Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway

Scars on Broadway is an American rock project led by Daron Malakian, guitarist and co-vocalist of System of a Down, formed around 2005 during SOAD's hiatus following the «Mezmerize» and «Hypnotize» albums. The band originally featured SOAD drummer John Dolmayan, and released a self-titled debut album in 2008 that carried clear echoes of System of a Down's genre-blending, Armenian-influenced heavy rock while pushing further into Malakian's own songwriting voice.

A long-planned second album was repeatedly delayed as Malakian held out hope for a new System of a Down record; when that didn't materialize, he finally released the material in 2018 as «Dictator», recorded largely solo years earlier. To reflect that the project had become essentially a Malakian solo vehicle with a rotating cast of collaborators, the act was rebranded Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway.

Musically the project retains the odd time signatures, abrupt tonal shifts, dark humor and political edge familiar from System of a Down, filtered through Malakian's idiosyncratic guitar tone and vocal delivery. Songs such as «They Say» and «Chemicals» showcase his ability to fuse aggressive riffing with melodic, almost theatrical songwriting, making the band a natural continuation of his work rather than a full departure from it.