System of a Down’s Serj Tankian has discussed working with the band’s drummer John Dolmayan, saying that “a good band always has a lot of dynamics”.

While John Dolmayan has previously criticised the Black Lives Matter movement and expressed his support for Trump, Serj Tankian once said that he had “never seen a president suck so much”.

Despite clearly disagreeing on politics, Tankian told NME that the differences between them helped the band creatively.

“The political differences became pronounced between John [Dolmayan] and I in the last year through Trump’s re-election campaign, but it’s a new phenomenon,” he said.

“John’s my brother-in-law, as well as my bandmate. Find someone who doesn’t have a brother-in-law with a differing political view, and I’ll find you an interesting family.”

He continued: “Some of the bands that create the most elastic, interesting music are ones that have very interesting dynamics between band members. I wouldn’t change that.

“It’s better than four people making what I call ‘corporate music’ where they agree on everything and want to maximise their returns. That’s Pepsi. System Of A Down has never been that. We’re fucking punk rock.”

Love Metal?

Get the latest Metal news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

Meanwhile, System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian shared his own strong political views recently when he commented on a video of a drum cover of ‘B.Y.O.B.’ which used firearms as percussion.

The video was created by ‘GunDrummer’, who is known for using firearms like pistols, machine guns and rifles to create beats.

“Another great performance from GunDrummer. Guns are essential tools for self defense!!!!!!,” Malakian wrote.

For more on this topic, check out the Metal Observer.

Check out ‘Protect the Land’ by System of a Down:

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine