Instead, the band is headlining a benefit concert for a cause with deep personal meaning to them – the recognition of the Armenian genocide. The event takes place at the Palace in Los Angeles on November 4. Buckethead is also confirmed to appear at the show, and other bands will be announced shortly.

Proceeds from Souls: A Benefit for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide To Stop Crimes Against Humanity will go to the Armenian National Committee of America. The organization supports efforts to convince the U.S. government to officially recognize the Armenian genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turks in 1915.

The four members of the hard-rocking outfit have roots in Armenia, but System frontman Serj Tankian explains why all people have a stake in the recognition of genocide.

“It’s important for people to be aware of the atrocities inflicted on the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and that those actions continue to be covered up by the Turkish government, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Administration, and Turkey’s allies in the defense and oil industries,” he said.

“The Armenian Genocide happened, and it was very real to the 1.5 million Armenians who were murdered or deported from their homeland. Had the Armenian Genocide been deemed a Crime Against Humanity in the books after WWI, Hitler might not have thought he could get away with the Jewish Holocaust.”

System Of A Down and ANCA both support U.S. House Resolution 398 – known as the Armenian Genocide Resolution, which is coursing through the governmental labyrinth in the face of heavy opposition for fear it may damage U.S.-Turkey relations. It’s also the subject of intense lobbying efforts by representative of the Turkish government.

The House International Relations Committee adopted the resolution on October 3, and it next heads to the House floor sometime next year.

The Armenian Genocide looms large in the formation of System Of A Down’s political sensibilities.

“The U.S. Holocaust Museum has Hitler’s quote stating ‘Who remembers the massacre of the Armenians?’… so to think that ‘this could never happen to me’ just isn’t necessarily the case,” Tankian said.

“It was the U.S. government’s continuous cover-up of the Armenian Genocide that prompted me to uncover so many other foreign and domestic policy crimes that have been committed. What else is going on that we don’t know anything about?”

The full text of House Resolution 398 can be found at System Of A Down’s Web site, along with updates on the benefit show lineup.