Serj Tankian - Imperfect Harmonies review
| Band: | Serj Tankian |
| Album: | Imperfect Harmonies |
| Style: | Alternative metal, Hard rock |
| Release date: | September 2010 |
01. Disowned Inc.
02. Borders Are...
03. Deserving?
04. Beatus
05. Reconstructive Demonstrations
06. Electron
07. Gate 21
08. Yes, It's Genocide
09. Peace Be Revenged
10. Left Of Center
11. Wings Of Summer
Experimental Alternative rock / Neo-progressive rock
Recorded: Home Studio, Los Angeles 2010
Label: Serjical Strike Records / Reprise Records (Warner)
Total Running Time: 44:09
People like Serj Tankian have earned their stripes in the metal biz, and don't need much of an introduction.
...But that's no guarantee for success.
On his second solo album, Imperfect Harmonies, Tankian let his creative juices flow once more and takes it another step further down the bright road of musical experimentation. A road that leads further and further away from what he used to do with System Of A Down - though he still is and stays, y'know, Serj Tankian. More than ever, Tankian reveals himself as a multitalented musical chameleon, blending together elements from a plethora of genres, such as classical rock, electronica, jazz and orchestral music.
This musical rollercoaster is actually anything but metal. Frankly, it's an unexplainable amalgam of schizophrenic yet touching anthems with bombastic symphonic arrangements, and with - of course - an outspoken deeper, darker message of political/environmental/social commentary behind it. And not to forget, Tankian's iconic voice adding some extra color to the genre-tripping compositions. That's basically the short version of the album.
Imperfect Harmonies, crazier than buying hallucinogens from an Andy Warhol soup can. That's basically the main motto of the album.
The biggest pitfall is the naïve search for anything resembling System Of A Down (or even his heavier debut for that matter). It's simply incomparable! So once you're done chasing ghosts and got that certain band out of your system (hiyo!), there's actually a fine piece of art-metal running circles all around you - and you didn't even know it. Sure, this will definitely need more than a few listens to sink in, and sure, you can barely get past Tankian's eccentric personality, but dammit son, nothing in life comes easy.
In the end it all comes down to a matter of perception, mood and timing. Apparently, there're indecisive boundaries between a pretentious piece of shit, a blank stare, and a work of staggering genius.
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Comments: 36
Visited by: 408 users
| Axe Argonian Posts: 116  |
I was definitely considering giving this album a shot, and after reading your well-written review, I feel more convinced to do so.
---- "Man does at all times only what he wills, and yet he does this necessarily. But this is because he already is what he wills." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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| corrupt With a lowercase c admin Posts: 3131  |
One review I did not expect here. And from what I've heard on his myspace page when the album was released, this is exactly the kind of music I do not want to listen to. Which begs to question if metalstorm has to feature every release by a person once related to the metal world even though that output could not be further away from it. I'm not saying it shouldn't. But the line gets harder to draw with every other album like this around here.
---- 
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| Shield Posts: 8  |
Which begs to question if metalstorm has to feature every release by a person once related to the metal world even though that output could not be further away from it. Serj is not a person who related ONCE with metal music... He is the person who had infuenced such megatheriums of metall as Metallica and others. He is one of the most charesmatics metal mucisian of 21th century. The Album is not metal, it is not even rock... You dislike it, It's ok... You may... but do not call him "Just a person who had related once with metal world".
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Shield on 04.01.2011 at 11:53 why not? To me he is just a person who had related once with the metal world. Nothing more, nothing less. And I fully agree with Corrupt on this one.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Shield Posts: 8 |
Perhaps because he is not a person who cuts veins in the scene or gets used to eats bats or burns churches or had deals with narcotics but he is vegetarian, fights for the human rights and publishes books with poems? and he related with metal when had sang the Chop Suey once? p.s. It's your opinion my friend, do not even try to prove something or change it... just discussing about that !
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck elite Posts: 40071 |
What the hell are you trying to say?  So what if he is a vegetarian, fights for human rights and publishes books with poems what does that have to do with whether or not this album should be reviewed here? And like I said to ME he is just a musician who once played metal but doesn't any more. I don't give a bleep about what he does outside the music playing. And I am sure most peple don't care about any of those things either. He was a bit influential with SoaD but that's it. But there are loads of artists out there who were more influential. So? What's your point?
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Shield Posts: 8 |
My point is that he is still metal musician irrelevantly if this album not metal or not even rock he stay metal musician and I am sure that we will see more metal things from Serj then everybody waits. Nothing else.. you may reject this post or information about Serj's album if you want But he stays for me and many other people a great talanted musician as in metal as in the styles of every music he did. TNX for sharing opinion.
