I still remember the very first time I heard System Of A Down. It was in a tent in my back yard when I was 10 years old. A friend of mine brought Toxicity over for a sleepover. This was the very first time I was introduced to what was considered metal at the time.
I'm pretty sure we went through 3 packs of D batteries that night before I asked my dad to run an extension cord across the yard so we could keep the
CD player from dying. Ultimately, that album would send me down a path filled with angst, concerts, weird hair, tight purple jeans, skateboarding, and all the rest of the things that would make up my teenage years. I would not have the friends I have today if I would not have discovered this type of music. A lot of experiences in my teens came from concerts and going on trips with my friends who were in metal bands. I discovered who I was through these experiences. I made a family out of these friends... met my soon-to-be wife through these friends. When I say I appreciate Serj, Daron, Shavo, and John...I couldn't be more genuine. The guys are legends and I owe so much to them in a very strange way. This book rules and if every artist had the heart and soul of Serj Tankien, the world would be a better place.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Hachette Books for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Deep stories, music

This is deeeeepp. It started very heavy, which, for some reason, I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed the book and the storytelling. It's a bit long with some lulls, but I still highly recommend it!

I was so grateful to hear Serj’s story and learn more about SOAD and his thoughts. Thank you for the ARC!!!

I really enjoyed this book. I was a big fan of System of a Down growing up, but am reconnecting with their music more as I get older and understand a bit better what the message was really about. Whenever I see police brutality in the news, I always play Deer Dance. When I see Israel in the news, I play B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs). I did not know about the Armenian Genocide before reading this book, and I'm really disappointed to have not learned about it in my favorite courses growing up (History). I feel connected to Serj and System of a Down even more now, and really enjoyed learning about Serj's thoughts and feelings about big world issues (his letter about 9/11 was on the mark, the people just weren't ready to hear it yet). All I can say is I really enjoyed this book, it was very enlightening for me.

The writing was easy and quick to read, it was interesting to learn more about Serj's personal experiences and viewpoints. Definitely would recommend to anyone interested in System of a Down, Serj, or social justice in general. Also was very educational regarding the Armenian genocide.

I expected to enjoy this more than I actually did. It had a bit of a slow start and took me a bit to really get interested in it. I did enjoy some of the stories and found a few of them to be really interesting, but overall I had a hard time connecting to them. Some were a bit slow and didnt really grip my attention. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful read. I started with the ebook but once I learned that he narrated the audiobook I quickly moved over. He is a beautiful storyteller. This like all aspects of his life isn't just one thing. I loved that he started with his grandparents in Armenia and explained more of the genocide, showing how it is a generational experience.

As a longtime fan of System of a Down, I was really excited for the opportunity to preview this book. I do not usually give memoirs star ratings because I feel that my personal interest or enjoyment is irrelevant, but for the sake of this review I rated it 4 stars as it was well written but didn't resonate to the point of being a favorite.

I knew peripherally that Serj was Armenian and that a lot of System's lyrics are politically charged. I feel like if you are going into this book as a casual fan of the band, you might be disappointed in its content. The author is pretty aware of this too. Personally, I found his family history poignant and illuminating. I thought his extensive knowledge and nuanced understanding of the Armenian genocide extremely educational. I think some people might find the deep dive into Armenian history and modern politics to be dry, and I struggled a bit through some parts towards the end myself. But I really appreciated the insight into his creative process and spiritual journey, and the integrity he dedicates to his art. He carries these unimaginable things that his family lived through in his heart and has dedicated much of his life towards honoring them, educating people, and trying to influence change. I think writing a memoir is an effective choice for him to use his name and notoriety to educate people. Good for him.

Wow - this was so interesting! As a 20+ year fan of System of a Down, I loved hearing these words from Serj. As far as memoirs go; this was top notch.

4.5 ⭐️
Easily one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. As a casual listener of System of a Down and some of Serj’s solo music from childhood on, I had always been intrigued by him. His detailing and activist focus on the Armenian history of the genocide through his family was eye opening and shows how formative his stance and experiences were to the art he was creating. I highly recommend this one to anyone who may be interested. Now I’m gonna go stream Toxicity on loop for a while, bye!
Massive thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the e-ARC!

