{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox song | name = Genocidal Humanoidz | cover = SOAD Protect the Land.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = [[System of a Down]] | album = | A-side = "[[Protect the Land]]"<ref name="LP" /> | released = {{Start date|2020|11|6}} | recorded = October 2020 | studio = [[Dave's Room]] (North Hollywood)<ref name=liner>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Protect the Land / Genocidal Humanoidz |others=[[System of a Down]] |date=2020 |type=Single liner notes}}</ref> | genre = [[Alternative metal]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.visions.de/news/system-of-a-down-veroeffentlichen-zwei-neue-songs-protect-the-land-und-genocidal-humanoidz/ | title=System of a Down veröffentlichen zwei neue Songs "Protect the Land" und "Genocidal Humanoidz" | date=November 6, 2020 }}</ref> | length = {{duration|m=2|s=35}} | label = * [[American Recordings (record label)|American]] * [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] | writer = [[Daron Malakian]] | producer = Daron Malakian | chronology = [[System of a Down]] | prev_title = [[Lonely Day]] | prev_year = 2006 | title = [[Protect the Land]] | title2 = Genocidal Humanoidz | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|9VvmixeowNI&ab_|"Genocidal Humanoidz"}}}} }}
"'''Genocidal Humanoidz'''" is a song recorded by American [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[System of a Down]]. It was released as a [[double A-side]] single with "[[Protect the Land]]" on November 6, 2020, through [[American Recordings (record label)|American Recordings]] and [[Columbia Records]], to raise awareness and funds for [[Armenia]] and the self-proclaimed [[Republic of Artsakh]] amid the [[Second Nagorno-Karabakh War|Second Nagorno-Karabakh War]]. It is the band's first release in 15 years since their fifth studio album ''[[Hypnotize (album)|Hypnotize]]'' (2005),<ref name="NME">{{cite web|title=System Of A Down share first new songs in 15 years, 'Protect The Land' and 'Genocidal Humanoidz'|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/system-of-a-down-share-first-new-songs-in-15-years-protect-the-land-and-genocidal-humanoidz-2810433|work=[[NME]]|date=November 6, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref> their first single in 14 years since "[[Lonely Day]]" (2006), and their first two singles to not feature their long-time producer [[Rick Rubin]]. It was instead produced by guitarist and vocalist [[Daron Malakian]], who had produced all of their albums (except for their [[System of a Down (album)|debut]]) along with Rubin. The two singles have raised over $600,000 that was donated to the [[Armenia Fund]] to help those who have been affected by the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/11/system-of-a-down-new-song-armenian-war.html|title=System of a Down Releases First New Music in 15 Years to Fundraise for Armenia|work=[[New York (magazine)|Vulture]]|date=November 6, 2020|accessdate=November 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2020/11/12/system-of-a-downs-new-singles-raised-over-600k-for-the-armenia-fund/|title=System Of A Down's New Singles Raised Over $600K For The Armenia Fund|work=[[Forbes]]|date=November 12, 2020|accessdate=November 19, 2020}}</ref>
==Background and release== {{Main|Second Nagorno-Karabakh War}} {{Quote box | quote = We as System Of A Down have just released new music for the first time in 15 years. The time to do this is now, as together, the four of us have something extremely important to say as a unified voice. These two songs, "[[Protect the Land|Protect The Land]]" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" both speak of a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of [[Republic of Artsakh|Artsakh]] and [[Armenia]]. | source = —The band about the inspiration behind the song.<ref name="RS" /> | quoted = true | bgcolor = #FFFFF0 | salign = center | align = left | width = 28% | border = 1px | fontsize = 90% }} "Genocidal Humanoidz" was written by the band's guitarist and second singer [[Daron Malakian]] three or four years before its release during a [[jam session]] between the band members. Several other songs were written as well during the meeting, but all of them were dropped after the band's lead singer [[Serj Tankian]] did not commit to releasing a new album.