"Scars On Broadway" CD by Scars On Broadway

by Oliver Kube (10.07.2008) Here we have yeat another first class product during the sabbatical of System Of A Down. After Serj Tankians solo album, axeman Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan follow his footsteps with the first release of their interim band. Together with Franky Perez (guitar), Danny Shamoun (keyboard) and Dominic Cifarelli (bass), the two have developed a sound not too far away from SOAD, but yet to some degrees catchier. Hardly one song is longer than 4 minutes, all of them are very diversified but at the same time tight: "Enemy", for example, starts off as a merry stomper, but also consists of considerably darker, slower parts. At the beginning, "Chemicals" is an ultra-fast, nervous techno tune slowing down to a wall of hefty sound. "World long gone" at first reminds you of classic Maiden, but it is repeatedly interrupted by easy-going, New Wave-inspired parts. Apart from that, Malakian shows his singing prowess, especially during those psychedelic and atmospheric moments.