Fascinating And Humble Blend Of Personal Memoir, Cultural/ Personal History, and Activism. Serj Tankian burst into the public scene 25 years ago as the lead singer of System Of A Down - the band that had the number one album on 9/11, days before Tankian wrote a reflection on that day that nearly destroyed everything they had built.

This... is his story. We get to that day, but we get a long build up to it, explaining everything that had led him to that point in his life, including his grandparents' survival of the Arminian Genocide in the WWI era through his dad's legal troubles in Tankian's teens and early adulthood, through his initial work creating a software company, finding music, eventually forming System... and then his life with and after System.

Through it all, Tankian's activism to bring light to the horrors of the Arminian Genocide is never far from pretty well literally anything he is writing about in that moment. It is clear that it truly forms the backbone of his identity and everything he considers himself to be about - and truly, as the grandson of two survivors of WWII's Battle of the Bulge, I actually can appreciate the personal family history, even as the particulars of our families are so very different.

Indeed, even our reactions to 9/11 were distinctly different, as Tankian was an immigrant from the Middle East region in his 30s on that day and I was an 18yo American fresh out of high school rocking out to Toxicity that summer before that day. I don't remember my reaction to Tankian's post that day, if I ever even saw it or heard of the public outcry. My own reaction was better summed up first by Alan Jackson's Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) (which I *finally* had a chance to hear him perform live in 2022) and the (sadly now late) great Toby Keith's "Courtesy Of The Red White And Blue". I was a college junior that day, even though I had just graduated high school at the beginning of that summer, but still an 18yo male with a US Selective Service card - the knowledge that if America went to war, I could be called to fight in it very, *very* real on my mind in the immediate aftermath.

But that day and the fallout are but a small part of this book, though it *is* discussed. The overarching tale being, again, that of Tankian's work bringing publicity to the Arminian Genocide and his efforts to get to get the world to force Turkey to so much as acknowledge their crimes of that era and all that it has led to, including a new war in Armenia this decade that Turkey had a hand in, according to Tankian.

Overall this was truly an interesting look at a remarkable life that many of us had heard of before, but I suspect few of us indeed knew of the depth of the passion involved here and everything Tankian has done.

Very much recommended.

It was very interesting how deep and intricate Serj wrote about so many different topics that I was otherwise not educated about. It was insightful to learn so much about Armenian genocide and how deeply Serj delves into the history and current events Armenia has faced. I enjoyed the personal stories and anecdotes, particularly about the band. There were many emotional stories but also light-hearted and some funny one's as well.

This book felt a little too complex my brain to process, and that's fully on me. It was not a fast paced read and I had to take breaks to absorb the more detailed historical and political details.

Serj is very insightful and I'm happy for all the success in his career. I didn't realize how much his celebrity status has allowed him many opportunities to further his activism and solo music career. I'm interested to do more research about the music he's made on his own and collaborations he's done. Overall very well written and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this arc copy.

I loved Down with the System. I have been a System of a Down fan for a while, but it was great to hear Serj's backstory and upbringing.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

First off I want to say I have always loved SOAD but have never been a super fan. Reading this let me delve deeper into his subconscious and I have to say I absolutely loved it. Not only his ramblings and activism but how he is as a whole. What made and still makes him an amazing human and artist. Definitely going to buy this for my collection.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this story! I grew up listening to System of a Down and wanted to hear Serj’s story. He has a way of speaking/writing that makes you sit back and ponder the words. It was an honor to recieve an eARC.

What a great memoir! The perfect amount of entertainment mixed with serious topics! As a System of a Down fan, I didn’t know most of this information. I love how the audiobook is narrated by Serj himself, adds so much to hear his emotions in certain places!

I’ve listened to SOAD from the beginning and love their music. I didn’t know much about the band or Serj’s background. Not only was this a memoir about the band and Serj’s life; it was an amazing backstory and history of the Armenian people. I’ve read many memoirs, but this one by far exceeded my expectations. If you are a fan of the band or just enjoy a good memoir, then I cannot recommend this book enough. It was captivating, entertaining, and at times sad.
I cannot thank NetGalley enough for the chance to read this before it comes out ❤️

Part history, part personal and family memoir, part musical memoir, there's so much packed into the pages of this book that are heartbreaking, surprising, educational, and spiritual.

