System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian had thus far been relatively quiet throughout the recent political headlines surrounding his bandmates — specifically the polar opposite beliefs between left-leaning singer Serj Tankian and right-wing drummer John Dolmayan.
However, Malakian recently offered his support for Second Amendment gun rights by reposting a video of a drum cover of SOAD’s “B.Y.O.B.” using firearms as percussion.
The video was created by “GunDrummer”, a guy who actually shoots guns to make beats, as he plays along to the song with pistols, rifles, and machine guns. The footage (below) is literally triggering, so watch with discretion.
Malakian, who released the 2019 single “Guns Are Loaded” with his band Scars on Broadway, used the occasion to announce his pro-gun stance with a variety of Second Amendment hashtags and a generous amount of exclamation points:
“Another great performance from GunDrummer. Guns are essential tools for self defense!!!!!! And they make great percussive instruments as well!!! #2A #2ndAmendment #DefundGunControl #GunsareLoaded #BYOB #SOAD #DMSOB #DaronMalakian #ScarsOnBroadway #SystemOfADown.”
Malakian’s timing in reposting the video doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Following two horrific mass shootings in the United States this month, gun control remains a fiercely divided issue.
Despite his support of gun rights, Malakian’s political views aren’t as obvious as those of his bandmates. Dolmayan has repeatedly made headlines for supporting former president Donald Trump, calling him the “greatest friend to minorities” and repeatedly blasting Black Lives Matter. Recently, he revealed he’d been “blacklisted” for his views.
Meanwhile, Tankian called for the end of the Trump regime, highlighting a number of grievances with the former president in various social media posts. Tankian admitted that Dolmayan’s political views are “frustrating”, but as he told Heavy Consequence, he still respects Dolmayan as a bandmate and as his brother-in-law.
“I love and respect John very much, but I don’t love and respect his American political views,” Tankian told us. “And that’s fine. And I can live with that and he can live with that because we respect and care for each other.”
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Tankian was recently the topic of a documentary, Truth to Power, focusing on his activism. He also has a new EP, Elasticity, available here.
System of a Down, meanwhile released their first new songs in 15 years — “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” — back in November.
See Malakian’s repost of GunDrummer’s cover of “B.Y.O.B.” below.
