System song.” Still, the Armenian-American metal quartet haven’t broken up—rather, they are in the midst of a “hiatus” first announced last summer.

Tankian isn’t the only lead singer branching out, as this winter finds a handful of arena-filling rock frontmen flying solo. Tool’s Maynard James Keenan’s long-gestating Puscifer project arrived in October, while Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder released the soundtrack to Sean Penn’s Into the Wild in September. And ²⁰⁰⁷ has already seen solo outings from Chris Cornell and Tom Morello (Audioslave), Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie and the Banshees), Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), and Pat Monahan (Train).

The impulse to step out alone isn’t a new one: Mick Jagger notoriously recorded ¹⁹⁸⁵’s She’s the Boss instead of promoting the Rolling Stones’ 1986 album, Dirty Work. Rod Stewart and Phil Collins both released hit-heavy solo projects while also remaining members of their respective bands. More recently, Gwen Stefani has put out a pair of platinum records under her own name without ever breaking up No Doubt. And last year Thom Yorke released a computer-heavy, moody solo record as a way to keep himself occupied

between his band’s albums (expect a new Radiohead full-length next year). The aforementioned groups have managed to stay together, but for others, could it be a sign that the band’s roots are starting to rot? Or is it just a chance to indulge in some weird-ass shit?

That’s the point of Puscifer, according to Keenan. “Sometimes I just need to goof around. For me, I just wanted to do some fun stuff to make people giggle,” he says of his loungey grind-rock album, called V Is for Vagina. This isn’t the first time Keenan has cheated on Tool: He served as the frontman for A Perfect Circle over three successful albums, and like Tankian, he has worked on many production and remix projects. Keenan says the other members of his primary group have never given him any flack about it, at least as far as he knows. “Maybe they have, but I don’t pay attention to it,” he says. “I am who I am, and they are who they are. With the amount of emotional and mental energy that Tool requires, we need a break. It’s a requirement.”

In Tankian’s case, Elect the Dead represents the first output from any System of a Down member since they went on break in August ²⁰⁰⁶, following a headlining stint on the

Eddie Vedder never blinks first. Never.

“^P an^tiae _thy^mlawr _eth^e _mi^al n^oyJ _sg^{fsa f} _t,^…mta _ri_ot^akh _nm^nea _ga^dnve kⁱ _r.e^f”s
TOM CORSON, RCA
Track Records
Here’s how recent solo-album sales stacked up against th eir latest group efforts
GWEN STEFANI
CHRIS CORNELL
TOM MORELLO
THOM YORKE
JENNY LEWIS
Gwen Stefani
The Sweet Escape
1. 5 million
Chris Cornell
Carry On
94,000
The Nightwatchman
One Man Revolution
23,000
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
283,000
Jenny Lewis
Rabbit Fur Coat
115,000
No Doubt
The Singles 1992–2003
2. 3 million
Audioslave
Revelations
443,000
Audioslave
Revelations
443,000
Radiohead
Hail to the Thief
989,000
Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight
55,000

Ozzfest tour. By the end of that jaunt, there were reports of tension within the group, mostly between Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian. During a tour stop in Auburn, Washington, Malakian improvised the lyrics “Such a lonely day hanging out with the band / This motherfucker I can’t stand” during “Lonely Day.” Tankian stands by the concept of a hiatus as opposed to a full-fledged parting of the ways. “We haven’t planned anything,” he says, “but System is still a unit.”

Or is it? Two months before the release of Elect the Dead, Malakian and System drummer John Dolmayan announced their own new project, Scars on Broadway. There’s no music yet, just a placeholding MySpace page; they’re currently writing their first album, which should be completed in mid-²⁰⁰⁸. (Neither Malakian nor Dolmayan would comment for this piece.) If the dueling side projects are a sign of a System of a Down collapse, no one’s admitting it. Tankian speaks fondly of his bandmates: “We’re all friends and communicate and encourage each other. I can’t wait to hear the output from everyone.”

Perhaps Tankian and Keenan have stumbled onto a new way of operating. With album sales in steep decline and more pressure put on touring to generate cash, the possibility of band burnout grows. After two months in a bus together, it’s easy to understand how time spent away could actually help the group. “That model is a healthy way to operate,” says Tom Corson, an executive at the RCA Music Group who oversaw the Vedder release. “Pearl Jam have always taken time off to do other things, and if anything, it makes them stronger as a band.”

No matter how powerful your band might be, massive sales as a solo act aren’t guaranteed—think Richie Sambora’s Stranger in This Town or John Oates’ Phunk Shui. Tom Morello’s album of agit-folk, One Man Revolution (released under the name the Nightwatchman), couldn’t ride the coattails of either of his multiplatinum groups. “People didn’t jump up and down for Chris Cornell’s solo album, and this is the city that’s supposed to love him,” says Dave Richards, station manager of KISW in Seattle. “Except for a very few bands, you can’t rely on past success.” That’s a point that many frontmen, like Mick Jagger, have learned well. If you haven’t noticed, he’s still touring with the Stones.

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP RIGHT: DANNY CLINCH; SIOBHAN HENNESSY/CAMERA PRESS/RE TNA; ANDREW FUTURE/RETNA; JACKIE BUTLER/RETNA; LARSEN, HÅKON MOSVOLD/SCANPIX NORWAY/RE TNA; ANTHONY PIDGEON/RETNA