This audiobook provides great insight to the band System of a Down, as well as Serj Tankian’s upbringing. I loved hearing about all of it, and it was fascinating as someone who has been a fan of the band for years to learn about the timeline of music releases and how it aligned with real world events.

Down with the System is a memoir written by artist and musician, Serj Tankian. Sending a big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an audio ARC of this memoir.

The audiobook was a great listening experience and paired well with the book. Serj narrates it himself and does a wonderful job bringing his story to life. Serj’s eccentric personality and passion really shines in the audio format.

As a big System of a Down fan and a fan of Serj Tankian’s solo work, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to read his memoir which was a 5-star read for me. Learning about Serj’s history was fascinating. I also learned a great deal about Armenian history, which I really appreciate him taking the opportunity to spread more awareness and share his and his families’ experiences.

For those familiar with Serj’s work, it is no surprise that activism is extremely important to him. While reading this book, it became clear that activism is one of Serj’s leading core values, and guides many of his decisions throughout his career, even when it has been difficult to do so.

If you are a SOAD fan, I think you will really enjoy this memoir. Serj writes about his music career in full; he takes us from the very beginning before SOAD through the present day. I was really fascinated to learn about how the band was formed, the highlights, trials, and tribulations they experienced, and where they are today.

I also really enjoyed learning about Serj outside of music. He shares not only about himself, but his family. Additionally, he writes about his creative ventures outside of the band, including his upbringing, solo work, art, and more.

This was such a captivating read! My husband already purchased me a copy of the signed copy of Down with the System, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

I loved hearing this story from Serj, I’m a casual SOAD fan since Toxicity, I always liked their experimental metal sound and catchy melodies. This audiobook literally starts out with guitar riffs and that was awesome!

Serj has an engaging speaking voice and delivery, this is his story and it shows the effort he put into the book. We learn about his Armenian background and family history during the Armenian Genocide, then emigrating from Lebanon to the US. As an immigrant, I love hearing other immigrant stories and struggles, relating to them on certain levels.

The author touches upon heavy topics right from the start, while brief, it was educational and informative hearing his perspective, like the events leading up to and after 9/11 in regards to his life and the band’s success. Diving deep into his teen and young adult years, his activism and identity, as well as being the head of the family entangled in a legal battle for his father’s business.

This was a great listen and I recommend it to anyone that is a fan of SOAD or likes hearing personal stories of growth and social justice.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the listening copy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook before publication.

I absolutely loved hearing Serj’s voice. I started reading the print book, but found myself a little detached from the story. In the audio, you can hear the warmth, the sadness, and the humor in his voice. I love that he doesn’t read his story like someone on the outside looking in. He laughs when he’s reading about a happy memory, and emphasizes words, such as, “French fries” like a ravenous man looking at something fried and yummy.

I learned a lot about him and his people’s history, and I think that was the most powerful part of his story, as well as his creative and spiritual process. I appreciate how honest and raw he is in his story, and he’s not afraid to take responsibility for past decisions. Whether or not you like System, this is a very insightful story about a history that has been buried and a popular musician who loves the creativity and process of making music, but without the bureaucracy.

Thank you netgalley for giving me this gem in advance! Hearing this fantastic story from one of my childhood favorite singers and the story of my favorite band. Such a great book!!

I never liked metal, but system of a down was another story, even today I can’t control myself when I listen to most of system songs and just sing a long (in Portugal we’re terrible at that, in 2005 when system were in Portugal in super bock super rock, people sang so loud that you couldn’t even listen to Serj even with him singing with a mic), This book, was such a deep dive into Serj life, how that changed him, and in reality how system of a down was born, I loved to listen to this audiobook with Serj reading it, even with so many sad moments I loved the quirky humour that brought smiles and even giggles.

Besides the content that I absolutely loved, I want to praise as well having Serj reading it, its a memory book, who else would be better at reading it? Its been quite a while since I enjoyed so much a book that didn’t belong in fiction, high praises!

I really can’t recommend this book and audiobook enough, actually even before finishing it I already recommended it to a handful of close friends that I know that will love this book almost as much as I did, this book is not only for old fans, but also to introduce System of a Down to a new generation. Live long and Prosper!

Thank you NetGalley and Hansson PublishingHachette Audio, Hachette Books, for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

I always struggle with giving memoirs a rating.

Serj Tankian has been one of my favorite musicians for most of my life, and getting to dive into not only SOADs history but HIS history was truly magnificent.

I throughly enjoyed every aspect. I loved getting to know bits and pieces and I also loved being able to HEAR the humor.

Would absolutely recommend this audiobook. I learned a lot.

This wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still a good listen. I'm a fan of System Of A Downs music but didn't really know much about them outside of the music. Although we don't get a huge amount of info on the band, I still found it very interesting learning about Serj life and what led him to his music career. Some of the subject matter in this book was quite hard to listen to as it was quite heartbreaking, but it really was very interesting.