<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/system-of-a-down-new-songs-protect-the-land-genocidal-humanoidz-1085942/|title=Hear System of a Down's First New Music in 15 Years, 'Protect the Land' and 'Genocidal Humanoidz'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=November 6, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref> In late September 2020, after [[Second Nagorno-Karabakh War|a new war]] broke out between Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan in the disputed [[Nagorno-Karabakh]] region, the band members started using their platforms to raise awareness of the issue. Tankian, whose grandfather survived the 1915 [[Armenian genocide]], told ''[[The Fader]]'' that he sees a "high probability of genocide of Armenians" in Artsakh being carried out by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|title=Serj Tankian on the threat of genocide in Artsakh|url=https://www.thefader.com/2020/10/30/serj-tankian-on-the-threat-of-genocide-in-artsakh|work=[[The Fader]]|date=October 30, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref> Tankian donated $250,000 to the [[Armenia Fund]] and also participated in an online fundraising concert called "Rock for Artsakh" in October.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Iconic musicians unite for Concert for Artsakh|url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/10/22/2112977/0/en/Iconic-musicians-unite-for-Concert-for-Artsakh|work=[[GlobeNewswire]]|date=October 22, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Serj Tankian donates $250,000 to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund|url=https://en.armradio.am/2020/10/08/serj-tankian-donates-250000-to-hayastan-all-armenian-fund/|work=[[Public Radio of Armenia]]|date=October 8, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref>
The group got together in 2020 to record "[[Protect the Land]]",<ref name="RS" /> with bassist [[Shavo Odadjian]] saying that "it was such a pleasure for us to be together in the studio again, very comforting and natural, like no time had passed at all".<ref name="NME" /> The band's [[manager]] said the song captured the importance of the moment, but urged the band members to record another song with a heavier tune to complement it. Thus, all of them agreed on recording "Genocidal Humanoidz".<ref name="RS" /> On November 6, 2020, "Genocidal Humanoidz" was released along with "Protect the Land" digitally as a double A-side single.<ref name="Amazon">{{Cite web |title=Protect The Land / Genocidal Humanoidz by System of a Down |url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MS6SDPZ/ |access-date=November 6, 2020 |website=[[Amazon (company)|Amazon.com]]}}</ref> The artwork of the track features the [[flag of Armenia]] with the zig-zag chevron pattern of the [[flag of the Republic of Artsakh]] superimposed and the [[We Are Our Mountains]] monument in its capital [[Stepanakert]].<ref name="RS" /> It is the first release of the band in 15 years since their chart topping fifth studio album ''[[Hypnotize (album)|Hypnotize]]'' from 2005. In an official statement released on their website after the singles' premiere, the band said they hoped their fans would listen to the songs and "be inspired to speak out about the horrific injustices and human rights violations occurring there now".<ref name="loudwire">{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/system-of-a-down-protect-the-land-genocidal-humanoidz-lyrics-video/|title=System of a Down Release First New Music in 15 Years|work=[[Loudwire]]|date=November 6, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref>
==Critical reception and composition== According to Malakian, the song's original lyrics only had to be slightly changed to "make it work with the message we're trying to send out now". He also said that "the song really matched up well [with "Protect the Land"]", adding that the word "humanoids" came to him from the late wrestling manager [[Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]], who used to call the audience "a bunch of humanoids, like a bunch of idiots".<ref name="RS" />
In a positive review for ''[[Metal Hammer|Louder]]'' magazine, Merlin Alderslade wrote that the song "is a different beast altogether, clocking in at half of Protect The Land's running time and diving into System's heavier and more scatty, frenetic side. Razor-sharp riffs peel off frantic, hollering yelps from Serj at lightning pace, before the song leaps into a bouncy [[nu metal]] stomp and, finally, explodes into a tremolo and blastbeat-fuelled [[extreme metal]] meltdown". Additionally, Alderslade declared "he might spout some dodgy opinions these days, but [[John Dolmayan]] puts in an absolutely powerhouse performance here, smashing the ever living shit out of the kit while sounding tighter than a [[Khabib Nurmagomedov]] chokehold".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/system-of-a-downs-new-music-our-first-impressions|title=System Of A Down's New Music: Our First Impressions|work=[[Metal Hammer|Louder]]|date=November 6, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref>
