System Of A Down Drummer: “We’re Turning Into The Fucking Eagles Now”

System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan has opened up about the state of the California metal greats, voicing his concerns about their lack of output since 2005’s Hynotize. Dolmayan lamented personal differences that have long been getting in the way of the band recording new material.

“When we decided to get back together, it was weird. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling in the beginning,” Dolmayan told Loudwire. “It took a long time to get past that, I’d say months. As we played more and more shows, it became more and more fun. Those feelings started to subside.”

“I feel like this band still has a lot of issues, things we just have to work out,” the drummer admitted. “I’m not really happy with where the band is right now. I think that it’s been way too long since we’ve made an album and I’ve kind of had enough of the mentality of ‘that’s okay’. It’s not okay.”

“We’re turning into the fucking Eagles now,” referring to the rock legends’ lengthy hiatus, which resulted in a 25-year wait between albums. “15 years are gonna go by before we make a new album [laughs] For me, it’s irritating. But I do the best I can to understand that there’s a lot to be worked through in order to make something great and if it isn’t fantastic, there’s no reason for us to do it.”

The drummer said that while the group’s most recent tour helped break down barriers, there are still “mentalities that are irritating” and that prevent the band from entering the studio. “Hopefully with more communication, which we’ve been doing more and more, we’ll be able to break down those barriers and get back to what we’re supposed to be doing, which is making music,” he said.

However, Dolmayan admits he is optimistic about the future of the band and said that recording sessions could have already begun on what would be System Of A Down’s sixth studio album if not for personal reasons that he described as “something very positive,” though he would not elaborate.

Gallery: System Of A Down – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 29/02/2012

Photos by Brett Schewitz

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