Watch a pre-SOAD Serj Tankian play keyboards in his very first band

It seems strange to think of Serj Tankian in a group that’s not System Of A Down, but new footage from his forthcoming film Truth Of Power reveals the vocalist in a new light: fresh-faced and playing keyboards in first ever band, long before his days with the band that made him famous.

Tankian explains: “The first band that I ever played in was called Forever Young, I started playing keyboards with them.

“The one and only show that we ever played was at the Armenian Cultural Center in Hollywood. It was an interesting start ‘cause, first of all, we were doing songs in English and Armenian, ‘cause that really was our lives as young Armenian-Americans growing up in Los Angeles. We were part of both cultures simultaneously.”

Truth Of Power explores Tankian’s “journey through the turbulent intersection of music and activism over three decades” and will feature interviews with his System Of A Down bandmates.

Serj says: “It includes a lot of stuff about my youth, my motivations, what made me an activist and how I ended up in the revolution in Armenia in 2018… It’s quite interesting as a music doc.”

The documentary will premiere online on February 19, followed  by Tankian’s new EP, Elasticity, on March 19.

Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.