In an unexpected collaboration, Cesar Gueikian, President & CEO of Gibson Brands, has joined forces with System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for a new single titled “Deconstruction” under the Gibson Band banner. “Deconstruction” marks the debut release from the Gibson Band, a collective of Gibson artists, with cover art designed by Tankian himself, titled “Our Mountains.” Proceeds from “Deconstruction,” the auction of the artwork “Our Mountains,” and a specially customized Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar featuring the “Our Mountains” design will be donated to the Armenia Fund’s Artsakh Refugee Initiative. Gueikian, Tankian, and Iommi are committed to supporting Armenia through their musical collaboration. Reflecting on the collaboration, Gueikian stated, “We asked ourselves how to use this song to bring awareness to Armenia and raise funds for Armenia.” Serj Tankian, known for his activism for Armenia, expressed his appreciation for the project, highlighting the song’s Sabbathy and classic-rock vibe. Tankian also noted a tribute to the late Layne Staley of Alice In Chains in his vocals, adding a unique depth to the track.

Tankian stated: 

“I thought it was really cool. It sounded like a very Sabbathy kind of song, like an old-school, classic-rock vibe. When he said, ‘I want you to sing on this,’ it was like, ‘Okay, I’m in.’ The funny thing was as I was singing it, I got the Layne Staley vibe, like Alice In Chains — that really deep, dark thing with harmonies like Jerry Cantrell’s. There’s a certain aspect of what I did that reminded me of [Layne], almost like paying him homage, because it’s slow but hard. And then the second part was more trippy, almost poetry. But Cesar liked it.'”

Listen to the track below: