Big fan of the man's music.
Thought I might like to hear him
talk about his life.
He seems pretty interesting.

Not so much.......

This proved to remind me why I
do not like either biographies
OR audiobooks.

I am sure this is amazing if
you have way more patience than me.

Admittedly, going into this memoir I was a fan of System of a Down and that is what drew me to Serj’s story in the first place. That being said this is not just a music memoir and holds farther reaching appeal to not only music fans, but also fans of art, activists, political enthusiasts and lovers of history. There really is something for everyone in this book.

I truly appreciated being able to learn more about the Armenian genocide as I had only a small understanding of it. Throughout the book Serj speaks on his family’s experience with the genocide and how those experiences drove him not only as an artist and activist but just as a human being. The stories he told were so relatable and I found myself thinking of how I handle tough situations in my own life and reevaluating reactions.

Of course Serj himself reading this memoir made it just that much more enjoyable. It’ll definitely be tops on my list of not only nonfiction books to recommend but audiobooks especially! This was an amazing piece of writing and storytelling.

As a teenager I had heard a bunch of System Of A Down songs, and now my daughter is a big fan of the band, so when I saw Serj Tankian was putting out a memoir (of sorts lol) I knew I wanted to listen to it. The story starts with an Armenian backstory of Serj's family, as he is a proud Armenian man. I wouldn't expect any less of his book. Once the book started getting into how the band started I was invested.

Of course Serj is new to narrating, so I don't want to critique it too much, but sometimes you can tell he was reading from a page as there were weird pauses in the sentence, like he forgot the words in the sentence. He wrote the story so it was just odd to me. It didn't ruin the book whatsoever, I just thought it could of been edited before the audiobook comes out.

Great book all around! Thanks Netgalley!

Down With The System: A Memoir (of sorts) audiobook, narrated by Serj Tankian himself, was an eye opening journey through the life of the System of a Down frontman. Tankian’s candid exploration of his upbringing, musical career, and activism, is inspiring.

From his roots in Beirut to his rise to rockstar status, Tankian’s story is one of resilience, passion, and social consciousness. Hearing his story straight from him also added so much depth and authenticity to an already compelling narrative.

Whether you’re a fan of System of a Down or simply interested in a thought-provoking memoir, I think this audiobook is a must listen.

Tankian’s unique perspective and eloquent storytelling made this an enlightening experience that will stay with me. I have so much respect for Serj and can’t wait for fans to get to read/listen to his story.

I got about 5% through the audiobook before realizing that I need to temporarily DNF and wait for the book to release so that I can annotate while he speaks. There is so much important information here as politics, family, culture, and, of course, System of a Down history. Being a fan of the band and Serj for over 20 years, this is going to be a damn epic read!

I grew up knowing of SOAD and I knew their singles but never actually learned anything about them — especially Serj. This autobiography not only tells the story of his life but the history that shaped his family for many generations.

I knew very little about the Armenian genocide, except for what I learned on KUWTK, which was very minimal. It wasn’t something I was taught in school.

This really opened my eyes to what is happening in the world and the parallels of what has been documented throughout history and what is still happening in the world. There was no agenda pushing, just stating facts as a family member of a survivor, a person hated just because of the nationality they were born to.

It was because of the strife Serj faced growing up, he was able to channel his angst into poetry which turned to some of the lyrics we can stream today or listen on the radio.

The most amazing part (to me) was that even growing up in a less than ideal upbringing, playing in one of the biggest metal bands of their time, Serj is still no confrontational when he can be and tries to preach about peace.

I felt very inspired reading this. It was nothing like I expected and was pleasantly surprised. There are just as many happy moments as there is sad.

Down with the System (A Memoir of Sorts) by Serj Tankian
Overall Grade: A-
Personal Stories: B+
Writing: A-
Best Aspect: This is very different than recent memoirs I listened and it contains a lot of deep and thought provoking passages.
Worst Aspect: A bit long in parts and it made me zone out a little.
Recommend: Yes.

One of the best audiobooks I've heard in a long time. I always appreciate a memoir narrated by the author, but this is next level.

4.5 stars
Thanks to Net Galley for the early preview of this audiobook.

I have been a fan of System of a Down since I first heard them. This book was a great compliment to the music and energy of SOAD. However, I would say this book could be broken into three parts. There is a large bit of Armenian history that I found very interesting (which kind of perpetuates throughout). Then the early days and peak of SOAD. Followed by Serj’s life and his independent acts, etc. Though, a major part of the book is solely on Armenia.