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| Mikyz Posts: 711  |
For me to properly understand the mechanics behind this albums' composition I had to spin it more than a couple of times, the plethora of genres he mixed in this record made it complex and hard to sink in, but after a while Serj's unique take on music infected me and made me enjoy it more and more with each new listen. Whether it is worth the effort and time depends solely on the listener, if you're not a fan of his previous outputs than it's best for you to avoid this, if you are then you're in for a treat. I think the review of this album is more than welcome, and whether you like it or not Serj Tankian's previous album was Metal and is featured here so all of his future musical endeavors metal or not will be featured here (like Ulver), whether they should be reviewed or not is up to the staff.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Jon Posts: 182  |
Nowhere near as influential as hard rock and early punk bands, which have next to no presence on metal-storm, considering the strong modern tilt of the content here. Just sayin'. Having received that kick in the nuts, most people would do well to explore their newfound desire for alternative music beyond metal on websites that don't feature the word 'metal' in the URL.
---- A mythology is a religion different enough from your own for it's absurdity to be obvious.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Jon on 04.01.2011 at 15:54 Exactly... gets up after kick in nuts... this here is called Metal Storm and not Metal Plus All Side Projects Are Non Metal Albums By Metal Bands Storm  Imo it would be way more important to feature such bands as Aerosmith here than totally non hard rock/metal related stuff. And why should I veer outside of metal anyway when there's more than enough variation within metal. Ecclecticism is for people who can't make up their mind what they like. It's for the fickle. 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 04.01.2011 at 16:04 I think it's highly dependant on how you perceive the "metal" in metalstorm. For me this band is very much a part of modern metal subculture given his relations to an undoubtedly metal project, much like Ulver are still identified with the metal masses despite being non-metal. As I say I really couldn't care less about this kind of thing being present, I don't see this site Metal(style)Storm. Quote: And that coming from a metal puritan means nothing whatsoever Marcel =P
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| Mikyz Posts: 711 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 04.01.2011 at 16:04 Well, the world has much more than just metal to offer, so it would be beyond idiotic not to explore everything available. I also know for fact that metal doesn't offer every possible feeling, believe it or not metal has its flaws, so for me not veering outside metal is practically impossible.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| Thryce Retired Staff elite Posts: 4346  |
Quote: Bite me.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Guest on 04.01.2011 at 20:58 And yet it does, as long as you go across the board. @the open-mindedness post, once again someone misunderstands the meaning of the word. Open-mindedness does NOT mean you have to like everything in and outisde of metal. It just means you have to give it a fair chance. I did give this a fair chance and for what it tries to achieve it is decent, but like I said, imo it has no place on a metal webzine, just like most of Ulver's newest stuff doesn't have a place here
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 04.01.2011 at 16:04 ... What? Sorry but I didn't think I would read this from you since I don't think it's very bright. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a taste for genres that can be completely different.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Guest on 04.01.2011 at 21:36 I wouldn't. Especially not if there was no electro and that sort of stuff. I truly hate that more than anything else.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Mikyz Posts: 711 |
Written by Guest on 04.01.2011 at 21:36 I agree with what you say, but I'd add Post-Rock to that group. I mean I don't know any metal band with the capacity to evoke feelings similar to that of Sigur Ros, or Explosion in the Sky. What I want to say is there is no harm in permitting reviews of albums that might appeal to Metalheads, no harm done.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Thryce Retired Staff elite Posts: 4346 |
Ok, thanks for sharing all that. The review is published, despite its non-metal character, and it'll stay published. And I review whatever I damn well please. So get back to Serj Tankian, or get the fuck out.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| Rupert Posts: 468  |
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702  |
Good album... I enjoyed the MySpace samples... as far as the debate about reviewing non-metal album is concerned, I think this is a perfect example of when a non-metal album should be reviewed. Serj is a very important figure in the metal scene and his creative output always deserves some consideration. I don't mind the occasional non-metal review, but let's not forget that people come to a metal site to read about metal, so it's important not to get overboard...
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| Yojimbo Posts: 232  |
Can I say something? Can I, can I say something? Tankian is a twat, his music is terrible, and I prefer close-minded opinions that don't allow for nu-metal shtick. Thank you for your time.
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| gattz Posts: 4 |
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| Mikyz Posts: 711 |
Written by Yojimbo on 05.01.2011 at 23:38 You are allowed to say whatever you want but whether what you say has any value is another matter entirely.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| jadawal Posts: 241  |
Written by Thryce on 04.01.2011 at 23:19 Your one cool cat thryce. They'll stay debating, to whatever they damn well think. Thanks for sharing your low self esteem and your drive to make others feel lesser than you. This is mostly relevent conversation, maybe you should "get out"; or are we just going to stay in the compitition? Maybe these metal related albums should have their own tag of context? Their own rating system? Because it's not metal, so why should it be in the same ranks as a classic metal album? Call it an "influence review", or have it an "associative tag". Or just have a watermark across the screen "THIS IS NOT METAL". Listenable Music Storm!
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by jadawal on 07.01.2011 at 16:18 
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