“Genocidal Humanoidz” is a brand new song by Armenian heavy metal legends System of a Down. It is also one of the two songs released, the other being titled “Protect the Land.” System of a Down came from their musical hiatus after 15 years to spread awareness of the acts of war and terrorism on their native land of Armenia.
The last time System of a Down got together for a project was back in 2005 when they released their fifth studio album ‘Hypnotize.’ Despite the fact that the band toured afterward, the members were unable to see eye-to-eye in creating new music. However, the members put aside their differences aside to raise awareness of the conflict in Armenia.
Armenia vs Azerbaijan Conflict of 2020
In September 2020, war broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly ethnic-Armenian region of Azerbaijan that Armenians call “Artsakh.” It covers about 1,700 square miles of mountainous terrain, and it has had a long, bloody history that has scarred the people who live there. A previous war between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended with a cease-fire and Armenians in control of the region in 1994. Azerbaijan initiated another war this past September after its president, Ilham Aliyev, took umbrage with Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s claim this past spring that Nagorno-Karabakh was wholly Armenian. Russia, France, and the United States have each attempted to mediate cease-fires between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but none have stuck. [Source: Rolling Stone]
Listen to “Genocidal Humanoidz” by System of a Down
All proceeds from the two songs will go towards providing humanitarian relief to Armenia and the region in conflict. On the fundraiser campaign, the band commented; “
“The current corrupt regimes of Aliyev in Azerbaijan and Erdogan in Turkey not only want to claim Artsakh and Armenia as their own, but are committing genocidal acts with impunity on humanity & wildlife to achieve their mission. They are banking on the world being too distracted to call out their atrocities. We’re here to protect our land, to protect our culture, & to protect our nation.”
“Genocidal Humanoidz” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Unlike “Protect the Land,” which was written for a different project and then altered its path, “Genocidal Humanoidz” was written directly aiming at the Armenian conflict going on right now.
Verse
In the only verse of the song, System of Down sums up the crucial elements of the message they want to deliver through this song.
The first line “Can you see us?” hits hard. Armenia is a relatively smaller country (29,000 square kilometers) with a population of just 3 million (2010) in the Eurasia region. These stats would generally draw very little attention from the world’s power players. And the band suggests that under the disguise of the world under COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and elections in the USA, the country of Turkey has made it an opportunity to invade Armenia.
The war situation is hopeless for Armenia as they stand outnumbered by Turks as well as alleged hired mercenaries from Syria. Serj Tankian of the band posted a picture on Instagram showing the First Lady of Armenia in the front line of the war.
In the next few lines of the verse, System of a Down calls the terrorist ‘the devil’ who has come to steal their lands and even worse commit genocide. However, they cannot run away, and the Armenians have chosen to stand their ground. But at what cost?
Chorus
System of a Down calls the Turks ‘terrorists’ partly because of the report that they have hired paid mercenaries from the terrorist organization ISIS operating in Syria.
The band also goes hard at the different worldly organizations that claim to be the peacekeepers on Earth. The band labels these organizations ‘pr0stitutes’ to insinuate that their ‘goals’ can be bought over. A country’s power position in the world is a factor that affects directly in these organizations’ influence in the matters, which should not be. However, under these conditions, Armenia is a country that will be easily turned a blind-eye towards.
Bridge
In these lyrics, System of a Down sing about the tension the Armenians are facing right now in their own country. They question if this is the legacy these invaders want to leave in their history books!
System of a Down clearly feels motivated and moved by the war crimes happening in their motherland that they penned up a song with such aggression and pain. Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below.
Check out the complete lyrics and further meaning breakdown on Genius.