- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Entertainment WeeklyFactor 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]
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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.
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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.
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BlenderHe'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]
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while System of a Down would have given these songs more sheer brawn, Mr. Tankian’s versions are the next best thing.
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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
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MojoTankian has created a forward-thinking album that swerves convention. [Dec 2007, p.98]
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SpinTankian 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]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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His ambition is never entirely realized, and though his voice is versatile, his almost operatic style at times borders on annoying.
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Q MagazineThere are too few of the brilliant genre-blending moments that make SOAD so special. [Nov 2007, p.147]
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Here, without the berserk velocity of System's guitarist Daron Malakian, he is a little more conventional and a little less interesting.
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Elect The Dead is both impressive and bewildering--almost as if SOAD's wildest excesses have been standardised.
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Elect the Dead mostly sounds like a random smattering of ideas, many of them undercooked.
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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.
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UncutTankian combines prog pomp and a variety of vocal techniques, all irritating, to uniformly unlistenable effect. [Nov 2007, p.125]
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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.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 75 out of 86
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Mixed: 6 out of 86
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Negative: 5 out of 86
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Jul 14, 2012Very powerful album...Incredible songs. Very beautiful vocals. Sonds like Honking Antelope, Lie Lie Lie and The Unthinking Majority are unique.
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JustinS.Mar 22, 2008An epic album by an epic man!
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LuisR.Dec 20, 2007It f*cking rocks.