So I really like their music but after listening to this audiobook I need to start over and listen to everything they've put out from the beginning. There's so much meaning behind everything, and this guy has been through so much.
From the beginning, Serj didn't accept the narrative he was given, knowing that his experiences were proof that things were different. His journey is really interesting, and I highly recommend this to anyone who likes the music of System of a Down and to anyone who cares about the world we're in. Serj narrates this himself and does a terrific job. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this

#NetGalley #DownWithTheSystem
I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for my honest review. I went into this book as a fan of System of a Down with some knowledge about Serj. I love the insight into Serj's life and how he's spent his whole life fighting for what he believes in and standing up for Justice.

🎧Down With the System🎧
By: Serj Tankian
Narrated By: Serj Tankian
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•It was so interesting to learn about his family history.

•I found his personal path to music so interesting, and not typical to many musicians you hear about today.

•Having him narrate the book really added to how engaging it was, especially when talking about his family.

•I do wish there was a little bit more about his time in System of a Down (there was some, I just wanted more)!

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🎧 Audiobook Review! 🎧

Down With the System was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Hachette Audio. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 5/14/24

Y’all. I was so excited to listen to this book! System of a Down was definitely a band that played heavily in my teenage years, and I was lucky enough to see them live just once (but I still remember how great that show was). So when I saw that Serj Tankian wrote a book, I was all in to check it out. Add in the fact that he narrated it, and wow. I was pumped to give it a listen.

Serj talks about his family, fleeing a genocide in Armenia. He discusses how his family came to the US, and the series of events that led him to the music industry and System of a Down.

There is a ton of detail in this book, not just about his music career, but his family background, his feelings about political movements (especially in terms of his homeland), and his own personal feelings on life, family, and spirituality.

This book is definitely not just a peek into SOAD, so you may not enjoy this book. But I still enjoyed learning about Serj himself.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and engaging. I also feel like I learned about his family’s background, which also gives light to the music of the band.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #nonfiction #arcreview #netgalley #boogiesbulletpoints #downwiththesystem #hachetteaudio #serjtankian

I have been such a fan of System of a Down and Serj Tankian for so long that it has been amazing to listen to his audiobook and learn more about him and his backstory.

An excellent memoir that combines Serj's humanitarian efforts and the musical history, that reaches an intertwined climax when System played in Armenia.

I think Daron comes across looking awful, which I don't think is Serj's intention, but his full accounting of his shortcomings and differing of opinions with the band is on display, and yet it's still Daron who comes across like a brat.

Highly recommended for System or Serj fans, and Serj's narration is top tier - very emotional and engaging.

This is a political book.

The Armenian Genocide really happened (and in reality, is still ongoing). It is a part of an ugly history that is being denied and/or recognized as seen fit by various governments only when it benefits them. And this is what this book is about. It gives us little info on the amazing band, System of a Down, but the author uses this memoir to defend his decisions to incite activism and leave his band for solo artistic endeavors.

I love System of a Down. Such a wonderful, unique sound. Different. Abrasive, but enchanting. Angry and mellow in the same song. It is enlightening to get to look at a hero's motivation and past... I'm just not sure this book helped to solidify a positive view of the author. I just wish they would make more music. Somehow. Someway. ...please.

I was lucky enough to be given an ALC of the audiobook of Down With the System - A Memoir (of sorts) written and narrated by Serj Tankian and it was everything I imagined

Being a memoir, I was not expecting a biography, but an insight into the thoughts of this incredible musiciam. Full disclosure, I was just about to turn 26 in 2001 when Toxicity hit number 1 on that fateful day of September 11 2001. Like most people, I remember exactly where I was when the news broke. I was in the shopping centre with my friend, on the way to buy cd's and Toxicity was one of them. The next 48 hours were a blur and it's important to note, we were in the UK, fixed to every bit of news we could get.

I also remember the furore of the essay on the bands website and it was at this point that I realised, that Serj Takian was more than a musician with a life history, but one whose life history gave him a much broader view of the world where the given, was not accepted

I jumped on the opportunity to listen to this memoir becaus I was intrigued to learn more than the band, more than the music (I was a huge grunge and metal fan and SOAD hit different with their sound and melding of metal and folk vocals, you just cannot go wrong with that energy)

But, I digress, this book is not about the band as such, it is not aout the music, it is primarily about the mind of Serj Tankian and how his perspectives developed due to being an Armenian American and the atrocities suffered in his homeland and the shaping of his world view. There are always two sides to every story and rarely is it right vs wrong. Tankian reads with a balanced cadence, reflecting his calm and quiet demeanor, thoughtful and insightful, a far cry from the chaotic frontman most of us were accustomed to

This is an utterly fascinating, learned, and passionate memoir and I would absolutely recommend it

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, Hachette Books and Serj Tankian for this incredibly powerful, insightful ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own