of rumors, turmoil, and in-fighting the California based, Armenian born hard rock titans have more music to offer. The band has never been quiet to express their beliefs in their music with songs like “Soldier Side”, “Hypnotize”, “Deer Dance”, “Prison Song” and many others as prime examples. On November 5th of this year they released two singles “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” with the hope to bring attention to a serious problem that has mostly gone unnoticed due to the pandemic.

The Nagorno-Karabakh war is an armed conflict between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Artsakh, which is a breakaway state in that area. Azerbaijan has the military support of Turkey and is also being backed by Russia, they want the territory that is currently under Armenian control. The Republic of Artsakh is being supported primarily by Armenia, as the land they are defending is mostly Armenian. As of November 10th a peace agreement has been signed in favor of Azerbaijan getting the territory that was taken in the conflict, along with the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. There have been protests from angry Armenians who don’t want to see Turkey and Azerbaijan push them around anymore.

For their part, System of a Down has been promoting a charity called the “Armenia Fund”. It will help over 100,000 Armenians that have been displaced from Artsakh due to the war. They have already raised over 600,000 dollars. In their charity video John Dolmayan, the band’s drummer says, “This is a morale issue, it’s a humanitarian issue and it should be approached that way.” Lead vocalist, Serj Tankian adds, “It’s an injustice that we want people to pay attention to.” After 15 years of no new music as a group, this unprecedented move has many fans wondering if they will be back for new albums. It seems very unlikely as John and Serj have been feuding with each other about political views among other things. Even though clearly divided on some things they are “Exactly on the same page” when it comes to the injustices that their fellow Armenians face.

If you feel so inclined, I’d highly recommend getting more information about the clash between Turkey and Armenia. I barely scratched the surface of what has been going on and it’s a lot more than simply fighting for land. These atrocities have stayed in the shadows for far too long, and the people in charge need to be held accountable.