System of a Down premiered its new video for “Genocidal Humanoidz” on Saturday after a live broadcast of charity to provide humanitarian aid to Armenians affected by the conflict in the disputed area known as Nagorno-Karabakh.
A mix of live performance and animation, the visual features System of the Down playing its first new song in 15 years amid animated images of war-torn city dwellers coming together to fight the demons they invaded. The video was directed by Shavo Odadjian of SOAD and Adam Mason of Deep Sky Animation.
Prior to Saturday’s live broadcast, System of a Down had already raised $ 600,000 in aid for the people of Artsakh, a group that was under siege by Azerbaijan until a peace treaty in December. The money raised by System of a Down from the live broadcast will help provide prostheses to soldiers who have lost limbs as a result of the conflict and laser therapy for people burned by chemical weapons.
“I’ve been to Artsakh twice,” said vocalist Serj Tankian Rolling Stone in November, at the height of the battle. “It is a beautiful landscape, and it is very sad to see all of it destroyed now and people having to move. The people are just incredible there. They are the ancient Armenians. They have lived in these lands since 500 BC. They are very strong, beautiful and funny. They are not afraid, man. They’ve seen it before, but it’s really, really fucked up. “