System Of A Down say playing first show in Armenia is ‘more important than our next album’

The band's upcoming tour marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of World War I

System Of A Down have discussed their upcoming show in Armenia, their first in the country of their ancestors.

The ‘Wake Up The Souls’ tour is dedicated to raising awareness of the Armenian Genocide of World War I. Taking place in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the atrocities, the tour begins on April 6 at the Forum in Inglewood, California, covers 14 dates across Europe and concludes in North and South America this September.

The band will perform for the first time in Armenia on April 23 at a free show in Yerevan, the day before the annual genocide remembrance day. Each member of the group has family originating from Armenia.

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Drummer John Dolmayan told Billboard: “As the date gets closer and closer where we’re gonna embark on this tour, I’m getting more and more excited about it. That tends to happen for most tours, but for this one especially, since it’s culminating in Armenia.”

Dolmayan continued: “It’s even more impactful for me as an Armenian and as a musician. It’s something that transcends music. This is more important than the next System of a Down album. This is something that’s far-reaching and it’s actually bigger than the Armenian genocide itself. This is a world issue.”

The band’s last studio LP was ‘Hypnotize’ back in 2005, and this will be the first time the band have played live together since their surprise US show in July 2013.

System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian recently confirmed that the band are working on a new album. He said: “We’ve already gone. We’ve written some songs. We’re keeping it to ourselves. We’re getting back to the bullshit of being together.”

To check the availability of System Of A Down tickets and get all the latest listings, head to NME.COM/tickets.

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