System Of A Down expected to reunite soon

Los Angeles metal giants System Of A Down are expected to announce a much rumoured comeback tour on Monday November 28 along with details on several European festival appearances in 2011 including the iconic Download festival in the UK. 

System Of A Down have been on a period of indefinite hiatus since 2006, time during which the band's members have pursued other musical projects. Singer Serj Tankian released his first solo album entitled "Elect The Dead" in 2007, followed up by 2010's "Imperfect Harmonies". Bassist Shavo Odadjian recorded music with members from Wu-Tang Clan and has launched an online music initiative. Meanwhile guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan have started a new band called Scars On Broadway.

When asked by a fan via Twitter if there is any truth to reports that the band will play next year's Download festival, which they also played in 2005, bassist Shavo Odadjian replied, "Stay tuned." According to the official blog of Francis Zégut, host of the show "Pop Rock Station" on the French radio station RTL2, System Of A Down will perform at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in Paris, France on June 6, 2011. This is expected to be one of many gigs the reunited band will play in Europe during next summer's festival season.

When asked about the possibility of a full-blown SOAD reunion during an August 2010 interview with The Pulse of Radio, frontman Serj Tankian replied, "Shavo got married like two months ago, we were all at his wedding, and you know, we all talk, we're friends, nothing's changed, and we get offers to play shows, tours, whatever, and we discuss them once in a while. We have not made any decisions as of yet as to what we're gonna do. But when we do, it'll be quite obvious."

Meanwhile, Odadjian himself said in a recent interview with Hustler magazine that SOAD went on an "indefinite break" to save the band from splitting up permanently. Odadjian explained, "We won a Grammy and we had two number one records. We were making a lot of loot [money]. Then some people within the group of four brothers started seeing things differently . . . and their actions made the reactions of others pretty unbrotherly-like."

The bass player added, "All of a sudden band members are having problems financially. . . . [and] fighting about, 'I want my style of music to be this and that.' I love them. They're my brothers, but I couldn't see my brothers digging into each other's pockets and killing each other's artistic creativity."

Odadjian said that the band members vowed to come back "when we again have the hunger and the fire in our eyes that we did when we started System Of A Down."