System of a Down made some of the smartest, most bracing metal ever. Two of SOAD's members, Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan, have branched off as Scars on Broadway. Their debut disc is a logical continuation of SOAD, a pointedly angry assault against everything from Turkish genocide denials to environmental degradation to the comfortably numb stupor of consumer culture. What distinguishes Scars from SOAD is greater melodicism, drawing influences from great '60s rock along with metal and hints of Eastern folk music.
