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Elect The Dead
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 53 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 8.6 (out of 10) based on 53 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.
