Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Tankian, Serj
Label: Reprise Records
Release: 2010
Length: 44:09
Rating: 5/5
If the system doesn’t go down, Serj goes up. The guy we know best as the frontman of System of a Down has put out yet another masterpiece, one you can only tip your hat to.
The singer, artist and activist of Armenian descent fights for rights on every front, and that comes through in his work too. Unlike its predecessor Elect the Dead, Imperfect Harmonies goes down the symphonic road. Serj found the inspiration for the symphony on a tour with no electric instruments at all, just a philharmonic orchestra in the background. That’s how the album mentioned above started to take shape, and it hit a real peak. The very first song, Disowned Inc, hits your ears at full force, and right there you can already hear the orchestra that stays with us through the whole album. The songs are very different from each other, yet also very similar. They’re also pretty tough going for anyone who swears by the raw, in-your-face blast of SOAD. Like I said before, Serj is an artist, and what deserves real admiration is that he wrote all the music and lyrics himself, with only the band The F.C.C. (Flying Cunts of Chaos) backing him on tour. The original title of the album was supposedly Music Without Borders, but in the end he settled on Imperfect Harmonies, and considering the first word says: Imperfect, the album is full of “perfect” harmony. The things happening around the world, from the social crisis to conflicts between states, are laid out for us nicely in the music, and you can listen to it non-stop, which you can’t say for the rest of the media. As I said before, and I’ll say it again: Serj! Hats off.
For everyone who’s listened to Metallica with an orchestra behind them, I recommend this creation. It’s not speed/thrash metal, but it’s something new. Kiss have played with an orchestra too, but it sounded more or less the same. Serj, though, takes us into his so-called jazz orchestral waters, which aren’t exactly an everyday thing. In short: listen, enjoy and spread the word, because that’s what Serj himself would want. Let the voice of the Armenian nightingale be heard across all borders!
Lineup
Serj Tankian – vocals
Mario Pagliarulo – bass guitar
Brain – drums
Troy Zeigler – drums, backing vocals
Dan Monti – guitar
Jeff Mallow – guitar, backing vocals
Erwin Khachikian – keyboards, backing vocals
Andre Ettema – samples
David Alpay – violin
Ani Maldjian – backing vocals (operetta)
Shana Halligan – backing vocals
Production
Serj Tankian
Tracklist
1. Disowned Inc.
2. Borders Are
3. Deserving?
4. Beatus
5. Reconstructive Demonstrations
6. Electron
7. Gate 21
8. Yes, It’s Genocide
9. Peace Be Revenged
10. Left of Center
11. Wings of Summer (feat. Shana Halligan (Bitter:Sweet))
