Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
AFI
65
Air
71
Alice In Chains
77
Amerie
85
The Antlers
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound
75
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
56
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
72
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Brendan Benson
72
The Big Pink
96
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
51
Black Mold
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
77
A.A. Bondy
73
The Bottle Rockets
63
Box Elders
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
87
Brother Ali
70
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
78
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
79
Califone
68
Mariah Carey
84
Brandi Carlile
73
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
69
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
84
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System
68
The Clean
84
The Clientele
71
Cobra Starship
85
Converge
71
Eric Copeland
80
Cymbals Eat Guitars
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
88
Destroyer
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
66
Bob Dylan
44
The Entrance Band
67
Esser
69
Fanfarlo
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
78
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
66
Hockey
69
Whitney Houston
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
73
Jessie James
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
69
Daniel Johnston
76
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
65
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
76
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
84
Miranda Lambert
72
Ledisi
75
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
73
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
73
Lyle Lovett
66
Lovvers
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
62
Maps
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
77
Malcolm Middleton
77
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
76
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
62
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie
78
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
78
Nirvana
97
Nirvana
72
Nisennenmondai
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
73
Osso
81
Owen
76
Paramore
76
Pastels And Tenniscoats
51
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
66
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
66
Robert Pollard
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
80
Q-Tip
80
R.E.M.
89
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
75
The Raveonettes
76
Jay Reatard
82
Reigning Sound
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79
Russian Circles
69
Buffy Sainte-Marie
73
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
69
Slaughterhouse
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
62
Mindy Smith
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
73
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
65
Joss Stone
75
George Strait
83
Barbra Streisand
76
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78
The Swell Season
76
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
78
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
67
Third Eye Blind
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
71
The Twilight Sad
58
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
70
Various Artists
74
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
71
Kurt Vile
67
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
76
Rufus Wainwright
59
Weezer
80
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59
Andrew W.K.
71
Patrick Wolf
67
Wolfmother
84
The xx
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Elect The Dead
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 52 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Warner Bros
Release Date: 23 October 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Alternative
Summary
The System of a Down singer's solo debut album features fellow bandmate John Dolmayan on drums, along with players from Primus and opera singer Ani Maldjian.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly
Factor in politics, social commentary, and highly individualistic posey, and Elect gets our vote for the liveliest mixed-bag marvel of the season. [26 Oct 2007, p.69]
All Music Guide
It's an ambitious egotistical solo release, and one with the chops to pull it all off. The well placed spaces and lithe textural moments of delicate instrumental engagement and interlude prevent Elect the Dead from going by in a blur.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Elect the Dead, his first full-length solo effort, boasts the same kind of arty arrangements and cascading dynamics as SOAD's ouvre, a sign that while guitarist Daron Malakian is often considered the band's mad genius, Tankian's elastic, expressive vocals are as integral to its character.
Read Full Review >Blender
He's screaming louder than ever on his solo CD, but what's notable is how all the titanium riffs and loud-soft-loud dynamics now feel personalized, a little cozier and multihued than on SOAD record. [Nov 2007, p.157]
Observer Music Monthly
Tankian has always got one more surprise up his sleeve. But his scatter-shot approach does not detract from the acuity of his polemical insights
Read Full Review >The New York Times
while System of a Down would have given these songs more sheer brawn, Mr. Tankian’s versions are the next best thing.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Tankian has created a forward-thinking album that swerves convention. [Dec 2007, p.98]
Spin
Tankian may be taking a break from System of a Down, but his solo debut hardly favors wimpy love songs over political jeremiads. [Nov 2007, p.125]
PopMatters
For the most part, though, he’s more disciplined than he’s ever sounded throughout the entire disc, not allowing his personality distract from the richness of the musical arrangements.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Tankian hasn't yet mastered the art of editing himself for time: Inspiring as its genre-jumping is in spurts, Elect The Dead gains and loses momentum enough that even fans may not stick around long enough for the best parts.
Read Full Review >The Phoenix
In SOAD, Tankian’s vocal gymnastics and penchant for subversive lyrics are kept somewhat in check by the mix of muscle and subtlety guitarist Daron Malakian brings to the table. Here, there’s nothing to hold him back.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Here, without the berserk velocity of System's guitarist Daron Malakian, he is a little more conventional and a little less interesting.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Elect The Dead is both impressive and bewildering--almost as if SOAD's wildest excesses have been standardised.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
His ambition is never entirely realized, and though his voice is versatile, his almost operatic style at times borders on annoying.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
There are too few of the brilliant genre-blending moments that make SOAD so special. [Nov 2007, p.147]
Rolling Stone
Elect the Dead mostly sounds like a random smattering of ideas, many of them undercooked.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
It's not that bad an album--it's executed with all the gumption you'd expect from the SOAD mainman--but if you've heard any of the band's previous output you just don't need this in your collection.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Tankian combines prog pomp and a variety of vocal techniques, all irritating, to uniformly unlistenable effect. [Nov 2007, p.125]
Lost At Sea
It would almost be pretty or epic if Tankian hadn't done this sort of thing ten times over already: nonsensical title, half-time verses balladeered in a faux-operatic style before rushing into the "unpredictable" chorus, which is uncomfortably wordier than ever I might add.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 52 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mkrtich M. gave it a10:
Absolutely awesome, the spiritual nature of every song brings the listener to peace and gives them a sense of happiness. Awesome rock album. Awesome feeling.
Justin S. gave it a10:
An epic album by an epic man!
Yoh F. gave it a9:
Surprisingly different from SOAD methodic berserk style : guitars and rythms feel softer and even smooth. Voices are awesome, melodies too. Funny/exotic weird intruments here and there. Serj's music's definitely inspired and builds a very interesting world. If you look for most brutal SOAD song types, forget it. If you seek for creative, genuine and subtle music, go for it!
Ben L. gave it a10:
This album is fabulous. I got started on SOAD back when they released SUGAR and I've been hooked on Serj's voice and his crazy sound ever since. This album allowed him to take over, and it's freaking great! Best album I have bought in years. Not very often can you put in a cd, start at track 1, and listen to the whole damn thing and jam out the whole damn time! Awesome album!
Joe V. gave it a10:
Great, album. Refreshing twist from SOAD.
Tim T. gave it a2:
I'm sorry, really really sorry and sad about this absolutely empty album that Serj has thrown together... together with the deftones, System of a down have been breaking the rules of metal and reinventing it with every new release. But this is utter boredom he just whines and bickers and we are left with absolutely no music to speak of. his songs bounce around and dont land together... just wailing, he clearly needs his lead guitarist to make the music that SOAD have been giving us all this time...
James A. gave it a5:
This album sounds like Mezmerize or Hypnotize minus the spontaneity and aggression of System of a Down. So all that is left is a bunch of annoying tunes with the same lyrical themes as you have come to expect from Mr. Tankian. Disappionting.
