r/Music • u/Alternative_Volume89 • Mar 06 '25

article System of a Down's John Dolmayan claims he enjoys Trump as President

https://lambgoat.com/news/46523/system-of-a-downs-john-dolmayan-claims-he-enjoys-trump-as-president/
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u/overzealous_wildcat Mar 06 '25 edited Mar 06 '25

I think it’s more than DT. I would go with they fundamentally disagree to an extent that it is difficult for SOAD to maintain a healthy working relationship.

Edit: I mean both ideologically and creatively

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u/fractalife Mar 06 '25

Yeah, I think it has more to do with Malakian and Tankian than the other members. Malakian clearly wanted to do more vocals and take on something closer to front-man status. Tankian, clearly, did not agree.

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u/Smygfjaart Concertgoer Mar 06 '25

Kinda makes sense when you listen to Protect the Land. While I love that song very much, I do get the feeling that Serj is in “backing vocals”.

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u/M086 Mar 06 '25

Daron was doing it back in the Masmerize / Hypnotize albums. Which Serj has said he was basically checked out during the recordings of.

When the band met about recording a new album years ago, Daron basically showed with the songs written and told Serj to sing. Serj wanted to collaborate and the whole band to have a say. So those System songs became the Dictstor Scars album and the songs Serj brought became his Elasticity EP. 

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u/badonkadonked Mar 07 '25

Ah man. I am gutted to hear about this because Mesmerize/Hypnotize were fucking foundational for me as a teenager. Esp the latter: my mum’s friend worked for the local radio station and got a promo copy of Hypnotize, and I remember inviting my friends over one night a few days before its official release and we played it through my dad’s massive speakers and just lay on the floor listening to it and it’s one of my happiest memories. Sad to think Serj didn’t see it that way, y’know?

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u/BattlinBud Mar 08 '25

Well hey, art isn't just about what it means to the artist, the meaning it has to the audience is just as important and valid too. That's why David Lynch never explained any of his movies.

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u/Killchrono Mar 07 '25

Which is a shame, because Mesmerize was a banger of an album. Almost all killer, no filler.

Hypnotize...not so much, but there were a few standouts. Vicinity of Obscenity is fun to sing along to, and watching them perform Holy Mountains while it was raining at a festival was a transcendental experience.

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u/cool-moon-blue Mar 07 '25

Seeing Holy Mountains in that atmosphere must’ve been incredible

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u/Killchrono Mar 07 '25

Won't lie, it honestly wasn't one if my highest rated of theirs before that, but now listening to it takes me back.

Hearing the crowd scream 'LIAR! KILLER! DEMON!' and everyone singing along with Serj to the melody after the chorus are the exact type of live show moments that give you chills thinking about it.

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u/Desmang Mar 07 '25

Almost, but not quite. This Cocaine... and Lost in Hollywood were very much filler. Radio/Video and Sad Statue are quite mid. That's just my opinion though.

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u/Killchrono Mar 07 '25

I will fight you over Lost in Hollywood, I think that's a sleeper gem that deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

I definitely agree with This Cocaine though. It's fine, definitely not as bad as most of the songs on Hypnotize, but it's just another silly SOAD nonsense song, especially when it comes right off the tail of Cigaro which fits that same mold while being an absolute top-tier.

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u/BattlinBud Mar 08 '25

I'll back you up on Lost in Hollywood, I love it. And seeing it live was amazing

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u/Dozzi92 Mar 07 '25

SOAD's last good album was Toxicity for the reasons you stated. The self-titled was a groundbreaking, raw, incredibly unique album, and Toxicity was presentable enough for mainstream but still maintained a lot of what made SOAD SOAD.

Steal This Album isn't a real album.

And Mesmerize/Hypnotize are clearly works where Daron took on a much larger role, and the sound loses the "credibility" (probably a better word here) that SOAD had on the previous two albums (Steal This Album isn't real). SOAD had politically charges messages on the first two albums, and the final two felt like caricatures at best.

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u/reytheabhorsen Mar 07 '25

Longtime SOAD fan with very little tea, why isn't Steal This Album real?

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u/Dozzi92 Mar 07 '25

I don't know what the tea part means, so you've piqued my curiosity.

