System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi have united on a new charity single.
Deconstruction, released under the moniker of the Gibson Band via Gibson Records, also features Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian. All money raised by the single will go to the charity Armenia Fund and their Artsakh Refugee Initiative, which gives aid to Armenians displaced after the country’s 2020 invasion by Azerbaijan.
Gueikan, an Argentinian with Armenian heritage, came up with the idea of the collaboration. The CEO plays rhythm guitar, while Tankian sings about the “deconstruction of the human mind” and Iommi lends a solo.
“We asked ourselves how to use this song to bring awareness to Armenia and the Armenian situation and raise funds for Armenia,” Gueikian told Rolling Stone.
“In addition to making music, Serj is an activist in service to Armenia, and Tony has ties to Armenia because many years ago, he was part of a group that funded a music school there. So the three of us have pledged any income the song makes to go to Armenia through the Armenia Fund.”
Gibson has also built a special Les Paul featuring a Tankian painting called Our Mountains, which is currently at auction to raise further charity money.
Tankian told Rolling Stone: “Because it was Armenia Fund, I thought it appropriate to donate a painting called Our Mountains, which refers to the two mountains of Mount Ararat, where Noah’s ark landed.
“It’s one of the symbols of Armenia and our culture and history. … [Armenia Fund] is one of the recipients of System Of A Down’s donations from the two songs we did in 2020 during the war with Azerbaijan. They help with the rehabilitation of veterans.”
Tankian and Iommi previously collaborated on the guitarist’s eponymous 2000 solo album, during the song Patterns.
