System of a Down bring visceral heaviness to London
Since re-forming in 2010, System of a Down (SOAD) have existed in a weird limbo, playing numerous big-ticket tours but releasing only two new songs, with mooted further material absent amid grumbling of impasses and creative conflicts. Tonight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium offered scant clues that this deadlock has eased – certainly, there were no new songs – but SOAD didn't play like they were retreading familiar material simply for filthy lucre. Viscerally heavy, they gave everything a metal band should, including a guitar hero, Daron Malakian, who led chants of “Pull Oasis out of your ass!” and provoked a circle-pit that stretched from stage to exit; a bassist, Shavo Odadjian, gurning with unparalleled panache; and a frontman, Serk Tankian, who growled, crooned, got operatic and – at least once tonight – meowed.
Disorientating bricolage inspired by Dead Kennedys and Zappa
Lifting from Dead Kennedys, Faith No More, Zappa and a million points beyond, SOAD's weirdo bricolage is disorientating, but as inspired as it is chaotic. Decades on, the likes of Suite Pee and Chic'n'Stu retain their initial shock-of-the-new impact, hopscotching time signatures and ricocheting between technical savagery, perverted pop instincts and melodies that could rouse folk uprisings. These songs are brutal, expertly constructed rollercoasters, with abundant twists and jump scares.
Anger feels prescient in today's world
As the giddy melee of Chop Suey ebbs away, Malakian sighed: “Another angry song. Pardon us for being so angry – the world is kind of fucked!” This has been SOAD's position for more than 25 years, but their songs landed so powerfully tonight because the anger coursing through this material feels so prescient today. Their paranoid visions of America's decaying future under debilitating capitalism don't feel so paranoid any more. The anti-war message within the shrapnel-juggling riot of opener BYOB – where Tankian howls “Why do they always send the poor?” – is as timely as when they wrote it. A satirical ad on the video screens promised human suffering is now available “in 4K”.
Cathartic entertainment despite grim themes
If the world is kind of fucked, SOAD's tireless assault is a life-affirming catharsis, a scream into the darkness. Anger is still an energy, and it drives SOAD to elevate these timeless anthems of rage to scourging, thrilling, eviscerating entertainment. The concert took place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, on 15 July.
