Track Listing

1. Empty Walls
2. Unthinking Majority
3. Money
4. Feed Us
5. Saving Us
6. Sky Is Over
7. Baby
8. Honking Antelope
9. Lie Lie Lie
10. Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition
11. Beethoven's Cunt
12. Elect The Dead

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13012 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

CD Description
Serj Tankian is best known as the lead singer of System Of A Down, one of the most popular heavy metal bands in the world. 'Elect The Dead', Tankian's solo debut, contains much ofthe trademark aspects of SOAD. Huge and heavy guitar riffs are everywhere, while lyrics laced with clever, thought-provoking political messages are delivered by Tankian's unmistakable voice, going from light, slow and soft to a machine gunspeed scream in a heartbeat. Written on piano, the music has classical elements throughout, showcasing the talent of the songwriter, who played most of the instruments on the album himself. Singles include 'The Unthinking Majority'.

Customer Reviews

Elect the dead
This is the brilliant new album from Serj and it is outstanding. It has his usual cutting, intelligent lyrics, backed up by some amazing music. This is all the more impressive as it is written, engineered, produced and mainly played all by Serj. All the tracks are great and get better with repeated listening, although 'Empty Walls' and 'Honking Antelope' are particular favourites for me. If you like SOAD you'll like this, simple as that. A top effort from Serj and so good to have him back in my music listening life!

By George, he's only gone and done it
For those of you who thought he couldn't cut the mustard on his own.... well, this is simply a great big 2 fingers in your face.

A pretty darn good effort by Serj, maintaining that wonderful ability of SOAD to flip instantly from beautiful melody to a crazy thrash fest. Some superb songwriting on his own, and such a talent in playing many of the instruments himself.

So what if it sounds like the next SOAD. That's a bloody good thing.

A Tale of Brilliance and Mediocrity
The one thing that System of a Down posses is the best rock voice of an age in Serj Tankian. Perhaps in the light of the bands last album being mainly the work of the rock pixie Daron Malkian, Serj decided to clear the decks of his own material. The first thing I'd say is that it is difficult to give this a context away from System as it bears resemblance in many places to their work. In a strange way, I feel it lacks the pieces of oddball madness so often injected into the band by Daron.

As a collection on its own, its a peak, then a trough then a peak. The album starts brightly Empty Walls is a fine choice of single and showcases Serj's vocals perfectly. Lyrically it's familiar ground too with modern propaganda, news and governments bearing the brunt of much of Serj's words. More or less up to and including Saving us, the going is good. The odd twinkle of piano does hint at a different sound but you know the script by now.

Then in the middle, the trilogy of averageness brings things down a quality notch on Sky is Over, Baby and Honking Antelope. The last song nearly saves itself with some good rhythm work at the end, but this is when the album fires back onto form. Lie Lie Lie is a really good melodic pop song, and is followed by the albums most eclectic track Praise The Lord and Pass The Amunition. Full of mad mumbo jumbo and bizarre sounds this leads us nicely onto Beethovens (insert naughty ladies part word here). Once of the heavier and better tracks on the record before the title track leads us out.

Overall, not bad, though the sequencing probably lets this record down. Perhaps 10 tracks would have sufficed to keep the quality consistent. That said, this is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not essential.