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Product Description
Review
Beware the 'solo' album. For fans of System Of A Down it's entirely sure that the release of Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan's side project will be a good thing. For the rest of us it may be less easy to fathom what the fuss is about. The duo of singer/guitarist and drummer had originally intended to include SOAD bassist, Shavo Odadjian, but this proves not to have been the case. Maybe he heard the demos. For this in no way matches the visceral thrills of the parent band.
It's tough to write a review so overwhelmingly negative in response to somebody's heartfelt outpourings but this kind of old-school rock is tired, worn out, and has as little relevance to today's world as a classical string quartet playing the millionth version of a 300-year-old concerto. Imagine Johnny Rotten's kid grown up and looking to rebel against his parent. He'd probably end up fronting a band like Scars On Broadway - pumping out by-the-yard sub-standard 'rock' like theirs; yelling vapid, meaningless lyrics of petulant, spoilt brat, suburban frustration that would irritate the old man so much the skin would peel right off his arms.
This arguably has some skilled technique to offer the listener - uncompromising hard-edged guitar attack and industrial-strength riffing is interspersed throughout with oases of delicate chordwork laid across sensitive percussion, but it just isn't enough to lift the album off the floor. It's bloated, unconvincing and stands in direct opposition to everything old Johnny stood for.
Having found the ''90mm cannon'' setting on the amplifier, Scars On Broadway leans on the trigger. Relying on a lockstep militaristic quick march rhythm to imply passion, commitment and sincerity like this is an old tactic, and one championed by Dead Kennedys almost exactly thirty years ago. Whereas Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray whipped up a new sound to convey their own decade's ball-aching anxieties, Scars have merely borrowed the style and woven in a hint of Red Hot Chili Peppers to give it a more modern 90s edge. Technically superb, emotionally empty and almost a generation out of date.
Scars - if they can't be completely removed by surgery, at least they fade in time. --Al Fox
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Album Description
Scars On Broadway is the brand new band from Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan of System Of A Down fame. While the album rocks with aggressive intensity on songs such as openers `Serious' and `Exploding/Reloading', the album is propelled by melodic rock tunes like `Funny' and the extremely hooky `World Long Gone'. There are also new wave gems such as `Cute Machines' and the brilliantly whacked out Zappa-esque rocker `Chemicals'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Let's not over-analyse things here. Scars on Broadway's debut album is everything you'd expect from a band featuring two members of System of a Down - one of the most distinctive-sounding metal bands of the last ten years. Having played second fiddle to vocalist Serj Tankian for much of his career, guitarist Daron Malakian assumes the role of frontman and sole songwriter for this, and is joined by sticksman John Dolmayan for a fifteen track-album of spiky, melody-infused anthems. Rather more 'rocky' than Tankian's recent solo effort, and a touch less wacky, it contains an abundance of hooks and lyrics that would quite easily fit onto a System of a Down record, and you get the impression that these are simply ideas that Malakian was unable to fully explore during his day job. Thematically, the songs appear to be linked by Malakian's sense of disgust and despair at the corruption, greed, decadence and decay by which he's surrounded, and these concerns manifest themselves either in the form of all-out attack ('Serious', 'Stoner Hate') or moments of troubled introspection ('Insane', 'World Long Gone').
Elsewhere, the usual references proliferate (Charles Manson, 'drugs', Jesus Christ) and there are no huge departures or great surprises, and yes, one or two tracks pass by with a sense of 'ho-hum'. But there is more than enough here to get excited by. The middle triumvirate of 'Kill Each Other/Live Forever', 'Babylon' and 'Chemicals' fizzes by in superb style, swiftly followed by two of the best songs Malakian's written: 'Enemy' and '3005', the latter delivered in an uncharacteristic Southern drawl. Oh, the irony...
To dismiss Scars... for sounding like System of a Down, 'only not as good', would be churlish, and indeed, wholly inaccurate, for this has a different feel to a System record despite the familiarity of many of its defining characteristics, and many of the songs rival those of SOAD in terms of quality and invention. And despite that band's overwhelming achievements, this is likely to be more than a mere footnote in the annals of rock history. Get it now and find out why...
Matt Pucci
Elsewhere, the usual references proliferate (Charles Manson, 'drugs', Jesus Christ) and there are no huge departures or great surprises, and yes, one or two tracks pass by with a sense of 'ho-hum'. But there is more than enough here to get excited by. The middle triumvirate of 'Kill Each Other/Live Forever', 'Babylon' and 'Chemicals' fizzes by in superb style, swiftly followed by two of the best songs Malakian's written: 'Enemy' and '3005', the latter delivered in an uncharacteristic Southern drawl. Oh, the irony...