==Music video== The [[music video]] for "Genocidal Humanoidz", directed by Shavo Odadjian and Adam Mason, was uploaded to the band's [[YouTube]] channel on January 31, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VvmixeowNI| title=System Of A Down - Genocidal Humanoidz (Official Video)| author=System of a Down| date=January 31, 2021| accessdate = February 6, 2021| via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
==Personnel== Personnel taken from ''Protect the Land / Genocidal Humanoidz'' liner notes.<ref name=liner>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Protect the Land / Genocidal Humanoidz |others=[[System of a Down]] |date=2020 |type=Single liner notes}}</ref>
'''System of a Down''' * [[Daron Malakian]] – vocals, guitars * [[Serj Tankian]] – vocals * [[Shavo Odadjian]] – bass * [[John Dolmayan]] – drums
'''Technical personnel''' *Daron Malakian – production *[[Rich Costey]] – mixing *Paul Fig – engineering *[[Vlado Meller]] – mastering *Jeremy Lubsey – mastering assistance *Ara Soudjian – cover photo *Armen Keleshian – band photography *Sako Shahinian – album art design
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Chart performance for "Genocidal Humanoidz" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2020) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- ! scope="row"| [[ARIA Digital Track Chart|Australia Digital Tracks]] ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://postimg.cc/23DxTdVx|title=ARIA Digital Tracks|work=ARIA Report|agency=[[ARIA Charts]]|date=November 16, 2020|access-date=November 21, 2020}}</ref> | 27 |- ! scope="row"| [[Hot Canadian Digital Songs|Canada Digital Songs]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/system-of-a-down/chart-history/cns/|title=System of a Down Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=November 9, 2022}}</ref> | 8 |- {{singlechart|Hungarysingle|14|year=2020|week=46|artist=System Of A Down|rowheader=true|access-date=19 November 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| New Zealand Hot Singles ([[Recorded Music NZ|RMNZ]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/hot-singles/2020-11-13|title=NZ Hot Singles Chart|publisher=[[Recorded Music NZ]]|date=16 November 2020|access-date=18 August 2021}}</ref> | 26 |- ! scope="row"| [[UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart|UK Rock & Metal]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-singles-chart/20201113/111/|title=Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|date=13 November 2020|access-date=18 August 2021}}</ref> | 33 |- {{single chart|Billboarddigitalsongs|24|artist=System Of A Down|rowheader=true|access-date=November 23, 2020}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|15|artist=System Of A Down|rowheader=true|access-date=November 23, 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| US [[Hot Hard Rock Songs]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/system-of-a-down/chart-history/hsg/|title=System Of A Down Chart History (Hot Hard Rock Songs)|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref> | 2 |}
==Release history== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Release dates and formats for "Genocidal Humanoidz" ! scope="col"| Region ! scope="col"| Date ! scope="col"| Format ! scope="col"| Label ! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- ! scope="row"| Various | November 6, 2020 | {{Hlist|[[Music download|Download]]|[[Streaming media|streaming]]|[[Single (music)|7-inch]]}} | {{hlist|[[American Recordings (record label)|American]]|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]}} | <ref name="Amazon"/><ref name="LP">{{cite web|url=https://store.systemofadown.com/protect-the-land-genocidal-humanoidz-7-vinyl-digital-bundle.html|title=System Of A Down Protect The Land / Genocidal Humanoidz - 7" Vinyl|work=[[System of a Down|systemofadown.com]]|date=November 6, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106073739/https://store.systemofadown.com/protect-the-land-genocidal-humanoidz-7-vinyl-digital-bundle.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- |}
==See also== * [[Protect the Land]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{YouTube|_74nVpLVn9Q|"Genocidal Humanoidz" audio video}}
{{System of a Down}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:System of a Down songs]] [[Category:Songs written by Daron Malakian]] [[Category:2020 singles]] [[Category:Columbia Records singles]] [[Category:American Recordings (record label) singles]] [[Category:American protest songs]] [[Category:Charity singles]] [[Category:Second Nagorno-Karabakh War]]