System of a Down illicit the sort of reaction from a crowd that seems to be proof positive that music is capable of uniting people as one. Anyone who has witnessed the band when they toured Australia some years back as part of the Big Day Out will be aware – the throng bouncing as one to tracks from a double-album that was yet to appear was a sight to behold.

Yet, since Hynotize and Mezmerize came out back in 2005, System of a Down have been on an extended hiatus. While the band members have repeatedly assured that they have not broken up, but are merely spending time apart, it seems increasingly likely with the frontman Serj Tankian releasing his debut solo album Elect the Dead and the band’s other members working on a variety of projects that the band are, well, finished, as Serj gears up to tour on the back of Elect the Dead.

“I’m putting a back-up band together,” he confirms of impending touring plans, as they set out on a series of promotional shows throughout the United States, Europe, and a clutch of dates in the UK with Foo Fighters.

But he’s also working on making his debut solo album something more than just about live performance or recording disc – he’s treating it very much as an art project, and putting together artwork, posters, a website, and making everything an interactive experience for the audience.

It’s a very different process to working as part of System of a Down.

“I’ve had a studio next to my house for years, and I’ve gone and worked [in it] at my own pace. Usually I would write in the studio and present it to the band, but I’ve been doing this [working on solo material] longer than I was in the band – after all, everyone’s a solo artist before they’re in a band. So it’s very organic for me to go into the studio and write something when I’m inspired, and spend time arranging it, and adding instruments, and playing different things, and producing it and finishing it. It’s what I love to do.”

While he does indeed play the majority of the music heard on Elect the Dead, Serj also brought in guests such as Primus’ drummer Brains and System of a Down skinsman to add another element to the sound.

Every System of a Down record was part of a three-year cycle, leaving not much time for other interests. Since the band began their break, Serj has busied himself with everything from political protest and activism – with Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello he’s behind the Axis of Justice, using music as a means of protest and expression – through to setting up his label, Serjical Strike, and releasing the likes of Serart and now his solo project through it.

“Because of the hiatus I’ve been able to really focus,” he says. “I’ve spent time doing things I’ve needed to do, and I’ve been wanting [to release a solo album] for some time, and this is really the best way of doing it, and prioritising it. I’ve always wanted to make a solo record. I’ve got 500 written songs, I’ve got classical [compositions] that I use for films, I’ve got experimental stuff, rock stuff, punk stuff – I’ve got music for every occasion, really. I’m a songwriter, and this is what I do. Some of that music I was able to release when I was in System through Serart, through collaborations, through film scoring, through licensing of video games.

“But for my solo record,” he continues, “I wanted it to be a full-on effort and that was very important for me.”

Perhaps that’s why he’s treating it as something more than just music, and more as an artistic statement, from commissioning a flash website to getting videos made by a host of directors for each and every song on the album.

“It was a two-fold decision,” he says of the latter initiative, “as I like the idea of multiplying the art factor of the music with the visual, and I’ve got a host of really creative friends who are directors, and through Serjical Strike I’m really able to flex my muscles on the business side as well as the artistic side, and I was able to get a bunch of friends together who have a passion for film-making and get together a small budget and give them a song to make each and create this amazing project. What we got back was really astounding.”

Taking out residency of New Zealand as a result of America’s invasion of Iraq, the Armenian-American considers himself a global citizen, and as such is greatly concerned with the state of world affairs. When questioned whether the next President of the United States can have a beneficial impact upon the world, he bristles, suggesting more Australians should be interested in whether or not John Howard can secure re-election. Of course, the next POTUSA will have far greater influence on the world than the next PM, he agrees, and intends to involve himself in the elective process in November, 2008.

“Yes, I’m sponsoring a candidate called the Dead,” he deadpans, determined to focus on the music and eschew the politics. “We’re going to Elect the Dead. It’s the last song on the record and it’s open to interpretation – it doesn’t actually mean we’re going to elect the dead but it just proves that we can.”

Instead of being interested in whether the next President of the United States can effect the world in a positive manner, Serj says that “I should be more worried about the next Prime Minister of Australia if I were you. Everything starts locally: I think Bush wouldn’t have as much power if people like Blair and Howard weren’t his cohorts. That’s part of it, and I think that the President does have power but we have more power than any President does have, and we are able to influence the future if we allow ourselves to not feel impotent doing so.”

Serj Tankian’s Elect the Dead is out October 23