Genocidal Humanoidz

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Lore & Background

The song originated from jam sessions between band members three or four years before its release. During these meetings, Daron Malakian wrote the track alongside several other songs, but plans for a full album were dropped when lead singer Serj Tankian did not commit to the project. The narrative took urgent shape in late September 2020 after war broke out between Armenia, Artsakh, and Azerbaijan. Tankian, whose grandfather survived the 1915 Armenian genocide, told The Fader he saw a "high probability of genocide" occurring then. While Malakian noted the original lyrics needed only slight changes to fit the new message, the term "humanoids" was inspired by wrestling manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who once called audiences "a bunch of humanoids, like a bunch of idiots." This recontextualization transformed an old idea into a specific response to modern atrocities.

In Their Own Story

In late September 2020, the band reunited in the studio to record "Protect the Land," with bassist Shavo Odadjian describing the experience as "very comforting and natural, like no time had passed at all." However, their manager urged them to add a heavier track to complement it. The group agreed on recording "Genocidal Humanoidz," which Malakian produced himself. On November 6, 2020, both singles were released digitally through American Recordings and Columbia Records. The artwork featured the Armenian flag with the zig-zag chevron of Artsakh superimposed, alongside the We Are Our Mountains monument in Stepanakert. In an official statement, the band hoped fans would be "inspired to speak out about the horrific injustices and human rights violations occurring there now." Tankian personally donated $250,000 to the Armenia Fund and participated in the "Rock for Artsakh" concert that October.

Reader's Guide

The track is characterized by its shorter runtime—half that of "Protect the Land"—and a shift toward System's "heavier and more scatty, frenetic side." Louder magazine reviewer Merlin Alderslade described the song as having "razor-sharp riffs" that peel off "frantic, hollering yelps from Serj at lightning pace," before leaping into a nu-metal stomp and exploding into an extreme metal meltdown. Drums are played with intense precision by John Dolmayan, who Alderslade noted sounded "tighter than a Khabib Nurmagomedov chokehold." The song was produced entirely by Daron Malakian, who also handled production on all previous albums except the debut, while mixing duties were taken by Rich Costey. Engineering and mastering were handled by Paul Fig and Vlado Meller respectively.

Did You Know?

• The song was written by Daron Malakian three or four years before its release during a jam session.
• The term "humanoids" in the title comes from wrestling manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan calling audiences "a bunch of humanoids, like a bunch of idiots."
• This is System of a Down's first two singles to not feature producer Rick Rubin; Daron Malakian produced them instead.
• The music video was directed by bassist Shavo Odadjian and Adam Mason, uploaded on January 31, 2021.
• The single raised over $600,000 for the Armenia Fund to help those affected by the war.