SOAD bassist Shavo Odadjian has revealed that “misunderstandings” are to blame for the band’s inability to record a new album.
Speaking on the No Fuckin’ Regrets With Robb Flynn podcast (via Blabbermouth), Odadjian opened up about the reaction to singles ‘Protect The Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’, their first new material in 15 years.
“To me, this is all bittersweet, because I think we can still do it [record an album], but because of misunderstandings [between] band members, we’re not doing it. Look at us — we have a common cause. We get together, we do two songs, two videos,” he said.
He continued: “I’m that member that still everyone is like the best friend of mine, but they’re not best friends with each other so much. They are, but they have differences in opinions and stuff. I have a way of understanding each member and saying, ‘Dude, we can overcome this.’ It’s not that big of a deal — no one fucking banged anyone’s wife; no one did any of those things that can really destroy a relationship. It’s just a difference in opinion of things. And I think people should be [able to] work it out. But because, I think, of what we had, I think it’s, like, some people are stuck in what we had and some people wanna move forward and not do what we had and do something totally different, which is wrong too. I don’t think we should do something totally different; I think we should do something that both agree [on]. And we’re having a hard time [agreeing on a direction], and that’s where we are.
“So, to me, it’s bittersweet, because I see everybody, and everyone’s, like, ‘We love Shavo.’ And I’m, like, ‘I love you,’ but then they can’t work together.”
Odadjian went on to emphasise that nothing “so horrible has happened” that any of the band members are “hating on each other”.
“I don’t think anything so horrible has happened… we’re all alive. We’re all friends. I swear, when there’s conversations going on, it’s very legit, very loving. No one’s hating on each other. They’re very polite towards each other. Serj and Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], when they talk, they’re connected, they’re nice to each other. No one’s hating, no one’s cussing, no one’s saying ‘fuck you’, no one’s saying ‘you ruined…’, ‘you did this.’ It’s just that section that’s fucked up,” he said.
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“I think at the end of things, when we’re old and gray, we’re gonna look back and be, like, ‘Fuck, we were idiots,’ for not taking the time and seizing the day,” he concluded.
Check out Shavo Odadjian discussing the prospect of a new SOAD album:
