Earlier this month, System Of A Down released two new songs to benefit Artsakh during their current conflict with Azerbaijan and Turkey. One of those tracks, “Protect The Land,” was accompanied by a music video in which the band showcased the struggle of the Armenian military, who they portrayed as standing up against an invading force with little more than their determination and spirits. Now, SOAD have released a behind-the-scenes segment in which fans can see how “Protect The Land” was made, and hear the band talk about the struggle their people are undertaking.
As you’ll see below, much of the video segment is either System bassist Shavo Odadjian discussing his choices in making the “Protect The Land” video, or the various band members discussing the importance of putting out a track to benefit their motherland.
“I wrote the song I’d say about a year and a half ago,” explains guitarist Daron Malakian. “There were little things that happened, but not like the major war we’re seeing right now. That’s kind of how ‘Protect The Land’ and the lyrics and the theme and everything got into my head, thinking, There are these soldiers there that are fighting, that don’t have the best equipment and don’t even have something as easy as a first-aid kit. That’s really how the song and the lyrics and all — I kind of connected with them spiritually, in my head, and that’s how the song came about.”
“I wanted to show the unification of our people around the world for one common cause, illustrating the power in numbers,” said Odadjian when the track came out, “so we brought together people from all ages and professions who believe in and are fighting for that same cause. It’s one thing to come up with an idea, but to see it come alive as happened with this video, has been just incredible.”
Check out System Of A Down’s behind-the-scenes look at “Protect The Land” below:
You can purchase both “Protect The Land” and its sister track “Genocidal Humanoidz” on System Of A Down’s Bandcamp in order to give to the Armenia Fund.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