Overall, I am not sure how I truly feel about Serj. Usually in these memoirs, the author comes out looking totally ‘innocent’ and more likeable than the reader had thought previously (at least in my experience). However, in this book, I feel like he could have or should have done things a little differently, especially considering what the needs of his band were. I would be very curious to hear about Darron’s ‘rebuttal’ or answer to this book, if he has an opinion on it. Darron is the lead guitarist and second vocalist. I find it very interesting that Darron is an avid Trump supporter whereas Serj is completely the opposite. Plus, those two are brothers-in-law as they married sisters.

In any case, I learned a ton about Armenia and all the struggles and issues that they have had over the last 100+ years. I know that this book may be one-sided, it’s hard to imagine that Serj isn’t telling the actual, historical truth on Armenia’s history with the 1915 genocide from Turkey and how Turkey has such a stronghold on what the ‘media’ and certain politicians have to say about Armenia. It sounds like Armenia is in a similar situation as Ukraine with Russia invading them. Armenia has been invaded and attacked by Azerbaijan, but it seems that you never hear about that in the States.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. There is one line in his book that is very similar to a line from Matthew Perry’s memoir where he talks about a friend of his who is no longer with us but others, who are less desirable, still walk among us. Though, he didn’t name drop anyone like Keanu Reeves.

Audiobook narrator Serj Tankian rating: 5 stars
There should be no other person to read this book. His voice is terrific! He even puts in little laughs here and there and kind of sort of sings a little. I wish there were more singing.

“Down with the system” by Serj Tankian
Rating : 5/5
Genre: Memoir

‼️Please include trigger warnings, some of the first few pages were very disturbing (which is fine, but it might be a bit too much for some people)‼️
Please know this: I al very biased! SOAD is my first musical love.. I breathed the band as a teenager… I was overjoyed to learn about this.

I dislike memoirs, because they usually have a lot of drama and negativities… and knowing that, I inhaled this book. I loved learning little facts about the band and learning the backstory of some of the songs. There is a lot of DRAMA, but I was aware of most of them, and what do you expect to learn from a celebrity’s memoir?

It’s very hard to criticize the book. It’s a memoir! And Serj is an amazing songwriter, and not a book author. I really wished the story followed a more straight timeline, but then some stories would have been very hard to follow. All the stories were really easy to follow as it’s written, but I just got a bit annoyed when we went back a few years.

I am ashamed to say, as a person who was born in Iran, I learned about the Arminian genocide from Serj’s activism (mostly form 1915 movie) and I always admire how outspoken the band is. I am thankful for all Serj has done, and this book taught me a lot more. It’s very helpful when the information comes from people whose voices were so formative to me as a teenager.

Narrator review: I have reviewed both the ebook and audiobook, and the audiobook is hands down chef’s kiss! Serj does a great job! He delivers the humor and anger so perfectly that it gives you all the perfect feeling. Extra points for him including some singing! This audiobook elevated my experience of enjoying the book.

Thanks for letting me review this book.

This audiobook provides great insight to the band System of a Down, as well as Serj Tankian’s upbringing. I loved hearing about all of it, and it was fascinating as someone who has been a fan of the band for years to learn about the timeline of music releases and how it aligned with real world events.

Down with the System is a memoir written by artist and musician, Serj Tankian. Sending a big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an audio ARC of this memoir.

The audiobook was a great listening experience and paired well with the book. Serj narrates it himself and does a wonderful job bringing his story to life. Serj’s eccentric personality and passion really shines in the audio format.

As a big System of a Down fan and a fan of Serj Tankian’s solo work, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to read his memoir which was a 5-star read for me. Learning about Serj’s history was fascinating. I also learned a great deal about Armenian history, which I really appreciate him taking the opportunity to spread more awareness and share his and his families’ experiences.

For those familiar with Serj’s work, it is no surprise that activism is extremely important to him. While reading this book, it became clear that activism is one of Serj’s leading core values, and guides many of his decisions throughout his career, even when it has been difficult to do so.

If you are a SOAD fan, I think you will really enjoy this memoir. Serj writes about his music career in full; he takes us from the very beginning before SOAD through the present day. I was really fascinated to learn about how the band was formed, the highlights, trials, and tribulations they experienced, and where they are today.

