{"id":11241,"date":"2018-07-21T10:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altwire.net\/?p=11241"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:40:07","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T11:40:07","slug":"album-review-scars-on-broadway-dictator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/album-review-scars-on-broadway-dictator\/","title":{"rendered":"[Album Review] Scars on Broadway – Dictator"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s take a moment to be completely honest here: we\u2019re probably never getting that sixth System eines Down<\/strong> Album.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just not happening. If the recent open dispute between lead guitarist\/vocalist Daron Malakian<\/strong> and vocalist\/keyboardist Serj Tankian <\/strong>has confirmed anything<\/em>, it\u2019s that there has been an abundance of issues under the surface throughout the quartet\u2019s lengthy hiatus and following reunion, and not just simply due to a little creative disparity between members. Ranging from financial disputes to heavily imbalanced creative control, the group\u2019s members have (on several occasions) displayed a growing tension and frustration with one another, with the latest dispute acting as a clear final nail in the coffin for many disheartened fans of the eclectic alt-metal group.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, it\u2019s a fair assessment to assume it was no coincidence that Serj Tankian<\/strong>\u2019s most \u201cSystem eines Down<\/strong>-esque\u201d 2012 solo album Harakiri<\/em> (Und<\/em> the cancelled 2012 release of Scars on Broadway<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s sophomore album) occurred so soon after the long-anticipated 2011 System eines Down<\/strong> reunion: both projects were effectively two halves of the same coin, material written in the anticipation of possibly being needed for the band\u2019s first release in over six years. Unfortunately, what transpired clearly didn\u2019t go according to expectations. Be it due to the prior issues that led to the band\u2019s initial hiatus, or differences in creative opinion following the reunion, only touring occurred, and the sixth album never materialised. As for what had already been written, the only difference between the two vocalists was that Tankian<\/strong> simply decided to just release Das Material<\/a> he had created \u2013 Malakian <\/strong>did not and Scars on Broadway<\/strong> entered a six year period of complete radio silence, the planned sophomore release (Und<\/em> accompanying EP) all but forgotten about in the years to come. That is, until now.<\/p>\n

Having openly admitted that the album had been completed for years, yet held back in the possibility of material being added to a new System eines Down<\/strong> release, Malakian <\/strong>eventually resurrected\/rebranded the project as Daron Malakian Und<\/em> Scars on Broadway<\/strong> in April 2018, and after six years \u201cin the making\u201d Dictator <\/em>finally came to light. The only question now is rather simple: was it worth the wait?<\/p>\n

Well, in opening the album with the bouncy, crunchy guitar tones of the politically infused \u2018Lives\u2019, the first impression of Dictator<\/em> is that by all accounts it seems to be comfortably following the template set by the project\u2019s debut Scars on Broadway<\/em>. While perhaps a little overlong, it\u2019s a straight-up fun, head-bobbing rock track, with Malakian<\/strong>\u2019s chanting mantra of \u201ceverybody dance, when you dance, when you wanna dance \u2013 when you wanna dance, you will get in a trance<\/em>\u201d acting as a celebratory juxtaposition to the track\u2019s far more serious dedication to the victims (and survivors) of the Armenian Genocide. Unfortunately, this is then completely uprooted by the following \u2018Angry Guru\u2019. Following in the footsteps of the ridiculously obscene lyricism of \u2018Chemicals\u2019, and perhaps taking certain inspiration from the more \u201cquirky\u201d System eines Down<\/strong> offerings of \u2018Chic \u2018N\u2019 Stu\u2019 or \u2018Cigaro\u2019, \u2018Angry Guru\u2019 seizes whatever seriousness \u2018Lives\u2019 had attempted to establish and promptly proceeds to violently beat it within an inch of its life. Indeed, between recycling half of the guitarwork of \u2018N\u00fcguns\u2019 to some of the most grating lyrical choices of Malakian<\/strong>\u2019s entire career (\u201cpoo poo\u201d<\/em> is actually used here, and more than once) \u2018Angry Guru\u2019 effectively proves itself both absurdly satirical, yet woefully awful.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, while certainly a misstep, \u2018Angry Guru\u2019 does nicht<\/em> necessarily act as the crippling Achilles heel of Dictator<\/em>. Although blatantly reusing the bridge guitar riff of \u2018Serious\u2019, at its heart the titular \u2018Dictator\u2019 stands as a fun and infectious ride of political aggression, while \u2018Fuck and Kill\u2019s cocky guitarwork and roar of \u201coh, I think I love you, I think I love you like I never loved before\u201d<\/em> proves ridiculously catchy. Elsewhere, \u2018Never Forget\u2019s peculiar (and admittedly somewhat irritating) 50s sci-fi synthesizer lead has a certain unusual appeal whenever seen throughout the track, while the fast-paced thrash metal guitar tones of \u2018We Won\u2019t Obey\u2019 and \u2018Sickening Wars\u2019 cannot help but feel fondly reminiscent of earlier System eines Down<\/strong> Material.<\/p>\n

