Year: 2021
Total Time: 18:47
Label: United Trust of Sonic Preservation, Alchemy, BMG

The always busy SERJ TANKIAN returns to the sound that made the whole world love him. 16 years after “Hypnotize” and 8 years after his last personal work, “Orca”, the beloved Armenian American musician returns to the musical forefront with his new EP “Elasticity”. Of course, there have been several collaborations, soundtracks and singles where Tankian has ventured comfortably from Prog rock to electronic music and from there to Folk. So, listening to him surrounded by electric guitars again can be nothing more but welcome.

The five tracks in this release are compositions that Tankian wrote for SYSTEM OF A DOWN, but the other band members didn’t think they were good enough, so they rejected them. What a bad decision, I must say!

“Elasticity” finds Tankian in top notch form. What we’ve loved about him is here. His characteristic eccentric vocals, sometimes paranoid and sometimes emotional, his caustic lyrics, his uncompromising character. And guitars, of course. The sound of this EP is very close to the later SOAD works but also to Tankian’s solo work, such as his debut album “Elect the Dead”.

“Elasticity” that kicks off the EP sounds fresh, with the use of electronic elements and Tankian’s vocals welcoming us with a little loan from the 60s hit “Surfin Bird”. The song has a Punk Rock vibe with the tempos constantly shifting and Tankian singing from fully paranoid to full on melody. “Your Mom” that follows is very much reminiscent of the Armenian American superstars and makes you wonder exactly what they didn’t like about it. Beginning with a very beautiful acoustic guitar, it very quickly mutates into a groovy Alternative Metal revolutionary hymn with brilliant lyrics and traditional touches. In “How Many Times” things calm down somewhat, as the song adopts a more dramatic Rock form with piano and strings to create intense emotions, especially when the atmosphere is electrified with a climax that brings to mind that of “Aerials”. Piano starts off the next piece “Rumi” too, in which Tankian addresses his son, expressing his love for him but at the same time advising him on life. While the first minute misleads you into thinking you’re in for a beautiful ballad, the quiet moments alternate impeccably with more intense guitars and fast tempo on the drums creating a proper banger – something similar to the now classic “Empty Walls”. Finally, “Electric Yerevan” that draws the curtain, is probably the closest Tankian wrote to SOAD. With a riff like “BYOB” and heavy use of electronic elements, the EP’s last track is an uplifting protest song with heavy guitars, inspired by the Armenians’ protests in 2015 against proposed increases in energy prices.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this release. Thank goodness, Tankian proved me wrong with these five amazing compositions that pay tribute to his past with his former band as well as his career as a solo. Musically rich with clever lyrics, “Elasticity” is another unique piece of work from the genius SERJ TANKIAN.

Rating: 7.5
Editor: Dimitris Benetatos
Related Link: SERJ TANKIAN – Official Page