System Of A Down‘s Daron Malakian has announced the third Scars on Broadway album, titled ‘Addicted to the Violence’, and has released the first single ‘Killing Spree’.
Due to be released on July 18, the new album will follow 2018’s ‘Dictator’ – with Malakian saying it is “some of the best stuff I have to offer”.
To accompany the announcement of ‘Addicted to the Violence’, Scars on Broadway has dropped new single ‘Killing Spree’, which explores the “taboo” nature of mental disorders.
“It’s a taboo topic people might be afraid to talk about,” Malakian said in a press statement. “Kids have rebelled forever. Mental disorders have always been there too. In the last 15 years, we’ve seen a generation that will walk into school and kill other students. I’m not glamorizing or advocating it. I’m just saying, ‘The kids are on a fucking killing spree.’ It’s what I see in front of me.
“I’m not just talking about killings either. You’ll see a lady who’s getting beaten up on the subway and people around her aren’t even helping; they’re fucking recording on their iPhones. We had automatic weapons fifty years ago, and nobody was doing this. I blame the mindset. We now have a generation that is so detached and desensitized. They’re totally unemotional and unempathetic. There’s no respect for life.”
He also shared a video for ‘Killing Spree’, watch it below.
‘Addicted to the Violence’ is primarily written, produced and composed by Malakian but also has contributions from longtime bandmates Orbel Babayan (guitar) and Roman Lomtadze (drums).
Back in February, Malakian opened up about the possibility of a new album from System Of A Down, saying, “I’m not sure how much I want that anymore”.
The legendary metal band’s last albums were their two 2005 full-lengths ‘Mezmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’. Though there has been no final word on if the band have a new album in the works, frontman Serj Tankian previously shared that a new System record would be a “fresh start in a brand new way”.
In a new interview with Rick Rubin, which was conducted at the saart of the year, Malakian said he’s actually not really a fan of the prospect of another album.
Speaking to Rubin, who produced the two albums alongside Malakian 20 years ago, Malakian said: “It would have been nice to see where the band would have evolved if we kept putting music out. If we put out an album now, it’s just so far away from [‘Mezmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’] it doesn’t continue the story to me.”
He continued, adding that starting a “new story” with the band “might have been something I wanted” in the past, but now, “I’m not sure how much I want that anymore – I’m sure people won’t be too happy to hear that from me. I’m not at the same place I was maybe 10 years ago.”
Elsewhere, System Of A Down recently completed their South America tour dates in April and May, and are preparing to take on North America in August and September. The dates – all of which sold out – mark the first time since 2017 that the band are performing back-to-back shows for an extended period of time, having only played one or two shows a year in recent times.