I was always aware of the Armenian genocide by Turkey and the Ottomans, but to read such a visceral story of someone's family was devastating. Infuriating. It gave me another perspective on generational trauma and how to care and work through those emotions. It also really drove home the importance of knowing history and being aware when it's repeating itself. Given what's happening in Gaza right now, this felt especially poignant. The way Serj talks about Armenia and belonging also really spoke to me - I was lucky enough to travel to Poland and specifically the village my family came from and there is a feeling of knowing that's so hard to articulate unless you've experienced it. The concept of home and belonging is a theme in this memoir, and led to same great reflection on my own.

Another theme is the dichotomy between a musician and an artist. Serj sees himself as a creative, an artist, beyond just music or beyond one genre of music. This chronicles the formation of System of a Down from his perspective, the creation of their songs, the dynamics of the band, his feelings about making music and touring, and the breakdown of System. It was interesting to see his view when I've read other things in the media. It hurts to see a band that was so driven by a vision lose cohesion, but it's also rewarding when toward the end he talks about how much he truly likes and enjoys the members of the band as people. If you're a big fan of System, this is probably going to be frustrating for you. Sorry.

Serj talks a lot about the collective unconscious and while I'm not totally sold, I also believe that the universe puts what I need in front of me. As someone who is currently on an interesting and essential journey as it relates to meditation and my own creativity, this was a very reassuring book. It might be confirmation bias but it felt good to see a lot of my own feelings about creation reflected back at me, and I definitely took his statement about nonaggression versus passivity to heart as I work through my own meditative work.

A completely irrelevant comment - as someone who enjoys the study of phonetics and has strong feelings about consonant sounds, Armenian names are incredibly satisfying - a lot of s, r, k, and n sounds that made my brain tingle just reading them in my head.

This book hurt, but also helped invigorate me to keep speaking up and not be afraid of saying the right thing even when backlash might come. A worthwhile read for any creative to give perspective to work and motivations.

"Down with the System" by Serj Tankian was a fascinating look into rock and roll through the lens of an activist. I found the book both informative and inspiring. You could feel Serj's passion for Armenian history and diaspora and can see how it influenced his art. It was a fun read!

Wow, what an interesting read and nothing like I expected. The first thing you should know about this book is that Serj is an activist first and foremost and most of this book is an education on his family’s horrific history in the Armenia Genocide, education on the the injustices his people have faced, an ode to his passion projects - which to me isn’t System of a Down. This is not a book about salacious stories on the road as a metal band or even much about making of SOAD’s music, so if you are here for a System story - in all honesty this is not it. This book took me a while to get through as I am not much of a non-fiction political activism history reader and that is what this is at its core. Don’t get me wrong, I think there is a certain place in Serj’s heart for SOAD but to me he came off as a bit pompous and dare I say slightly resentful when it comes to the band that gave him his fame and fortune. What it did do for him, which he recognizes, is give him a platform for his activism and education to the masses on the Armenia genocide and denial of its existence. Be aware the first few chapters are a bit graphic and heartbreaking as he tells his grandfather’s story of seeing his family killed as a child. I did not know any of this, and felt shameful in my ignorance. In all honesty I went back through System’s catalog of music and listened with new ears to the lyrics. System first came onto the scene in 1998, I was 14, I didn’t know what I was singing along to.. fast forward to early 2000s when I was in college and going to Ozzfest and seeing System in LA in the craziness conditions imaginable…think stage rushing, fires, people throwing their own urine at one another, Ozzy refusing to go on stage and System coming to save the ever loving day… it was a show I will never forget. During this time I definitely understood a lot more of their music but not until I read this book did I feel the lyrics and their integral messages as I do now.

So what did I think? It’s hard to put into words, I am so glad I got an early copy of this book and took the time to digest its history and message. I understand now why Serj has had such a hard time going back to SOAD and why we may never see them play together or make new music again. I understand what he means by learning the power in saying yes to things and also saying no. Something I think everyone, including myself needs to learn as they grow in this life. I appreciate his words and his contribution to political activism and think more people should be like him and stand up for the atrocities committed around this world. So yeah, read this book if this sounds like something you’d want to be educated and inspired by.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Books and Serj Tankian for early access to this egalley in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date is set for May 14, 2024.