To dismiss Scars... for sounding like System of a Down, 'only not as good', would be churlish, and indeed, wholly inaccurate, for this has a different feel to a System record despite the familiarity of many of its defining characteristics, and many of the songs rival those of SOAD in terms of quality and invention. And despite that band's overwhelming achievements, this is likely to be more than a mere footnote in the annals of rock history. Get it now and find out why...
Matt Pucci
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
So Daron Malakian is the Renaissance Man! He can sing, play guitar, bass, keyboards, melotron, etc. Presumably not all at the same time, so some nice employment for session guys when they go on tour.
Serj moves to new Zealand so Daron goes it alone. Th results are really much better than I had feared. Daron has a more than passable voice, although lacking the sheer power of Serj's. Musically he is highly capable, an excellent technical player and a quality songwriter. Overall a quality effort with some interesting and eccentric lyrical diversions. Personally I think Stoner Hate is the best song on the album.
Overall it's very good but not brilliant. A solid effort full of eclectic whimsy but lacking any really killer tracks.
Serj moves to new Zealand so Daron goes it alone. Th results are really much better than I had feared. Daron has a more than passable voice, although lacking the sheer power of Serj's. Musically he is highly capable, an excellent technical player and a quality songwriter. Overall a quality effort with some interesting and eccentric lyrical diversions. Personally I think Stoner Hate is the best song on the album.
Overall it's very good but not brilliant. A solid effort full of eclectic whimsy but lacking any really killer tracks.
Format:Audio CD
Scars On Broadway is almost a Daron Malakian solo record, with Daron responsible for all vocals, guitars, bass guitars, keyboards and song writing, with John Dolmayan on the drums. I discovered Scars through hearing "They Say" on the radio, and figured it was worth the purchase price just for that excellent track, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all the songs here are very good indeed. The music is often frenetic, the lyrics occasionally vulgar (sometimes entertainingly so - I burst out laughing when I first heard "Chemicals") but the whole album is awash with energy and creativity. "Stoner Hate" has become a real favorite with its absurd but irresistable refrains of "super-cala-fra-jalistic-expi-ela-docious" and "la la la la la". This is the best album I've heard in quite a while.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1 hit wonder?
Bought this for the amazing song "They say" and was looking forward to hearing
more great tracks but found none. Read more
more great tracks but found none. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. K. C. McLean
It's "Steal this album, part 2"
It's rare that I hear an album and am blown away by it on the first listening, but that's what happened with 'Scars on Broadway'. Musically, it's brilliant. Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2008 by K. Ord
Scars on Broadway
'Scars on Broadway' is the excellent album from Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan, which they've recorded while SOAD are on hiatus. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2008 by Spider Monkey
Musical banquet. Lyrical slops
Subtle, intricate and catchy as bird flu but seriously, who just swallowed a rhyming dictionary...
Buy and ignore the lyrics...
Buy and ignore the lyrics...
Published on 24 Aug 2008 by Mr. M. J. Turner
While you suck on my....
We all thought it.. Daren had all the best tunes, Serj the voice, but then Serj surprised us with a great album. So, with anticipation we waited for Daren and his hand. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2008 by S. Collins
Metal album of the year so far!!!
Ok to be honest with you I wasn't expecting much from this album but within a few days it has become permanently glued into my CD player at home and in the car. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2008 by Mr. G. Charlesworth
Fantastic
I think it's brilliant, I love everything about it, I didn't think it would compare to Serj's album, but I was so wrong. Read more
Published on 29 July 2008 by L. Salmon
picks up where system of a down left off
scars on broadway sounds almost like system of a down in its hypnotise/mesmerize era. its pretty much system of a down minus serj tankian. Read more
Published on 29 July 2008 by Jasper Wong
more than a one hit wonder!
apart from the riff tastic "They Say" which was seen on a fantastic video on scuzz tv this album by the new band formed by no other than the two core members of SOAD shredder Daron... Read more
Published on 28 July 2008 by spike
Keeping up with expectations, and some
The real genius of the album only becomes apparent after a couple of listens, and the more I listen, the more amazed I become. Read more
Published on 25 July 2008 by Riotgrrl/Cynic
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