In another episode of System of a Down drama, drummer John Dolmayan spoke with Dean Delray’s “Let There Be Talk” podcast and mentioned that he is “not even sure” he wants to make a new System of a Down album due to all the drama between bandmates. He added that he was one of the members that fought the most to make new music, but ultimately failed.
“I find it very unlikely. I’m not even sure I wanna do it anymore. It’s just so much drama and bullshit. In a lot of ways, I’m just over it. ‘Cause I fought really hard to get us to make an album over the course of the last 15 years. More than anybody else, I was calling people, ‘Let’s get together. Put the egos aside. Let’s have meetings. Whatever it takes. Let’s get in the studio. Let’s just get in the studio and see what happens.’ I just couldn’t get it done. I failed.”
He adds:
“Relationships break up all the time. And that’s with one person. Try having it with four.”
When asked if guitarist Daron Malakian and frontman Serj Tankian were to blame for all the drama, the drummer charged all four members to be at fault.
“It’s not just Daron and Serj. It takes four people to make this band, and it takes four people to unmake it. I think that we’re all to blame. I could just blame Daron and Serj, because, quite frankly, they’re the primary songwriters, so it’s easy to blame them. But it’s not just their fault. A lot of it is their fault, but it’s not just their fault.”
Dolmayan also touched upon touring with band members who don’t get along:
“Everybody pretty much does their own thing, but that’s been the way it’s been since day one, so it’s not like that changed. For me, it’s very odd, where we can put our differences aside to go on tour — we’re having a great time onstage, we have a blast on tour — and then I say, ‘Okay, well, you can put it aside for that, but you can’t put it aside for [this].’
“Listen, I’m as confused as other people are. I’m more frustrated than everybody else. ‘Cause at the end of the day, this is it — this is what my life’s work is. And as much as I enjoyed making the covers album, and I’m glad people are digging it — it’s getting a pretty good response — and it was a lot of fun to make, but I don’t wanna have time to make a covers album. I wanna be so immersed in System of a Down and the creative process of System of a Down that there isn’t even time for me to do that.”
It’s a shame the band can’t see eye to eye on making new material and it’s crazy that 2005’s Mezmerize and Hypnotize almost didn’t happen. However, recently Serj expressed that he would be all for putting out previously unreleased material. Hopefully, one day System of a Down will get together and write new music.
You can check out the entire podcast episode below!
