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Dictator (Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway album)

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Dictator
Studio album by
Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway
ReleasedJuly 20, 2018
Recorded2012
Genre
Length44:05
LabelScarred for Life
ProducerDaron Malakian
Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway chronology
Scars on Broadway
(2008) 		Dictator
(2018)
Singles from Dictator
  1. "Lives"
    Released: April 23, 2018
  2. "Dictator"
    Released: June 1, 2018
  3. "Guns Are Loaded"
    Released: February 20, 2019

Dictator is the second studio album by American rock band Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway, released via Scarred for Life on July 20, 2018.

Background

[edit]

Daron Malakian wrote, produced, and recorded the album over ten days in 2012.[3][4][5] Dictator was officially announced on April 16, 2018.[6] Regarding the delay of the album, Malakian stated "not knowing what's happening with System of a Down has kept me from putting my own stuff out. Too much time has passed, and I'm really excited to finally get some music out finally."[7] Malakian stated that the new album could have been System of a Down music, however members of the band couldn't agree on musical direction.[8]

When the album was announced, the band was rebranded as "Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway" (previously only known as Scars on Broadway).[9]

Malakian's father, Vartan, contributed the artwork for Dictator, as he did for the first Scars on Broadway album and System of a Down's Mezmerize and Hypnotize.[10]

Promotion

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"Lives" was released as a single in April 2018.[11] The title track was released as a single on June 1, 2018.[12][13] The first week of sales of "Lives" on iTunes was donated to the Armenia Fund.[10] The music video for "Guns Are Loaded" was released on February 20, 2019.[14]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[15]
Exclaim![16]
The Independent[17]
Metal Hammer[18]
Pure Grain Audio[19]
Rolling Stone[1]

The Independent gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating "With a dynamism and ferocity like few other releases so far this year, Dictator shines a light on Malakian's musical prowess: he performs all of the instruments on the record in addition to vocal duties, creating a shifting, immersive mood that delves into everything from straight-up thrash to early Eighties metal and signature, Middle Eastern-influenced guitar."[17] The Arts Desk also gave the album 4 out of 5, stating "All in all, though, Dictator is an immediate and accessible affair, with irresistible hooks, singalong choruses and a pleasing amount of crunchy heaviness."[15]

Exclaim! gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating "Dictator is a strong release that touches on a lot of the elements of System of a Down's final albums without too many of the quirky moments from those records. Still, it comes across as the comeback record that could have been huge but never happened."[16]

Metal Hammer rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating "It's not hard to read Dictator as a sly 'fuck you' to his on-off bandmates, or at least the ones holding up a potential album. It's evident in their grand rebranding – they're no longer just Scars On Broadway, but now 'Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway', a definite 'Who Needs You Guys Anyway?' statement. But it's also there in the fact that, yes, many of these songs could quite have easily parked their backsides on a SOAD record. On this evidence, that's System Of A Down's loss more than it is ours."[18]

Rolling Stone placed the album fourth on its year-end list of the 20 best metal albums.[2]

Track listing

[edit]

Track listing adapted from the iTunes Store.[21]

No.TitleLength
1."Lives"4:04
2."Angry Guru"3:36
3."Dictator"3:00
4."Fuck and Kill"3:35
5."Guns Are Loaded"4:17
6."Never Forget"3:19
7."Talkin Shit"4:50
8."Till the End"4:55
9."We Won't Obey"3:39
10."Sickening Wars"2:18
11."Gie Mou 'My Son'" (Instrumental, Stamatis Kokotas cover)2:56
12."Assimilate" (Skinny Puppy cover)3:39
Total length:44:05

Personnel

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  • Daron Malakian – vocals, all instruments, production
  • Ryan Williams (Pulse Studios) – mixing, engineering

Charts

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Chart (2018) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 48
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] 103
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 54

References

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  1. ^ a b Grow, Kory (July 30, 2018). "Review: Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway's Pogo-Ready Hard-Rock LP 'Dictator'". Rolling Stone.
  2. ^ a b Exposito, Suzy; Grow, Kory; Shteamer, Hank; Weingarten, Christopher R. (December 12, 2018). "20 Best Metal Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  3. ^ Grow, Kory (June 1, 2018). "Hear System of a Down Guitarist's Heavy, Political New 'Dictator'". Rolling Stone.
  4. ^ "SYSTEM OF A DOWN's DARON MALAKIAN Releases 'Guns Are Loaded' Single From SCARS ON BROADWAY Project". July 13, 2018.
  5. ^ "Daron Malakian Previews New Scars on Broadway Album 'Dictator,' Talks System of a Down". Billboard. June 14, 2018.
  6. ^ "SYSTEM OF A DOWN Guitarist To Release New Video, Single From SCARS ON BROADWAY Project". April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "SYSTEM OF A DOWN's DARON MALAKIAN Releases 'Lives' Single, Video From SCARS ON BROADWAY Project". April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  8. ^ "Daron Malakian Says SCARS ON BROADWAY's New Album Could Have Been New SYSTEM OF A DOWN Music". April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "System of a Down Guitarist Talks First Solo Music in Eight Years". Rolling Stone. April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Callwood, Brett (July 26, 2018). "System of a Down/Scars on Broadway's Daron Malakian Is Ready to Put a Decade of Frustration Behind Him". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Grow, Kory (April 23, 2018). "System of a Down Guitarist Talks First Solo Music in Eight Years". Rolling Stone.
  12. ^ "SYSTEM OF A DOWN's DARON MALAKIAN Releases 'Dictator' Single From SCARS ON BROADWAY Project". June 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "Hear Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway's Raging New Song "Dictator"". June 1, 2018.
  14. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway - Guns Are Loaded (Official Video). YouTube.
  15. ^ a b "CD: Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway – Dictator". theartsdesk.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway Dictator". exclaim.ca.
  17. ^ a b "Album reviews this week: Daron Malakian, Popcaan, Skeletonwitch and Punch Brothers". The Independent. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway – Dictator album review". Metal Hammer. July 20, 2018.
  19. ^ Paltrowitz, Darren. "Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway – "Dictator" [Album Review]". puregrainaudio.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  20. ^ Metacritic reviews
  21. ^ "Dictator by Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway". iTunes Store (US). July 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway – Dictator" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway – Dictator" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway – Dictator". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
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