Drummer John Dolmayan and lead vocalist Serj Tankian might both be members of heavy metal band System of a Down, but recent Instagram posts have revealed a noticeable schism in their views on President Donald Trump and racial injustice protests in the United States.
A day earlier, Dolmayan made a post in favor of peaceful protests but condemned “awful riots” that had destroyed local businesses and “strayed away from... the wrongful murder of George Floyd.”
After receiving critical comments on these posts, Dolmayan shared an image of retired police Capt. David Dorn, who was killed amid protests in St. Louis after responding to a pawnshop alarm Tuesday.
Dolmayan’s Instagram posts on Trump showed his discord with Tankian, who wrote on his account that Trump’s “time has come” and called on protesters to “coordinate online and block every street everywhere and force the regime to resign.”
Dolmayan and Tankian’s posts attracted thousands of comments, with several speculating that the duo’s differences were stifling their creative projects and at least one writing: “Yeah we’re not getting a new album.”