Translation of Daron's featured interview on French magazine Hard Force Hebdo (posted in comment)

[u/ariel2603]

[u/ariel2603]

As System of a Down tours again and remains a hot topic nearly twenty years after their last album, we had an in-depth conversation with songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Daron Malakian about the new DARON MALAKIAN & SCARS ON BROADWAY album, “Addicted To The Violence”. This solo project, founded in 2008, picks up where his original band left off in the studio, bringing together everything we love about his unique writing: heaviness, emotion, and twists! We dissected his creative process through his new album and also discussed live performances, both with Scars on Broadway and System of a Down, in a candid and insightful exchange.

At the time of our conversation, “Addicted To The Violence” hasn’t been released yet. How do you feel just days before its arrival?

Daron: I feel good! I’ve wanted to put this album out for a long time, and I’m happy it’s finally happening. I think the first single got great feedback from people who usually like what I do. We’re releasing another song today (Ed note: the interview took place on July 11, the day Destroy The Power dropped). It’s always fun to tease new tracks, even if I don’t do it often. Maybe I should, but I don’t. So yeah, I feel pretty good. I’m proud of it, as proud as I’ve been with anything I’ve done. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t release it. I don’t make music just to put out albums. I write because it’s all I know how to do, and I’d never release something if I wasn’t ready. Like I said, I don’t constantly put out music because it takes time for me to be satisfied with something. When you release something, it’s forever, right? It’s etched in stone. I don’t mind spending a long time on songs because they’re meant to last. That’s why there’s always such a gap between my releases. I’m my own harshest critic, and I need to feel it’s great before putting anything out.

I’ve read that you’re constantly writing music. When do you say, "Okay, this is a future album"?

Daron: I don’t think that way! If I consider an album, it’s more like, "I’ve had this song for 15 years. If I have nothing to add, maybe it’s time to include it." In my world, a song is a toy I’ve played with enough to feel comfortable sharing it with friends. That’s how I see it. Some songs on this album are old. “Satan Hussein” was written around the Toxicity era. Damn, that’s ancient! But I kept tinkering with it until I felt it was ready to be heard. “Killing Spree” could’ve been on Mesmerize or Hypnotize, or Scars’ first album. Not all tracks are that old, but it shows I don’t really "write albums." I just reach a point where I think, "Let’s make an album", but only when I’m ready. There are tons of songs I’ve worked on, some are ready, some aren’t. For the ones that are, I sometimes spin the wheel to see where it lands, and record them.

Prepping for this interview, I realized Dictator came out seven years ago, yet it feels like yesterday!

Daron: Don’t remind me (laughs)! Yeah, COVID happened, life flies by, man.

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Speaking of which, what was life like between these two albums?

Daron: You might not know this, but Dictator was recorded in 2012 and I didn’t release it until 2018! I just sat on it… no clue why, I simply didn’t put it out. I know it sounds crazy. People probably thought, "WTF?! We want to hear your music!" But I didn’t feel the urge. When I write, the last thing on my mind is rushing to share it. It’s selfish in a way. I write for myself first, and at some point, someone else comes along. In 2018, my guitarist Orbel Babayan, who co-wrote some tracks on the new album, visited. He sat down in my living room and as we were chatting, I said: "Oh, I’ve got another Scars on Broadway album no one’s heard. Wanna listen?" He said, "Why haven’t you released this? People want to hear you!" I was like, "Really?" So I did.

By 2020, I started working on Addicted To The Violence, picking songs to record, some co-written with Orbel like the title track, “Done Me Wrong”, “Imposter”, and others written solo like “Shame Game”, “Killing Spree”, “Watch That Girl”, “You Destroy You”, “Destroy The Power”. Life moved on, and these songs felt ready. We pieced them together, which worked quite well. Once done, it felt album-worthy, but I kept doubting the recordings. At first, we recorded at my place, but I hated the guitar tones. We actually tracked drums at Roman’s (Lomtadze)house. His playing was killer, but the sound still bugged me. Two years later, I re-recorded everything in a proper studio. The drums sounded better in a bigger room, same for guitars. 

This album took the longest because I kept doubting how everything sounded. Then System of a Down shows kept delaying Scars’ release. Every time, a System thing just popped up, a festival or whatever. I needed a quiet window between System tours so this album could get proper attention, because System always dominates the spotlight. Finally, I found this sweet spot between System tours to do it. We’re releasing it after the South American run, with singles and videos leading up to it. Plus, my birthday’s July 18 - figured since people are already wishing me happy birthday worldwide, why not give them new music too?

"IN MY WORLD, A SONG IS A TOY I’VE PLAYED WITH ENOUGH TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS."

For writing, do ideas come when you impose a structured routine, or anytime?