Where the album truly hits its stride, however, is in the few moments where Malakian<\/strong> allows a moment or two to breathe: the slow, ominous build-up of \u2018Guns Are Loaded\u2019s twangy guitarwork, alongside a rather sombre vocal delivery of \u201call the guns are loaded close by you\u201d<\/em>, feel both genuine and effective. When the track does<\/em> finally breach the surface nearly two minutes in, with a huge guitar riff and thunderous percussion, it all suddenly carries far more weight behind it and acts as an extremely satisfying second half to the track. Close by, \u2018Talkin\u2019 Shit\u2019 surprises in being much more meditative than the title may have you believe, lyrically seeing Malakian<\/strong> pondering the likes of \u201cmaybe you\u2019re lazy, sitting hazy in the sun \u2013 anticipating, maybe waiting just for fun.<\/em>\u201d While a good portion of the track dedicates itself to exploring a patient, mid-tempo hard rock soundscape, it soon fully lets loose into a catchy, flanged-out guitar lead and accompanying solo, a hint of \u2018Psycho\u2019 in the air and standing as one of Dictator<\/em>\u2019s finest moments.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, in viewing some of the album\u2019s greatest strengths, some of the more evident weaknesses begin to take form: while plenty of Dictator<\/em> can easily be described as enjoyable, the album certainly feels a little rushed at times (something of a shock, considering how long it has technically had to be worked on), and the repeated recycling of riffs and chord progressions of former System eines Down<\/strong>\/Scars on Broadway<\/strong> material is\u2026 disappointing. Especially considering Malakian<\/strong>\u2019s infamous 2005 declaration of \u201cI could release 10 solo records tomorrow.\u201d<\/em> Now sure, this may have been a simple moment of bravado, but when boasting such an abundance of material, Dictator<\/em>\u2019s tendency to feel just a little too familiar at times certainly doesn\u2019t help but question exactly how much of that material is actually new<\/em> Material.<\/p>\n

And yet, regardless of this nit-pick, Dictator <\/em>is still fun. It\u2019s hard not to relish in the delightfully aggressive build-up of \u2018Fuck and Kill\u2019s introductory guitar riff, before feeling the surging impulse to launch yourself into the air the moment the chorus kicks in, and the likes of \u2018We Won\u2019t Obey\u2019 and \u2018Dictator\u2019 are likely to prove themselves extremely welcome live performances. Like the original Scars on Broadway<\/em> Album, Dictator<\/em> is something of a mixed bag at times, but enjoyable enough to warrant more than a few listens. Was it worth the wait of what has essentially been a decade? Maybe, maybe not, but simply (finally<\/em>) having full studio versions of \u2018Guns Are Loaded\u2019 and \u2018Talkin Shit\u2019 renders this question somewhat irrelevant. Ultimately, Dictator <\/em>does a damn good job of being an infectiously aggressive ride for much of its duration, and while it may not be the most fleshed out material of Daron Malakian<\/strong>\u2019s career, it\u2019s certainly a welcome addition to it.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s take a moment to be completely honest here: we\u2019re probably never getting that sixth System of a Down album. … Weiterlesen …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":11242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}