| Dictator | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 20, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:05 | |||
| Label | Scarred for Life | |||
| Producer | Daron Malakian | |||
| Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dictator | ||||
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Dictator is the second studio album by American rock band Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway, released via Scarred for Life on July 20, 2018.
Daron Malakian wrote, produced, and recorded the album over ten days in 2012. [3] [4] [5] Dictator was officially announced on April 16, 2018. [6] Regarding the delay of the album, Malakian stated "not knowing what's happening with System has kept me from putting my own stuff out. Too much time has passed, and I'm really excited to finally get some music out finally." [7] Malakian stated that the new album could have been System of a Down music, however members of the band couldn't agree on musical direction. [8]
When the album was announced, the band was rebranded as "Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway" (previously only known as Scars on Broadway). [9]
Malakian's father, Vartan, contributed the artwork for Dictator, as he did for the first Scars on Broadway album and System of a Down's Mezmerize and Hypnotize . [10]
"Lives" was released as a single in April 2018. [11] The title track was released as a single on June 1, 2018. [12] [13] The first week of sales of "Lives" on iTunes was donated to the Armenia Fund. [10] The music video for "Guns Are Loaded" was released on February 20, 2019. [14]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 64/100 [15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Arts Desk |   [16] |
| Exclaim! |  [17] |
| The Independent | [18] |
| Metal Hammer | [19] |
| Pure Grain Audio | [20] |
| Rolling Stone | [1] |
The Independent gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating "With a dynamism and ferocity like few other releases so far this year, Dictator shines a light on Malakian's musical prowess: he performs all of the instruments on the record in addition to vocal duties, creating a shifting, immersive mood that delves into everything from straight-up thrash to early Eighties metal and signature, Middle Eastern-influenced guitar." [18] The Arts Desk also gave the album 4 out of 5, stating "All in all, though, Dictator is an immediate and accessible affair, with irresistible hooks, singalong choruses and a pleasing amount of crunchy heaviness." [16]
Exclaim! gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating "Dictator is a strong release that touches on a lot of the elements of System of a Down's final albums without too many of the quirky moments from those records. Still, it comes across as the comeback record that could have been huge but never happened." [17]
Metal Hammer rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating "It's not hard to read Dictator as a sly 'fuck you' to his on-off bandmates, or at least the ones holding up a potential album. It's evident in their grand rebranding – they're no longer just Scars On Broadway, but now 'Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway', a definite 'Who Needs You Guys Anyway?' statement. But it's also there in the fact that, yes, many of these songs could quite have easily parked their backsides on a SOAD record. On this evidence, that's System Of A Down's loss more than it is ours." [19]
Rolling Stone placed the album fourth on its year-end list of the 20 best metal albums. [2]
Track listing adapted from the iTunes Store. [21]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lives" | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Angry Guru" | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Dictator" | 3:00 |
| 4. | "Fuck and Kill" | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Guns Are Loaded" | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Never Forget" | 3:19 |
| 7. | "Talkin Shit" | 4:50 |
| 8. | "Till the End" | 4:55 |
| 9. | "We Won't Obey" | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Sickening Wars" | 2:18 |
| 11. | "Gie Mou 'My Son'" (Instrumental, Stamatis Kokotas cover) | 2:56 |
| 12. | "Assimilate" (Skinny Puppy cover) | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 44:05 | |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [22] | 48 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [23] | 103 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] | 54 |
System of a Down is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian ; Daron Malakian ; Shavo Odadjian ; and John Dolmayan (drums), who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian.
John Dolmayan is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American musician, best known as the drummer of System of a Down. He is also the drummer for the band Indicator and former drummer for Scars on Broadway. Dolmayan ranked number 33 on Loudwire's list of Top 200 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time.
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Steal This Album! is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on November 26, 2002, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian, it peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard 200.
System of a Down is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on June 30, 1998 by American Recordings and Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 2000. After the success of the band's following album, Toxicity (2001), System of a Down was certified platinum and has since gone double platinum.
Daron Malakian is an Armenian-American musician. He is the guitarist, songwriter, and second vocalist of the metal band System of a Down, and the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter of Scars on Broadway.
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System of a Down is an American heavy metal band formed by vocalist Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian, bassist Shavo Odadjian, and drummer John Dolmayan in the mid-1990s. They have released five studio albums, nineteen singles, and thirteen music videos. By the end of 1997, the group had signed to American Recordings, then distributed as Columbia Records. The following year, they released their eponymous debut album, which peaked at number 124 on the United States' Billboard 200 and number 103 on the United Kingdom's UK Albums Chart; it was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gold by Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA). Their eponymous debut album produced a single for the song "Sugar", which reached the top 30 on the Billboard mainstream rock songs and alternative songs charts. Their follow-up album, Toxicity (2001), topped the US and Canadian charts, and also reached the top 10 in Australia, Finland, and New Zealand. The album was certified triple platinum in its home country, and triple platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), as well as double platinum by Music Canada. Toxicity produced singles for the title track, "Chop Suey!", and "Aerials". The last of these peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts.
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