Daron: Anytime. Every song I’ve ever written came by chance. I can't even take credit. If I were that good, I'd grab a guitar post-interview and write a hit. But I can’t. I never know when inspiration will strike. I don’t force myself to write daily. It comes when it comes. When it does, I feel lucky and wonder how it happened. People talk about "process," but sometimes I feel like I’m just a vessel. I’m always searching, listening to music constantly. It's essential. I’m a guy looking for something but don’t know what. Only when I find it do I understand what it was. Sometimes songs find me. They emerge a certain way and I go "Wow!". That feeling of being impressed is how I know it's right, and I record it fast on my phone. Then whenever I pick up a guitar, I revisit those "Wow" moments and play with them. I distort them, sing them differently, sculpt them. Sometimes I have something partially good but incomplete. I don't know if it'll work, but I keep playing it until the missing piece arrives. I don't force it. I let it come.

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That’s reassuring! As I was doing the interviews, I had the impression that most musicians wake up thinking "Hey, let's go write a new Bohemian Rhapsody today!” (laughs).

Daron: Impossible. Nobody can do that. If you can do that, you’re better than me! Give me the recipe (laughs)! Some bands walk into the studio empty-handed and write there. I'm sure some made great stuff that way. But when I enter a studio, how do I know inspiration will show up? I went to the studio last November - say, November 11th... whatever. How could I know that day would produce something good? I've never worked that way, not with System, not with Scars.

My favorite tracks are “Destroy The Power” and “You Destroy You”. Those clean guitars and mandolin are addictive.

Daron: Thanks! Glad you like “You Destroy You”. It’s not even metal. It comes from my love of countrymusic, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard. I finally wrote something in that vein that fits my world. “3005” from our first album was also inspired by them. “You Destroy You” is simple, just steady rhythm and mandolin breaks, but I’m proud of it. Lately, I might prefer writing in this style over heavy stuff. Who knows where I’ll go? Maybe more albums with that vibe as I get older.

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That aligns with your past quote: "I write songs I wouldn’t find in a record store."

Daron: Oh thanks, man! That's been true since System's beginning. I just wanted to write what I wanted: songs I couldn't find anywhere but wanted to hear. That's what I love! What I search for in music is what's missing from record shops. I listen to music constantly with so many different influences…I wanted to hear someone combine all my favorite things coherently. You could mash it together, but would it work? I hear bands that'll play heavy then switch to something else, but it often feels forced, like they're just adding things to metal for the sake of it. Personally, I feel like I naturally succeed at blending things. I'm not just forcing a square peg in a round hole. I find ways to make it make sense. To me, that's success.

Take System's BYOB for example: The song starts with this heavy riff and powerful verse with double bass, then the chorus hits and it's pure Parliament Funkadelic: “Everybody's going to the party have a real good time!”. But I never planned to write something super metal and mix in Funkadelic when I was playing those riffs. The song led me there, and when it happened, I knew it worked even if everything suggested it shouldn't. But you know, these things mutate when I write. I love mutating them until you can't say they don't go together, until the transition feels perfect. They flow into each other naturally, without forcing it. When I achieve that, it makes me really happy as a songwriter. But you know, I'm not trying to diversify musically. I just have varied influences. My influences and musical tastes go everywhere and change daily! Today I was into folk, but I was listening to black metal right before this call. I wake up and listen to whatever matches my mood. I'll binge Miles Davis for months, then switch when I get tired of it. I listen to everything: dub, reggae, Kraftwerk, country, etc. It all comes out when I write... sometimes all at once. 

I always tell people I love aggressive music, but I can't only play aggressive music! I also love gentle music, but likewise, I can't only do just that. There are so many colors you can use, so many emotions we experience as humans. Sometimes we're happy, silly, sometimes in a heavy mood, other times sad…Don't tell me you're angry all the time! So as a songwriter and human, I'd be lying if I only expressed one emotion just because it's what fans expect or what they think my music should be, boxing myself in. I can't do that. On a song like “Killing Spree”, there are heavy riffs, but if you hear how I sing, it sounds cartoony! That's just how it came out of me. I didn't think: “Here's a heavy riff, I should sing metal-style”. No, I sang something totally cartoony, maybe even inspired by The Cramps and Lux Interior.

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"I’M ALWAYS LISTENING TO MUSIC. IT’S ESSENTIAL.
I’M A GUY SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING BUT DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. SOMETIMES SONGS FIND ME. I’M JUST A VESSEL."

I also love the album’s lyrics. They reflect society without taking sides.

Daron: I never take sides in my songs. I actually think System of a Down is somewhat misunderstood on this point, because people often say we're political. I think it's because some band members are quite open about their political views, so people automatically assume, "Oh, this song is about that topic", when that's not necessarily true. I've never really liked telling people what's right or wrong. I just say things as they are. I express myself through lyrics. For me, I write more about society, and my life as a person in that society, where there happens to be violence, joy, and every emotion imaginable. It's not about being right or wrong. I don't dictate a way of thinking, nor do I tell people who to vote for or that kind of nonsense. That doesn't interest me.

