System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian has spoken to NME about his new band Seven Hours After Violet‘s debut album, performing at Download 2025 and where things currently stand with System.
Seven Hours After Violet – a play on Shavo’s name – comprises vocalist Taylor Barber, guitarists Alejando Aranda and Morgoth Beatz, Odadjian on bass and Josh Johnson on drums. The project’s a markedly drastic turn from the music that System Of A Down fans are used to from Odadjian; it’s much heavier, at times leaning mostly into the stylings of metalcore.
Earlier this month, the band were announced to perform at Download 2025 – something Odadjian is particularly excited and “so grateful” for. However, Seven Hours After Violet’s existence doesn’t mean the end for System Of A Down. In fact, Odadjian told NME that the legendary band were “always talking” and would likely “never break up”.
When asked if the often-political group had convened to discuss the state of the world, Odadjian said that outside of different political views (drummer John Dolmayan has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump), System Of A Down are usually in sync: “We believe in free speech, we don’t judge each other. We agree on 90 per cent of things, but no one’s ever going to agree on things 100 per cent.”
He also spoke of bandmate Serj Tankian‘s recent comments that potential new material from System would be a “fresh start” for the band, and what it would take for them to record new music – check out NME‘s full chat with Odadjian below.
NME: Hello Shavo. Congratulations on Seven Hours After Violet’s debut record. What made you want to tap into such an extreme sound?
Shavo Odadjian: “I’ve never done this before: dropping a full rock or heavy metal record away from System Of A Down. I’ve always been a fan of the really heavy stuff. Now, if you look at the System albums and you see my last name on a track, you’ll understand which parts I wrote.”
How different has the creative process been with Seven Hours compared to SOAD?
“With System, I’d write all my riffs at home and send it across to the rest, and Daron [Malakian, guitarist] or Serj would come back with ideas about it. This is more of me and someone else in the studio together and I’m writing according to what he’s doing, and we’re bouncing off each other. It was all happening on the spot, live.”
You’ve said that the environment with Seven Hours is a lot more positive than you’re used to…
“Not more positive, per se. It was a joke that was kind of flipped and turned into a tabloidy thing. System’s great, I love those guys. Many times, it’s the most positive it’s been in my life. When we’re onstage together, it’s like we’re best friends, family and everything’s just happening naturally. We’re like literal brothers because we’ve been together for 30 years.
“But with Seven Hours, it’s new and exciting because I’m working with young artists who love each other and are so excited about the opportunity, so they’re really supportive of each other. They respect each other so it’s really fun to be a fly on the wall and observe them sometimes.”
Seven Hours already have a second record in the works…
“The songs that were left off the first record we might work into the second one. But it’s exciting now because when I was writing the first album, I didn’t know who the singer was going to be and we now know the kind of band we are. Now when I’m writing a big chorus, I know what it’ll sound like. So it’s going to be really fun to work on it. In terms of what the record will sound like, it’s going to be different but heavier; we’re going to do more extreme stuff but also more melodic stuff too.”
You’re working on a comic book that’s going to tell the story of Seven Hours and the meaning behind ‘Violet’. What can you tell us about it?
“It’s so funny you’re asking this because just yesterday, I saw the full story for the first issue and it’s so cool. We don’t have a release date yet, but I want to have a few issues already completed for when we announce it. I don’t like when something comes out and then people wait three months for another issue. So we’re going to drop the first issue on this date, and then on that date every month, we’re going to drop another issue. I don’t know how many parts it’ll have but I was thinking seven. We’ll see.”
Next year you’re playing Download with your new band. Do you feel like you’ve still got something to prove?
“No, it’s just about giving younger artists a platform. I’ve got nothing I need to prove, that’s the beauty of this project. I’m not proving anything to anyone. I’m just making art and I enjoy doing it so much. It’s made me a happier person, like I’m way more happy in life after I started doing this project.
“And I’m so grateful and happy that we’re getting to play Download. It’s such a legendary festival to me – I used to go as a kid back in the ‘80s when it was Monsters Of Rock, before it became Castle Donington. And then I got to play Download with System and that was legendary, so I’m just glad I’m getting to do it again 25 years later. Not many people are able to do that this late into their careers.”
Do you have anything special planned for Download?
“Not really, or at least not yet. I think maybe we’ll play the full record. I don’t know how long our set is yet, but that’d be really cool. I’d also love to play a side stage rather than the main stage, just so we’re closer to the people.”
Both as a band, and as individuals, System have always been big on politics and ethics. Given everything that’s been happening in the US, have you guys had a chance to discuss the state of the world and politics?
“We’re always talking. Everybody wants the best for the country. People feel differently about certain things but it’s not a negative thing at all, and no one in the band trips on each other for their beliefs. Everyone respects each other. We believe in free speech, we don’t judge each other. ‘Believe whatever you want, I still love you to death’.
“We agree on 90 per cent of things, but no one’s ever going to agree on things 100 per cent. But our conversations are civil and full of respect. We’ve been through it all for 30 years, I think we’re in a really good place at the moment. We’re all cool with each other so I’m hoping more things happen with us. We’re that band that will never break up, I don’t think. We’ll take time off but we always come back together.”
You’ve said your door is always open for new System material, Serj has pretty much said the same. As it stands right now, what would it take for the band to record new music together?
“If I knew, I’d make it happen. If it happens, we’ll all be at the right place, at the right time, in the right mood, at the right juncture in life.”
Serj has said a new System record would be a “fresh start in a brand new way”…
“I don’t know what he means by that. We’ve done things a certain way in our career where it’s always going in a new direction. Every time we do something new, it’s in a direction you don’t expect. Process-wise, we’ll have to see when we get together. If it goes in a way that works for one person but not the others, we won’t do it. It has to work for all four of us.
“Once that special time comes when we’re all in sync, we’ll figure out a way to do it. I’m not saying that it’s going to happen for sure – I don’t want people to turn this into clickbait like ‘Shavo says there’s a new record coming!’ I’m just saying if something happens, it will have to be in a way that all four of us are comfortable with.”
Seven Hours After Violet’s self-titled debut album is out now. Download 2025 is happening next June 13-15 at Donington Park, Leicestershire. You can get tickets here.
