{{Infobox Album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
| Name        = Elect the Dead
| Type        = Album
| Artist      = Serj Tankian
| Cover       = FinalElect_The_Dead.jpg
| Caption     = 
| Released    = 
| Genre       = Alternative metal, experimental rock, art rock
| Length      = 45:03 (standard edition)<br/>59:00 (limited edition)
| Label       = Serjical Strike/Reprise
| Producer    = Serj Tankian
| Reviews     = 
*Allmusic  [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hifpxz8hld0e~T1 link]
*IGN.com  [http://music.ign.com/articles/829/829188p1.html link]
*Billboard.com (favorable) [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3i7b7f6bee78014d1741a570207ff7cd8d link]
*Rolling Stone  [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/16797401/review/16928118/elect_the_dead link]
*Music Emissions  [http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=7507 link]
*NME  <small>(10/27/2007, p.39)</small>
*Kerrang 
*Robert Christgau  [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=serj link]
*AbsolutePunk.net (69%) [http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?p=7904869&posted=1#post7904869 link]
*Time Off  [http://www.timeoff.com.au/index.php?area=Archive&pg=42&subarea=37&sel=7348&showcontent=7348 link]
| Last album  =
| This album  = '''''Elect the Dead'''''<br/>(2007)
| Next album  = ''Lie Lie Live''<br/>(2008)
| Misc  = {{Singles
  | Name           = Elect the Dead
  | Type           = studio
  | single 1       = The Unthinking Majority
  | single 2       = Empty Walls
  | single 3       = Lie Lie Lie
  | single 4       = Sky Is Over
  | single 1 date  = August 7, 2007
  | single 2 date  = September 10, 2007
  | single 3 date  = December 24, 2007
  | single 4 date  = February 2008 <ref>[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88584 SERJ TANKIAN Paints Grim Picture With 'Sky Is Over' - Jan. 16, 2008]</ref>
  }} {{Extra album cover 2
| Upper caption  = Alternate Cover
| Type           = album
| Cover          =Elect the dead.jpg
| Lower caption  = Alternate cover of Elect the Dead
}}
{{Extra album cover 2
| Upper caption  = Alternate cover
| Type           = album
| Cover          = Elect the dead2.jpg
| Lower caption  = cover of special edition
}}

}}

'''''Elect the Dead''''' is the debut solo Primus/current Bryan "Brain" Mantia, along with Dan Monti on bass, opera singer Ani Maldjian and some string players, Antonio Pontarelli among them.<ref name="SOADfans">[http://soadfans.com/Serj_tankian.htm Serj Tankian biography on SOADFans fansite]</ref> The album was leaked on October 18, 2007. The official tour for Elect the Dead commenced on October 12 with a show at Chicago's Vic theater.

The first concert had roughly 1,000 people attending, in a medium sized venue. Although Serj had stated he would not be performing any of System of a Down's material, he had performed Charades, a song co-written by Daron Malakian, the guitarist of System of a Down. Although it is originally a song restricted to piano and vocals, Serj used his backing band, The Flying Cunts of Chaos (F.C.C.), to provide guitars, drums and bass.

Tankian has stated that while some of the songs are new, a lot of them have been with him for a while. The first singles off the album were "The Unthinking Majority" and "Empty Walls". The song "Saving Us" was released on Tankian's Last.fm page<ref>[http://www.last.fm/music/Serj+Tankian/_/Saving+Us Serj Tankian's artist page on Last.fm]</ref> and his MySpace.<ref></ref> The video for "Feed Us" was released on the Swedish<ref>[http://www.mtv.se Swedish MTV]</ref> and UK<ref>[http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtv2/music/18102007/377636/hear_serj_tankians_album_here UK MTV]</ref> MTV. Serj appeared on MTV's You Rock The Deuce to promote Elect The Dead. He participated in a number of skits featuring himself playing the roles of producer, director, and other various duties.

Until now two different promo versions of the album have surfaced to the public. The instrumental promo (PRO-CD-102124), issued by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records and intended for the music and movie industry, contains instrumental versions of the 12 regular album tracks. Another promo version, issued by Reprise Records and made only for individual reviewers, features the regular album in final master form. This release, which was labeled "'''S'''mart '''T'''alk" as a codename for "'''S'''erj '''T'''ankian" to prevent leaking by unauthorized persons, also indicates that the album was finalized prior to <ref>[http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/39153/2002058948060913209_rs.jpg Picture of the Elect The Dead promo release]</ref>.

The album has been met with very positive reception by both critics and fans alike. However, to this day, it has yet to receive gold certification. 

"Beethoven's C***" (Beethoven's Cunt) was recently added as a downloadable track to the video game Rock Band.

The song "Blue", which appears on the special edition bonus CD, is a reworking of the System of a Down demo song "Blue".

==Track listing==
{{tracklist
| all_writing = Serj Tankian

| title1          = Empty Walls
| length1         = 3:49

| title2          = The Unthinking Majority
| length2         = 3:46

| title3          = Money
| length3         = 3:53

| title4          = Feed Us
| length4         = 4:31

| title5          = Saving Us
| length5         = 4:41

| title6          = Sky Is Over
| length6         = 2:57

| title7          = Baby
| length7         = 3:31

| title8          = Honking Antelope
| length8         = 3:50

| title9          = Lie Lie Lie
| length9         = 3:33

| title10         = Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
| length10        = 4:23

| title11         = Beethoven's Cunt
| length11        = 3:13

| title12         = Elect the Dead
| length12        = 2:54

| title13         = The Reverend King
| note13          = Japanese Bonus Track
| length13        = 2:49
}}

{{Infobox Musikalbum
|Künstler = Serj Tankian
|Titel = Elect the Dead
|Genre = Alternative Rock
|Jahr = 2007
|Label = Serjical Strike, Reprise Records
|Formate =
|AnzahlTitel = 12
|Laufzeit = 45 min 03 s
|Besetzung = Serj Tankian
|Produzent = Serj Tankian
|Studio = Serjical Strike Studios
|Vorheriges =
|Nächstes =
}}
'''Elect the Dead''' ist das erste Soloalbum von USA am 22. Oktober 2007 veröffentlicht. Das Album wurde über Tankians Label Serjical Strike herausgebracht und auch von ihm selbst produziert.

