Daron Malakian & Scars on Broadway “Addicted to The Violence” Review. (July 18, Scarred for Life Records)
Seven years after Dictator, System of a Down guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian revives Scars on Broadway with Addicted to the Violence, a feral, frayed collection that finds catharsis in chaos. Malakian once again blends metal, punk, psych-pop, and world music flourishes into a melting pot both anthemic and disorienting.
What sets Addicted apart from past Scars records is its cohesion. Where past efforts acted like a crazy quilt of sound, here plays like a carefully assembled sonic collage of fury, disillusionment, and gallows humor, a barbed reflection of a world spinning out of control.
Opener “Killing Spree” sets the tone with punchy, punk-fueled energy and Malakian’s signature helium-scream delivery. He weaves a chantable chorus (“Insanity, controlling me / Society, the kids are on a killing spree”) around thrashy riffs and a trippy outro, taking aim at generational desensitization and the rise of school shootings with scorched-earth honesty.
“Satan Hussein” follows with Iron Maiden-style theatrics that collapse into buzzsaw distortion and profane satire. It’s lyrically offensive, politically murky, and gloriously over the top, ending with “Thou shall not kill” and no clear answer whether it’s a joke or a cry for help.
“Your Lives Burn” and “Imposter” are more direct. The former rails against political tribalism and media distraction (“Well I’m sick of the left and I’m sick of the right – clickbait causes the cage fight!”) with chunky start-stop riffing; the latter blends jagged guitars and a dramatic chorus that recalls “Chop Suey”. These are songs built to provoke as much as entertain.
But there’s nuance beneath the noise. “Done Me Wrong” pairs machine-gun vocal cadences with Armenian synth-flute melodies, seamlessly mixing heartbreak and cultural homage. “The Shame Game” opens with hybrid goth-grunge riffage before veering into woozy, 60s-style psychedelia, the album’s strangest and maybe most rewarding track.
“You Destroy You” channels Leonard Cohen over a folky arrangement spiked with Malakian’s Armenian musical heritage, while “Watch That Girl” delivers a surprisingly breezy, melodic detour. Both tracks offer a brief, if unstable, sense of lightness.
The closer and title track might be Malakian’s most layered work since Hypnotize: a moody, slow-burn meditation on chaos, both personal and societal. Swirling synths, turbulent guitars, and a mournful bridge build toward resignation: “Addicted to the violence / Yeah, that’s me.” There’s no moral or resolution, just a paean for survival in our chaotic, fragile present.
The production, mixed by Ryan Williams and mastered by Vladimir Meller’s team, walks the line between raw and refined. There’s grit, but it never muddies the message.
Addicted to the Violence is both a scream into the void and a mirror held up to it: Malakian at his most musically ambitious and thematically fearless. For a world already off the rails, this might be the soundtrack it deserves.
