''Elasticity'' is the third EP by American

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

singer

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 ...

, released on 19 March 2021 by Alchemy Recordings and

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

Background

The EP is made up of five songs Tankian had originally written several years earlier, for a possible

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, v ...

reunion album that did not come to pass because the other members of the band did not see "eye-to-eye" on their suitability. Tankian decided to record the tracks himself with engineers

Vlado Meller Vlado Meller is a Slovak audio mastering engineer, currently with Vlado Meller Mastering in Charleston, South Carolina. Meller works across many genres of music, with credits on rock, hip-hop, pop, jazz, metal, dance, opera, Broadway, and classic ...

and

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 been i ...

and release them under his own name, expecting this action to allow the band to move forward. It is Tankian's first album of original rock and heavy metal-based songs since ''

Harakiri , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

'' in 2012. The album was expected to be released in Fall 2020, but was delayed due to renewed strife between Armenia and Azerbaijan; Tankian instead spent that period engaged in international awareness efforts. The album features some lyrics referencing the 2021 documentary film ''Truth to Power'', which chronicles Tankian's efforts to gain international recognition for the

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

. The title track "Elasticity" was released as an advance single and features a music video directed by Vlad Kaptur. The song "Rumi" is about Tankian's son and the Persian poet of the same name.

Reception

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication '' Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' noted that the EP is "a fascinating insight into what a new album

y System of a Down Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or seventh ...

might have sounded like, through the lens of its most musically adventurous member", while ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' also noted the creative deviations from that band's expected sounds. In the words of ''

Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fr ...

,'' the EP should mostly satisfy fans of System of a Down, but adds enough new elements to make it Tankian's own work. '' Blabbermouth'' called the EP "tremendously eclectic" while praising Tankian as "an incredibly talented and brilliant creative force". ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

'' called the album's title track "delightfully weird" with possible influences from

surf rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental su ...

and new wave.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2021 EPs Serj Tankian EPs