Announces new Limited Edition Signature Series Serj Tankian T5 Model. One of rock’s most compelling frontmen, Serj Tankian helped propel the band System of a Down to multi-platinum success from the late ’90s through 2006. The band’s exotic musical influences, which drew in part from the members’ shared Armenian-American heritage, filtered into their hardcore/thrash metal/avant-progressive rock sensibilities. Their resulting sound was fiercely original, marked by dynamic mood shifts that juxtaposed ethereal melodies with pummeling speed riffs. Together with Serj’s socially conscious lyrics and soaring vocals, System’s mix of tension and release connected deeply with listeners and earned widespread critical acclaim. The band’s five studio records have sold more than 16 million copies, and their prodigious artistic output peaked with the double studio releases Mesmerize and, later, Hypnotize in 2005, making them the first rock act in chart history to debut two No.1 new studio albums in a calendar year.

The band went on hiatus in 2006 to allow members to pursue other artistic projects. Since then, Serj’s diverse creative energies have found outlets through his work as a singer-songwriter, composer, poet and humanitarian activist. He and guitarist Tom Morello formed the nonprofit grassroots political organization Axis of Justice to increase awareness of human rights and social justice issues; he started his own music label, Serjical Strike Records; and he released his first solo album, Elect the Dead, to favorable reviews in 2007. He also continued to write poetry, having published his first collection, Cool Gardens, in 2002. A follow-up is on the way.

In 2009, Serj expanded his arrangements from Elect the Dead for an orchestral performance with the Auckland Philharmonic in New Zealand, and a live DVD and CD of the performance are in the works. Other upcoming projects include another solo record and a musical based on the ancient Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound, developed with playwright Steven Sater of Broadway’s Spring Awakening fame and director Diane Paulus, who recently won an award for her Broadway revival of Hair in New York.

Serj’s main Taylor acoustics include a 410, a 710ce-L9, a custom myrtle/Engelmann GA, and a 12-string 654ce. He started playing the T5 on stage in 2007 and loved its performance versatility.

“It’s light and thin, so you can stand in front of the mic and just rock out,” he says. “For a stage environment, the T5 works great.”

Website: SerjTankian.com