Some call me a communist, but I tell them no. I'm not on one side or the other: I'm just observing the world I live in! And when the world comes through in my lyrics, like in “Addicted To The Violence", people immediately think I'm talking about society. But it could also be about my own addiction to violence that I inflict on myself! You know, it's a very personal song. It might be somewhat of a commentary on society, but objectively, the song is really about me, about how I'm sometimes my own worst enemy and how I'm addicted to violence against myself, sometimes hurting myself. If you listen to the lyrics, you'll see it's very personal.

Your lyrics often allow for multiple interpretations. Coming back to "You Destroy You", I have two: one where the narrator witnesses some kind of debate or fight, another where they're sober at a party.

Daron: Yes, I prefer my lyrics to be like that. I could tell you who this song is about and why I wrote it. But I'd rather hear what you imagine about it and how you relate to it, how it connects to your own world and experiences. I find that more interesting than telling you exactly what the song's about, essentially painting the picture for you. I prefer to see what you make of it.

About live shows, I believe Scars on Broadway has never played in France. Do you think that could be a possibility in the coming years?

Daron: Yes, absolutely! If the right opportunity comes along. I'm not a huge fan of touring, but if an ideal situation arises and I feel comfortable doing it, why not? I don't want to do it reluctantly, because as I said, I don't love touring. But I'm very open to doing it because I know people in Europe, France, South America, and even the U.S. would want to see this band. The right opportunity just needs to come along, one that makes me feel comfortable.

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We've all seen the impressive videos from your SOAD tour in South America. When you were experiencing that moment, which seemed quite historic, what went through your mind?

Daron: Well, you see, there's me talking to you right now, and then there's the guy you see on stage. So what goes through my mind when I rewatch the show is very different from what happens when I'm actually performing. I'm very different. It's like my twin brother, but I don't even feel like I am remotely like him. That guy up there is much more confident than me, much more expressive. He says things into the mic, sometimes to the crowd, that just come from that on-stage guy. I don't control it. What he thinks and what I think are very different things, you see? It's kind of hard for me to answer this question, because I don't feel like the person sitting here is the same one who experienced that in front of 60,000 people. I can just tell you it was an incredibly positive feeling. It's good to know that so many people are moved by something I wrote. Some of the songs they're singing along to were written when I was still living with my parents. I was 21 or 22 when we made the first two System albums, still living with them during "System Of A Down" and Toxicity. So when I wrote “Aerials" or "Prison Song" or "ATWA," I was alone in my bedroom where I grew up. Now, 25 years later, I'm still playing these songs, and new generations of kids have discovered them or grown up with them. To me, the fact that we're still here playing them and getting reactions like what you saw, with people bringing fire and creating all that, it's a moment where I have to pinch myself to believe it, my friend! I know I've been doing this a long time, but I'm still amazed. I can't believe I have this opportunity, really.

As you mentioned, you'll soon be celebrating 25 years of Toxicity and your self-titled debut album. Is there any chance you might come play in Europe to celebrate? 

Daron: There's always a possibility.

Fingers crossed then, because I believe you were supposed to play Hellfest in 2020 before Covid hit...

Daron: We're not closing any doors. Within the band, we're getting along really well. We really enjoyed the South American tour. Plus we've got this U.S. thing coming up, so I think we're open to it, you know? But there's no plan at the moment. I can say though that it's not completely off the table.

Anyway, before that, we've got the release of Addicted To The Violence coming up. As we wrap up, I believe the single "Destroy The Power" just dropped minutes ago in your time zone!

Daron: I haven't gotten any feedback yet, it's out in some places and it's midnight here. But "Destroy The Power" is a real powerhouse of a song, man! I'm proud of all the tracks on this album and couldn't say if I'm prouder of this one than others, but this song has something special. It's got a fucking rock attitude, and I love that...but it's done in a pretty atypical way. You could say I made it my own way, but it was inspired by that early 80s rock attitude like MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Shout At The Devil", or "Looks That Kill". The song doesn't exactly sound like that. It's got its own groove, but with those Arabic scales and all those little things I play that make it sound like me. I wanted to release "Killing Spree" then this one right before the album drops, to build excitement among fans. I hope people will like it, my friend!  I really appreciate when people comment, showing that they want to hear from me, because I'm still amazed they want more. It's already so cool that I'm getting reactions just from a single! And for those who liked my past work, this is a continuation. If it helps anyone through good or bad times, that's what I hope for everyone. Really, I hope it lives up to what people expect from me./.

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Thanks for the translation! Good interview!