Serj Tankian has always had a lot to say. An outspoken political activist, Tankian has used his soapbox as front man for System of a Down to take part in everything from the most basic Bush-bashing (“Why don’t presidents fight in wars?”) to complex dissections of the Armenian genocide.

Disappointingly, on his first solo album, Tankian doesn’t stray far from the formula that has made his band so unique. Employing the quiet-loud dynamics of grunge, Elect the Dead provides a similar melodic brand of heavy metal with the only missing element being the harmonies of SOAD guitarist Daron Malakian.

Tankian, predictably, is in full attack mode early on, as the first few songs — “Empty Walls,” “The Unthinking Majority” and “Money” — attack politicians, pharmaceutical companies and, well, money. As the album moves on, a little bit of experimentation starts to creep in. “Baby” is as close to a love song as he’ll likely ever get and “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” finds Tankian pseudo-rapping through lyrics like “Nlelith is a prophet/ from the prophet came the king/ from the king came the pauper.”

Despite the less-than-straightforward lyrics, Tankian’s true talent has always been getting the listener to be as mad about something as he is. The anger and energy in his music is infectious, but if there’s one thing that does separate this from a SOAD project, it’s the tiny little pieces of hope that poke through the disillusionment. On “Feed Us,” Tankian sings, “We’re breaking through and praying for transcendence” — it may not seem like much, but it’s a reminder that even the angriest among us have moments of weakness.