"Question!" To Be System of a Down's Next Single

Band Photo: System Of A Down (?)

"Question!" will be the second single from System of a Down's already Platinum record, "Mezmerize," which was released on May 17, and debuted at Number One on the Billboard/SoundScan charts. "Question!" will go to radio on July 19, and follows the Top 5 smash, "B.Y.O.B."

Lyrics and music for "Question!" were written by Serj Tankian with additional music by Daron Malakian, and is a haunting song that examines mortality. According to Tankian, "I wrote 'Question!' last year and I think it's one of the better songs that I've written for the band. The subject of death is universal - what is death? What happens afterwards? To me, it's very mystical."

In addition to writing more than half of the lyrics for both "Mezmerize" and its companion disc "Hypnotize" (out late this fall), Tankian played acoustic guitars, piano, and synths on the discs. Utilizing his state-of-the-art and well-appointed home studio, he also handled the string arrangements for the six songs that required them on the new release. "I enjoyed working out the patterns for violins, cellos, violas, and other instruments," Tankian says. "We mocked up the arrangements using samples, then got a real string section into the studio."

On "Question!" and "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" as a whole, the working relationship between Tankian and Malakian involved a great deal of reciprocity. According to Malakian, "I might have a great chorus but I don't think the verse is that great, so I'll ask Serj to make the verse better. He does the same thing with me on songs that he writes."

System of a Down shot the video for "Question!" earlier this month in Los Angeles with System's bassist Shavo Odadjian and Howard Greenhalgh (Sneaker Pimps, Muse, Sting) co-directing. The video was written by and based on a dream that Odadjian had, and is a surreal, high-concept fairytale.

"Mezmerize," Disc One of the Two-Disc set "Mezmerize/Hypnotize," has been overwhelming triumphant at radio, retail and press. Entertainment Weekly called the album "insanely good," Newsday wrote that it is "one of the most inventive, unique albums in years," and the Associated Press called it simply "a stunning work." Disc Two, "Hypnotize," will be released late this fall.

System of a Down will kick off their North American tour on August 4 in Los Angeles. Over the course of the tour, System of a Down will headline some forty arena dates with The Mars Volta as the tour's Special guests. With some new dates added, the confirmed itinerary is below.

Leg One: SOAD, The Mars Volta, Bad Acid Trip

AUGUST
4 -5 Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA
6 Sports Arena, San Diego, CA
8 America West Arena, Phoenix, AZ
11 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
12 SBC Arena, San Antonio, TX
13 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston, TX
15 Civic Center, Pensacola, FL
16 TD Waterhouse Arena, Orlando, FL
17 Office Depot Center, Miami, FL
19 Gwinnett Arena, Atlanta, GA
21 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
22 Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD
23 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
26 Wachovia Spectrum Center, Philadelphia, PA
27 The Centrum, Worcester, MA
29 Belle Centre, Montreal, QC
30 Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City, QC

SEPTEMBER
1 Air Canada Center, Toronto, ONT

Leg Two: SOAD, The Mars Volta, Hella

17 Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC
19 Pengrowth Arena, Calgary, AB
20 Rexall Arena, Edmonton, AB
22 MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB
23 Xcel Center, Minneapolis, MN
25 Natiionwide Arena, Columbus, OH
26 Wolstein Center at CSU, Cleveland, OH
29 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
30 Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL

OCTOBER
2 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
5 Key Arena, Seattle, WA
6 Rose Garden, Portland, OR