I also really enjoyed learning about Serj outside of music. He shares not only about himself, but his family. Additionally, he writes about his creative ventures outside of the band, including his upbringing, solo work, art, and more.

This was such a captivating read! My husband already purchased me a copy of the signed copy of Down with the System, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

I loved hearing this story from Serj, I’m a casual SOAD fan since Toxicity, I always liked their experimental metal sound and catchy melodies. This audiobook literally starts out with guitar riffs and that was awesome!

Serj has an engaging speaking voice and delivery, this is his story and it shows the effort he put into the book. We learn about his Armenian background and family history during the Armenian Genocide, then emigrating from Lebanon to the US. As an immigrant, I love hearing other immigrant stories and struggles, relating to them on certain levels.

The author touches upon heavy topics right from the start, while brief, it was educational and informative hearing his perspective, like the events leading up to and after 9/11 in regards to his life and the band’s success. Diving deep into his teen and young adult years, his activism and identity, as well as being the head of the family entangled in a legal battle for his father’s business.

This was a great listen and I recommend it to anyone that is a fan of SOAD or likes hearing personal stories of growth and social justice.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the listening copy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook before publication.

I absolutely loved hearing Serj’s voice. I started reading the print book, but found myself a little detached from the story. In the audio, you can hear the warmth, the sadness, and the humor in his voice. I love that he doesn’t read his story like someone on the outside looking in. He laughs when he’s reading about a happy memory, and emphasizes words, such as, “French fries” like a ravenous man looking at something fried and yummy.

I learned a lot about him and his people’s history, and I think that was the most powerful part of his story, as well as his creative and spiritual process. I appreciate how honest and raw he is in his story, and he’s not afraid to take responsibility for past decisions. Whether or not you like System, this is a very insightful story about a history that has been buried and a popular musician who loves the creativity and process of making music, but without the bureaucracy.

Thank you netgalley for giving me this gem in advance! Hearing this fantastic story from one of my childhood favorite singers and the story of my favorite band. Such a great book!!

I never liked metal, but system of a down was another story, even today I can’t control myself when I listen to most of system songs and just sing a long (in Portugal we’re terrible at that, in 2005 when system were in Portugal in super bock super rock, people sang so loud that you couldn’t even listen to Serj even with him singing with a mic), This book, was such a deep dive into Serj life, how that changed him, and in reality how system of a down was born, I loved to listen to this audiobook with Serj reading it, even with so many sad moments I loved the quirky humour that brought smiles and even giggles.

Besides the content that I absolutely loved, I want to praise as well having Serj reading it, its a memory book, who else would be better at reading it? Its been quite a while since I enjoyed so much a book that didn’t belong in fiction, high praises!

I really can’t recommend this book and audiobook enough, actually even before finishing it I already recommended it to a handful of close friends that I know that will love this book almost as much as I did, this book is not only for old fans, but also to introduce System of a Down to a new generation. Live long and Prosper!

Thank you NetGalley and Hansson PublishingHachette Audio, Hachette Books, for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

I always struggle with giving memoirs a rating.

Serj Tankian has been one of my favorite musicians for most of my life, and getting to dive into not only SOADs history but HIS history was truly magnificent.

I throughly enjoyed every aspect. I loved getting to know bits and pieces and I also loved being able to HEAR the humor.

Would absolutely recommend this audiobook. I learned a lot.

This wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still a good listen. I'm a fan of System Of A Downs music but didn't really know much about them outside of the music. Although we don't get a huge amount of info on the band, I still found it very interesting learning about Serj life and what led him to his music career. Some of the subject matter in this book was quite hard to listen to as it was quite heartbreaking, but it really was very interesting.

So I really like their music but after listening to this audiobook I need to start over and listen to everything they've put out from the beginning. There's so much meaning behind everything, and this guy has been through so much.
From the beginning, Serj didn't accept the narrative he was given, knowing that his experiences were proof that things were different. His journey is really interesting, and I highly recommend this to anyone who likes the music of System of a Down and to anyone who cares about the world we're in. Serj narrates this himself and does a terrific job. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this

#NetGalley #DownWithTheSystem
I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for my honest review. I went into this book as a fan of System of a Down with some knowledge about Serj. I love the insight into Serj's life and how he's spent his whole life fighting for what he believes in and standing up for Justice.