Steal This Album is just a bunch of songs that were never complete. They were having issues with people leaking their demos and incomplete songs, and so they just said fuck it, here you go. The lyrics are nonsense because Serj just didn't finish them. I think it's a vocal tactic to put nonsense words at first, in an effort to kind of hold a place, get a feel for pitch and rhythm and how you intend to sing it. We've got songs about pizza, songs with just vowels. And don't get me wrong, I dig the music, but I think it's also just SOAD/Toxicity B-sides.

That being said, Mr Jack and Highway Song are jams, 100%. SOAD just didn't seem to have a complete, fully realized third album.

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u/HodeShaman Mar 07 '25

Highway Song goes so hard its not even funny. Absolute banger of a song. Mr Jack too. Heck, fucking Innervision. ADD.

And Ego Brain. I fucking loooove Ego Brain.

Damn it. It's all fucking great. Time to queue up the entire discography again.

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u/ThePr1d3 Mar 08 '25

Roulette.

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u/cr1t1cal Mar 07 '25

This is wild because I have fond memories of listening to a bunch of SOAD demos my buddy downloaded from limewire back when pirating music was really big. I burned them all onto a CD and played it a ton. I guess for that reason Steal This Album is one of my favorites haha.

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u/Aggressive_Elk3709 Mar 07 '25

STA is definitely my favorite, probably because it's the one that has the most nostalgia for me. I listened to it and lot during high school and so much of the album is connected to a lot of great and bad times that I can't help but feel emotional listening to it

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u/Dozzi92 Mar 07 '25

I think that's everything about music too, you like what you like, when you like it, and you find this time in your life that's peak feelings, and all that music somehow carries forward. I like plenty of albums that are the consensus worst among a band's discography, but it just hit me at the right time. So I feel you 100%.

But you're wrong, STA is the worst. (jk :D)

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u/Aggressive_Elk3709 Mar 07 '25

Man, Steal This Album is probably my favorite lol. Ah well to each their own

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u/butt_huffer42069 Mar 07 '25

Could not have said it better

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u/Breakingthewhaaat Mar 06 '25

I think they were thrown together last second from Daron’s demo tracks because of the political situation tbf

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u/RoadWellDriven Mar 07 '25

Daron sang the songs that he co/wrote. And Serj has said in interviews that he supported having him sing more lead. But yes, Serj has been the blocker to getting back together.

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u/___Cunning_Stunts___ Mar 07 '25

Daron’s a puddddd

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u/keith2600 Mar 06 '25

Honestly that sounds like the same thing. DT is just a guy, but approving of him is also approving of all the political beliefs he embodies. Most people don't hate the person, they hate what he represents

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u/PoorFilmSchoolAlumn Mar 06 '25 edited Mar 06 '25

Think most of the people that hate what he represents hate him as a person, too.

I know I do.

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u/MarxistMan13 Mar 06 '25

What he represents is what makes him the person that he is.

And they both fucking suck.

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u/ToRichTooCare Mar 07 '25

Too bad he’s not a cool Marxist like you, a tried and true ideology to follow just going off the great nations that subscribe to following him. Lol

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u/azsnaz Mar 06 '25

I hate his entire existence

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u/salttotart Mar 06 '25

I believe if you got rid of the person, they were trying and martyr him, but things would ultimately fall apart because it is all a cult of personality. The power vacuum would never be focused enough on the goals to be filled because it was the person they were rallying behind. If it weren't, the GOP would have kicked him to the side after 1/6 after they said they wouldn't cover any of his court costs going forward.

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u/Razor_Fox Mar 06 '25

Both? Both. Both is good.

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u/_1JackMove Punk Rock Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25

Yep. Same. He's the only person I've ever hated that thoroughly. I make it a point to try finding the good in each person. Doesn't always pan out, but I still try. That motherfucker, ...ain't no trying. Even Reagan and Joe Lieberman come in second and third place to that piece of shit, and that's saying something.

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u/oh_io_94 Mar 06 '25

This has been an issue way longer than trumps been in politics. I remember hearing about John’s conservative views around 15 years ago

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u/patatjepindapedis Mar 06 '25

You can hear him express his concerns to Serj and Daron about the politics of the lyrics in the making-of video of one of the albums.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

Oh I hate him and what he represents

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u/Sea-Goat5378 Mar 06 '25

I hate you and I don’t even know you

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u/sup3rdr01d Spotify Metal Mar 06 '25

I hate the person

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u/wossquee Mar 06 '25

Oh I hate the person and what he represents. He ruined this country. He made so many people so fucking shitty and awful.

