2020 just got stranger, but this time for the better. After being told over and over by every member of System of a Down that they would not be releasing new music, we now have not one, but two new songs.
It appears that this hadn’t been planned but was instead released out of necessity. The band, who are all of Armenian descent, went to the studio to record two new songs to draw attention to a war raging in Armenia. The country of Azerbaijan started the conflict in September and the band will donate all proceeds from these songs to aid Armenians and are urging fans to help as well through the Armenia Fund.
System of a Down released the following statement via Facebook:
We as System Of A Down have just released new music for the first time in 15 years. The time to do this is now, as together, the four of us have something extremely important to say as a unified voice. These two songs, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz,” both speak of a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia.
The current corrupt regimes of Aliyev in Azerbaijan and Erdogan in Turkey not only want to claim Artsakh and Armenia as their own, but are committing genocidal acts with impunity on humanity and wildlife to achieve their mission. They are banking on the world being too distracted with COVID, elections and civil unrest to call out their atrocities. They have the bankroll, the resources and have recruited massive public relations firms to spin the truth and conceal their barbaric objective of genocide. Between these two dictatorships, there’s a lot of disinformation and silencing of voices within their own countries. Freedom of speech is not something that is enjoyed by everyone, but it is enjoyed here, so part of that responsibility is getting the truth out there whenever possible. We’re here to protect our land, to protect our culture, and to protect our nation. This is not the time to turn a blind eye.
As SOAD, this has been an incredible occasion to put everything aside and speak out for our nation, as one, as four Armenian guys. “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” are now available for purchase on our official Bandcamp page: SystemOfADown.bandcamp.com – where band proceeds go toward the ArmeniaFund. The funds from Bandcamp + pre-orders of our new merch collection will be used to provide crucial, desperately needed aid and basic supplies for those affected by these hideous acts. Please consider the opportunity to download these songs as an act of charity irrespective of how you choose to listen to them today, tomorrow and for years to come.
The music and lyrics speak for themselves. We need you to speak for Artsakh. soad.lnk.to/PTLGH to download, pre-order, and donate now.
#RecognizeArtsakh #ArmeniaFund #ArtsakhStrong #ProtectTheLand #GenocidalHumanoidz
It had been 15 years since System of a Down put on new music. Their grammy award winning album Hypnotize was released in 2005.
