Serj Tankian – Elect the Dead

Review

There’s a cinematic sweep to "Elect the Dead," as Serj Tankian tears open the curtain between melancholy and rage. With his unmistakable voice, he prowls through themes of uprising and resistance, blending ferocious guitars and imperial strings until each verse becomes part battle hymn, part lament. Songs like "Empty Walls" and "The Unthinking Majority" explode with urgency, laced with sly wit and piercing observations that challenge the world’s conscience. The album hums with the restless energy of someone who has witnessed injustice and will not sit silently.

Yet within the storm, Tankian plants moments of ornate beauty, weaving in orchestral flourishes and haunting melodies that soften the clangor with moments of fragile hope. Each track feels electrified by a spirit of adventure—familiar enough to recognize echoes of his past with System of a Down, but rebellious in its ambition to unshackle genre. "Elect the Dead" ultimately spirals into something unruly and bravely unpredictable, leaving listeners both invigorated and contemplative, as though the world itself is transforming note by note. - Camille