''Harakiri'' is the third studio album by

System of a Down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...

frontman

Serj Tankian Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...

. It was released on July 10, 2012 as a follow-up to his 2010 album ''

Imperfect Harmonies ''Imperfect Harmonies'' is the second studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records. Release and promotion ''Imperfect Harmonies'' was orig ...

''. The album also constitutes the first of four then-upcoming albums, the other three being ''

Orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

'', ''

Jazz-Iz-Christ ''Jazz-Iz-Christ'' is the debut studio album by Jazz-iz Christ, a group fronted by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album was released on July 23, 2013, by Serjical Strike Records. The album has essential participation of the renowned ...

'' and ''Fuktronic''.

Background

Tankian has described the album as "the most up-tempo punk rock oriented record that I've written probably since the System days." In the same interview, he also confirmed that a 2013 world tour would likely follow in support of the album. Hara-kiri, also known as seppuku, is a term for the ritual 'honour' suicide of Japanese

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

, with the former term being more common in speech and the latter being more literary, upper-class, and formal. The act involves self- disembowelment with a

tantō A is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (Commons:Nihonto, ''nihonto'') that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the year ...

(a Japanese-style dagger originating in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

), slicing the abdomen from left to right. The album explores ideas of animal suicide.

Recording and composition

As his two previous releases, the album was produced by Tankian himself at his own studio in Los Angeles. ''Harakiri'' differs from previous releases as three songs featured in it were initially sketched out on Tankian's

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...

. He has himself declared that "we must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results". "Weave On" was originally written for Prometheus Bound, a musical by

Steven Sater Steven Sater is a Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Laurence Olivier Award-winning American poet, playwright, lyricist, television writer and screenwriter. He is best known for writing the book and lyrics for the Tony Award-winning 2006 Broadway musi ...

. The work was inspired by

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

' tragedy of the same name.

Release and reception

''Harakiri'' was released on July 10, 2012. Three singles were officially released from the album: "Figure It Out" on May 1, "Cornucopia" on June 4 and the title song "Harakiri" on June 20. "Uneducated Democracy" was also made available for streaming on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

. The whole album was streamed at Red Bull USA on July 2, eight days before its release.

Music videos

Two live action music videos were released for the album. The first, "Figure It Out", was released on May 25. The video features Tankian and members of the public protesting, while businessmen celebrate a

bailout A bailout is the provision of financial help to a corporation or country which otherwise would be on the brink of bankruptcy. A bailout differs from the term ''bail-in'' (coined in 2010) under which the bondholders or depositors of global sys ...

. Towards the end, the protesters break into the meeting. The second, "Harakiri", was released on July 11. The video includes quotes from

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...

and

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

alongside statements on animal suicide,

GM crops Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering methods. Plant genomes can be engineered by physical methods or by use of ''Agrobacterium'' for the delivery of s ...

and obesity, among other issues. An animated video for "Occupied Tears" was also released on July 11 while another animated video, for "Uneducated Democracy", was released on July 19.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Serj Tankian, except where noted.

Personnel

– composing, lyricism, producing, all instruments *

Dan Monti Dan Monti, also known by his stage name Del Rey Brewer or simply Brewer, is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer who has worked with such bands as Metallica, Slayer and Guns N' Roses. The bulk of his work, however, has bee ...

– guitar, audio mixing, audio engineering * Mario Pagliarulo – bass * Troy Zeigler – drums * Vlado Meller – mastering

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums Serj Tankian albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Serj Tankian Serjical Strike Records albums