Serj Tankian, ‘Harakiri’ – Best Rock Songs of 2012

Serj Tankian pioneered a successful solo career during the hiatus of System of a Down, and although System are now back together, Tankian is still putting a great deal of effort into his solo work. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Tankian's latest solo album, 'Harakiri,' and its title track.

'Harakiri' serves as an effigy for the mysterious deaths of thousands of fish and birds, while depicting the strange events as a ritualistic mass suicide in protest to the damage human beings inflict upon the natural world. Tankian's voice soars in the chorus, while peacefully drawing his listeners into absorbing his lyrics within the verses.