Top Ten Songs by or Featuring Serj Tankian
The System of a Down Frontman's Best Tracks
Tankian's first album took a bit of the guitar-driven sound System of a Down was known for out of the picture and replaced it with piano and some other different types of sounds and the result was something unique that maintained System's political lyrics and social commentary as well as Tankians bizarre lyrical rants.
Tankian has worked with some other artists and has a popular first album to his credit with another one in development.
Top Ten Songs by or Featuring Serj Tankian
These are the best songs by the eclectic singer from System of a Down, either featuring him or off of his first album.
10. Shame on a N****-
A cover of the Wu Tang clan rap classic, Tankian pulls off Ol' Dirty Bastard's vulgar, insane parts as only he could. Not many people could effectively perform ODB's verses but Tankian has the ability to channel that crazy energy like few can and this cover is exceptional with guitar backing music and an excellent new verse by the RZA.
9. The Unthinking Majority-
The video for this song is incredible, featuring an army man war that fits in well with the song's theme of Americans not thinking for themselves and voting for whoever the media tells them to, subsequently leading to wars. The piano mixes in seamlessly with the guitar in this song and Tankian is a bit crazier and more unpredictable as well making it one of his best songs.
7. Coma-
This song from Buckethead & Friends' "Enter the Chicken" CD features Tankian with Iranian female singer Azam Ali. Ali sounds almost Enya-like on the track but it is a bit of a chant-like song with its pacing and Tankian chimes in with a similar chanting style that meshes extremely well. This song is soothing and beautiful.
6. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition-
A social commentary song on religion's role in starting and justifying wars (on both sides of the war in the Middle East), this song features some dark, jarring middle-eastern style guitar work that seems to transport the listener directly into the heart of the conflicts in the region between two religions who don't know a whole lot about each other, don't realize how similar they really are, and don't realize how they're being subtly guided into a conflict that is not necessary in any way.
5. Lie Lie Lie-
A dark, foreboding song about the whole "'Til Death Do You Part" theme of marriage (or maybe just a serious relationship), this piano-driven song features some insane Tankian lyrics and the atmosphere is incredible. The chorus is also extremely catchy.
4. Waiting Hare-
Featuring singer Shana Halligan, this is an excellent relationship-themed song on the "Enter the Chicken" album from Buckethead. Its timely guitar riffs and excellent back-and-forth between the two singers Halligan and Tankian makes it a great love song.
3. We Are One-
Buckethead and Tankian make for a great combination as the guitar virtuoso Buckethead has more versatility and style than System of a Down's guitarist Daron Malakian.
On this song, Buckethead's masterful playing goes jab-for-jab with Tankian who is at his most insane and unpredictable singing about the unity of people everywhere, or at least how he wishes people would be more unified.
2. Sky is Over-
With its simple-yet-ridiculously effective and somber piano background, Tankian shows off his vocal range in this love song about a couple that seems to be running out of time. Tankian also equates this relationship to civilization in general and how conflict and other potential problems could spell doom for civilization on Earth as well.
1. Empty Walls-
This track sounds as much like System of a Down as just about any song on Elect the Dead and it also showcases one of Tankian's best vocal performances.
The chorus "Don't you see their bodies burning..." offers a gruesome visual of combat overseas and the dark, chant-style way Tankian sings it adds to its haunting quality.
The video that accompanies this song is also interesting with kids re-enacting 9/11 events in a daycare center and showing how foolish the whole ordeal was in leading to war in the Middle East.
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