SYSTEM OF A DOWN Announces First U.S. Shows In Three Years

Grammy-winning band SYSTEM OF A DOWN has announced its first U.S. shows since 2015. This string of special dates kick off October 13 at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California, and include a headline performance at the Aftershock festival. The shows follow last year's sold-out European tour.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN's last U.S. concert was at the Forum in Los Angeles during 2015's "Wake Up The Souls" tour.

Newly announced tour dates:

Oct. 13 - San Bernardino, CA - Glen Helen Amphitheater
Oct. 14 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock Festival
Oct. 16 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Arena
Oct. 17 - San Diego, CA - Valley View Casino Center
Oct. 19 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian told Rolling Stone in November that the band has attempted to make a possible follow-up to "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, which came out in 2005. "We've discussed it and we've played each other songs, but we still haven't come eye to eye on how things should be done for us to be able to move forward with it," he said. "And that's where it's been."

Despite their disagreement on how to proceed, Tankian clarified that the four members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN are getting along better than ever. "That's the funny thing. When people don't see a record, they assume the worst about your internal relationship," he said. "But the truth is we're actually better friends — at least I'm better friends with everyone than I've ever been. John's [Dolmayan, SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer] my brother-in-law; he's in my family. We have a great time together touring. But sometimes putting together a record, and that creative output and how things should be done, is different in four people's heads and it doesn't always come together. Fortunate or unfortunate, however you want to call it, that's the truth. But touring is easy, because you've done all these songs. You have fun, you go out and tour, and that's it."

Tankian has toured with SYSTEM OF A DOWN over the past few years but the band has not released new music in more than a decade.

Dolmayan recently said that it was "very disheartening" that the band hasn't made a new album in nearly 12 years.

The drummer revealed in a 2016 interview with Kerrang! magazine that SYSTEM OF A DOWN had written music for more than a dozen new songs for a possible follow-up to "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize".

The band went on hiatus in the fall of that year, although they have toured most summers since 2011.