If you ever wanted to hear System of a Down‘s Daron Malakian imitate an evil Tony the Tiger, then do we have an album for you.
Addicted to the Violence, the latest effort from Malakian’s Scars on Broadway project, drops Friday. It leads off with the single “Killing Spree,” in which Malakian sings about youth violence while also roaring like a cartoon tiger.
Mixing dark and serious topics and emotions with humor and crude imagery is something Malakian’s long done in his music — as he tells ABC Audio, “I just express myself the way that it feels natural for me to express myself.”
“I’ve never been afraid to be ridiculous or be stupid or be funny or whatever, just ’cause I’m supposed to be metal or heavy or whatever the f***,” Malakian says.
In the case of “Killing Spree,” Malakian’s vocal expressions are simply a reaction to how the music makes him feel.
“I don’t write ‘Rawr, rawr!’ on a piece of paper and say, ‘I’m gonna sing that,'” Malakian says. “I’m in a certain state of mind, and that just flies out of me.”
“Killing Spree” is one of the faster, heavier songs on Addicted to the Violence, which ventures into a number of different sonic territories, including the folky “You Destroy You” and the proggy title track.
Malakian says he’s particularly proud of the song “Addicted to the Violence.”
“I do things and they kind of fit into my style and you’re like, ‘OK, that’s him,'” Malakian says. “But then sometimes I bring things into that world that I’ve never brought in before. When I think of ‘Addicted to the Violence,’ it just feels like this evolution.”
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