The musician had and still has many projects in the most diverse areas due to his severe artistic restlessness, which is why he felt the hiatus so much
THE system of a Down went on hiatus in 2006, but returned to activity in 2010, quite sporadically. Short tours are made while the members dedicate themselves to other projects and only one double single has been released since then. This situation of long periods of inactivity left one of the band’s musicians disturbed, according to him.
To the Loudwire Nights (via Ultimate Guitar), the bassist Shavo Odadjian commented on what he felt when the group practically stopped composing, something that did not reverse even after the hiatus. Creatively restless, the musician also explained the current situation of SOAD.
He says:
We start the System when I was 20, 21 years old. We created a lot, we played a lot… and then, the years passed and it was 2005, 2006 when we stopped. It was disheartening for me personally. I’m not going to talk about what other people felt and I don’t want to talk about others in the band… I personally was really disturbed. That’s a big part of my life. To this day, I still keep it alive. That’s why we have shows coming up, we have things we want to do, but the whole writing thing… ‘disheartening’ is the right word for it.”
The statement was made shortly before the release of the debut album of his new project, Seven Hours After Violet (SHAV). The bassist doesn’t seem to accept the fact that the system of a Down could be producing much more. shavo stated:
I like composing music. Sometimes I think to myself how we got really big, and then we stopped writing music. And I say: ‘that’s not cool, because I want to write music, bro’. I want to compose, I want to play, I want to do more shows. I’m that guy in the band, you know? I’m always the one who wants to do more.”
Despite the clear discontent, Odadjian ensures that everyone in system of a Down are on good terms and that the current functioning of the band is the result of an agreement between the musicians. The group’s last work to date was the double single “Protect the Land”/“Genocidal Humanoidz”from 2020, launched as a benefit for the armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Shavo Odadjian on active duty
Shavo Odadjian He is a very active artist in various roles. Musically, as soon as the system of a Down went on hiatus in 2006, founded the AcHoZeNhip-hop project with members of Wu-Tang Clan. In addition, he commands the trap group North Kingsleyworks as a DJ in the Los Angeles region and has played in the support band of George Clinton (ex-Parliament/Funkadelic).
The partnership with RZAfrom Wu-Tang Clanyielded the shavo credits as creator of the film’s soundtrack Babylon Mission (2008), alongside the renowned Hans Zimmer. The artist has appeared in films such as Zoolander (2001) and in the documentary Screamers (2006), as well as in the video for “Big Guns”from AC/DCstill a child in 1993, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Odadjian also produced and directed music videos for system of a Down and Bad Brainsin addition to the TV commercial for the game Mortal Kombat X (2015), which has as its soundtrack the track “Chop Suey!”from SOAD. Other than that, he worked with visual arts, including an exhibition in the 2006 edition of Ozzfest.
In 2024, it launched the Seven Hours After Violet (SHAV), his first project with a heavy sound outside of system of a Down. In addition to shavo on bass, the band has Taylor Barber (Left To Suffervoice), Alejandro Aranda (Scarypoolpartyguitar and backing vocals), Morgoth and Josh Johnson (Winds of Plagueguitar and drums, respectively).
Collaborated: André Luiz Fernandes.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