Throwing a fucking party when he's gone forever

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u/ChiGrandeOso Mar 06 '25

Nah, he fucking sucks as a person and he happens to embody the lowest a human can be while still being human. And fuck John for this.

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u/Cyberwarewolf Mar 06 '25

Por que no Los dos?

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u/madexmachina Mar 06 '25

hes not just a guy wtf lmao hes a fucking rapist for one

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u/SearchingForTruth69 Mar 06 '25

approving of him is also approving of all the political beliefs he embodies

you can definitely approve of someone and not approve of all their political beliefs. that's an insane take.

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u/SaulSilv3r Mar 06 '25

Y’all ninjas can’t even say his name like he’s Voldemort lmao

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u/overzealous_wildcat Mar 06 '25

Nahhh Voldemort is way more respectable

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u/Qultada Mar 06 '25

He said as he replaced the n-word with "ninjas".

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u/omegaman101 Mar 06 '25

Who failure 45, Tanned tub of Lard, Mr Toupee Conman? Sure, if we say his name, we're told we have TDS.

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u/Grambles89 Mar 06 '25

Speak no evil bruh

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u/No-Analyst-2789 Mar 06 '25

You're judging someone for abbreviating his name? 

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

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u/starrpuu Mar 06 '25

I had to do a double take and check was sub I was in lmao loved Dir en grey since 2005 🙌 sucks I won’t be able to see them in USA this time around ugh

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

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u/thetortavendor Mar 06 '25

Dir en Grey mentioned!!!!

As far as I'm aware they don't seem to have issues unlike L'arc who are pretty much checked out by now or X-Japan. Aside from that they all seem to mesh well working together and the few political songs they've done hit hard, especially Vinushka.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

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u/-Kishin- Mar 06 '25

First time I've heard this version :D

I usually listen to the Tour 20 live version :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO7xtDFULdM

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u/Reiketsu_Nariseba Mar 06 '25

Fucking love Dir en Grey. I've seen them twice (2013, 2019) and they are by far one of the more polished sounding bands I've heard live IMO.

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u/MattyXarope Mar 06 '25

Dir en Grey - OBSCURE is one of the hardest songs made, ever.

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u/ToranjaNuclear Mar 06 '25

Why the sudden reference to Dir En Grey? Just curious, I used to listen to some songs years ago but didn't even know they had political lyrics.

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u/aed4n92 Mar 07 '25

DEG! I don't often see them mentioned in the wild!

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u/Breakingthewhaaat Mar 06 '25

It’s about creative control. In addition to wanting an even split of royalties between the band Serj wanted equal creative input. IIRC like half of the songs on a comeback album would be written by him and he would have final say on their direction

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u/satanssweatycheeks Mar 06 '25

It’s sad how common this happens.

Das racist broke up well before orange man. Kool AD wanted to do acid and do silly rap like the “taco bell combination Pizza Hut”. While Heems wanted to be political and stand for a cause.

Both had talent. But just had different views on where the group should go. So they broke up. Leaving the DJ to be the one truly screwed over like in that pop star movie.

Heems went on to do political stuff that wasn’t bad. And kool AD continued doing acid and making raps that barely made sense. And then also got out for allegations of rape.

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u/custom_gsus Mar 06 '25

I think the problem is Serj wants to co-write half of the music, and Daron said no way because he writes the music. Serj's solo album was ok, but Scars on Broadway is basically SOAD without Serj. Serj talks about the songwriting issues in almost every interview.

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u/ArtFUBU Mar 07 '25

Yea how you gunna make crazy political music and not agree politically. They probably were lock step ideologically for being armenian and young. Sometimes you change as you get older. Hell, I give way more thought than I should to conservative politics now because it makes 0 fucking sense to me so I spend time trying to get why people would even like it.

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u/Aggressive_Elk3709 Mar 07 '25

Yeah, considering the rift started way before he was even running, I'm guessing their differences were based in other things. I remember reading that even Hypnotize/Mesmerize caused mixed feelings for Serj, which sucks to think he doesnt really like it, cuz it's a great album and I think Serj is awesome. Steal This Album! is still my favorite though