Serj Tankian - Sky Is Over

Serjical Strike/ Reprise Records

Serj Tankian, mad monk of agit-prop, symphonic-metalers System Of A Down, fails to assemble the righteous, pantomime lunacy of his full band on this third cut from his solo debut. It could be the absence of Malakian’s penetrating, force-ten wail, or the fact that what was once unpredictable is now all too obvious. In its own way a love song; ‘Sky Is Over’ finds Serj telling his girl to stick close as the collapse of civilsation beckons. Whilst the jarring, schizoid changes in mood and tempo, the impassioned (and absurdly melodramatic) global-anarcho shamanism and eastern influence remain, the end result seems somewhat blunted, missing the promise of violence that gives S.O.A.D. an unnerving frisson. John Calvert

Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.