Das Genre von ''Elect the Dead'' kann man als Alternative Rock bezeichnen. Obwohl es sich im Gesamten von den letzten Alben von System of a Down Alben unterscheidet, kann man bekannte Elemente der Band wiedererkennen, vor allem im Spannungsaufbau.

== Entstehung ==
Nachdem System of a Down 2005 im Abstand von einem halben Jahr die beiden Alben Mezmerize und Hypnotize herausgebracht hatte, entschlossen sich die Bandmitglieder, eine kreative Pause einzulegen und erstmal Soloprojekte zu verfolgen.

''Elect the dead'' besteht aus Liedern, die Tankian teilweise schon länger mit sich rumschleppte. Das Album nahm er anfangs komplett alleine auf. Im Studio spielte er auf jedem Instrument die Stücke nacheinander ein. Tankian sagte dazu: 

Für die Feinarbeiten lud er sich anschließend mehrere Gastmusiker in sein Studio ein. Sein SoaD-Bandkollege Loops. Dafür spielten sie teilweise parallel die Lieder ein und entschieden dann gemeinsam, welcher Teil wo am besten passte. Dadurch enthalten manche der Lieder Teile von allen drei Schlagzeugaufnahmen. Dan Monti unterstützte die vorhandenen Einspielungen auf der Gitarre und am Bass. Die weiblichen Gesangsparts übernahm die Opernsängerin Ani Maldjian (''Lie Lie Lie'', ''Saving Us''). Dazu kamen noch einige Streicher. Die meisten Lieder enthalten zahlreiche nebeneinander ablaufende Tonspuren. So sind immer mindestens sieben Gitarren zu hören, vier Schlagzeuge, zwei bis drei Bässe und einige weitere Instrumente. Auch die Chöre sind auf diese Art entstanden und sind am Album alle Tankians Stimme auf mehreren Tonspuren.

== Titelliste ==
<div class="sideBox" style="border-left:1px solid #dddddd; margin-left:0.5em;">

<big>'''Singles'''</big>
;Empty Walls
:US: '''97''' <small>– 10.11.2007  – 1 Wo.<ref name="billboardSingle">billboard.com: [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3087703&cdi=9475492&cid=11%2F10%2F2007 Chart Listing For The Week Of Nov 10 2007] (Zugriff am 26. Februar 2008)</ref></small>
<big>'''Alben'''</big>
;Elect the Dead
:DE: '''10''' <small>– 05.11.2007 – 7 Wo. <ref>musicline.de: [http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/Tankian%2C+Serj/Elect+The+Dead/longplay http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?key=64642&cat=a Chartverfolgung / Elect the Dead] (Zugriff am 26. Februar 2008)</ref></small>
:AT: '''5''' <small>– 02.11.2007 – 9 Wo. <ref>austriancharts.at: [http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?key=64642&cat=a Elect the Dead in der österreichischen Hitparade] (Zugriff am 26. Februar 2008)</ref></small>
:CH: '''11''' <small>– 04.11.2007 – 5 Wo. <ref>hitparade.ch: [http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?key=64642&cat=a Elect the Dead in der Schweizer Hitparade] (Zugriff am 26. Februar 2008)</ref></small>
:UK: '''26''' <small>– 44/2007 – 3 Wo. <ref>acharts.us: [http://acharts.us/album/28952 Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead] (Zugriff am 22. April 2008)</ref></small>
:US: '''4''' <small>– 10.11.2007 – 20 Wo.<ref name="bbAlbum">billboard.com: [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3093256&cdi=9723334&cid=04%2F12%2F2008 Chart Listing For The Week Of Apr 12 2008] (Zugriff am 22. April 2008)</ref></small>
</div>
# ''Empty Walls'' – 3:49 <small>(Video: Tony Petrossian)</small>
# ''The Unthinking Majority'' – 3:46 <small>(Video: Tawd Dorrnfeld)</small>
# ''Money'' – 3:53 <small>(Video: Ara Soudjian)</small>
# ''Feed Us'' – 4:31 <small>(Video: Sevag Verj)</small>
# ''Saving Us'' – 4:41 <small>(Video: Kevin Estrada)</small>
# ''Sky Is Over'' – 2:57 <small>(Video: José Rivera)</small>
# ''Baby'' – 3:31 <small>(Video: Diran Noubar)</small>
# ''Honking Antelope'' – 3:50 <small>(Video: Roger Kupelian)</small>
# ''Lie Lie Lie'' – 3:33 <small>(Video: Martha Colburn)</small>
# ''Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition'' – 4:23 <small>(Video: Greg Watermann)</small>
# ''Beethoven's Cunt'' – 3:13 <small>(Video: Adam Egypt Mortimer)</small>
# ''Elect the Dead'' – 2:54 <small>(Video: Gariné Torossian)</small>

=== Bonustracks ===
* ''The Reverend King'' – 2:49 (nur auf der japanischen Version)

Auf der Special Edition des Albums befinden sich noch vier weitere Songs:
* ''Blue'' – 2:45
* ''Empty Walls'' (Akustik Version) – 3:46
* ''Feed Us'' (Akustik Version) – 4:21
* ''Falling Stars" – 3:05