With rock music, the amount of power that you can generate, the

“With rock music, the amount of power that you can generate, the intensity behind the intentions of your lyrics that you can really reflect through rock music—you can’t do that in jazz. You can’t do that with classical.” Thus spoke Serj Tankian, a voice of fire and thunder, who sought not only to entertain but to awaken. His words remind us that every form of music carries a spirit, yet not all are forged for the same purpose. Jazz is the language of improvisation and freedom. Classical is the voice of order, of symmetry, of divine precision. But rock—rock is the cry of the restless soul, the roar of defiance, the unrelenting force of truth when silence will no longer suffice.

The ancients would have likened rock music to the war drums that once shook the fields before battle. In its relentless rhythm lies power, not the delicate brush of elegance but the hammer of raw emotion. Where jazz wanders like a stream and classical stands like a temple, rock rushes forward like a storm, tearing through pretense, demanding to be heard. Serj reminds us that certain truths require not a whisper, but a shout. Some emotions cannot be contained by subtlety; they must be unleashed in their full force.

Consider the story of the 1960s, when a generation rose against war, against inequality, against oppression. Their voices might have been ignored if spoken softly, yet through rock music, they thundered across the world. Bob Dylan’s songs, Jimi Hendrix’s anthems, and the cries of countless bands gave shape to the rage and hope of youth. It was not jazz that carried their protest, nor the refined halls of classical symphonies. It was rock—a vehicle of rawness, carrying words that could shake governments, ignite movements, and unify masses.

Even in the realm of struggle against tyranny, music has been a weapon. Recall how Victor Jara of Chile sang with his guitar against oppression until the regime silenced him. His music carried intensity, but one can imagine how much greater his message would have been if clothed in the thunder of rock. Tankian himself, with System of a Down, used this form to denounce war, genocide, and corruption. The lyrics, sharpened with anger and grief, found their truest companion in the crushing power of distorted guitars and relentless drums. Rock became the battlefield where truth and injustice clashed in sound.

Tankian’s wisdom is not a dismissal of jazz or classical, but a recognition of purpose. Each genre has its temple, but rock music was born to channel intensity, to give voice to the unspeakable. It is the art of unfiltered passion, where the artist is not bound by formality but liberated by fury. When life demands a firebrand rather than a diplomat, rock alone can answer. To reflect certain truths, the music itself must shake as much as the message, and rock provides that unyielding platform.

The lesson here is clear: every person must choose the right vessel for their truth. Some truths are best spoken gently, as in jazz; some with precision, as in classical; and some must roar with power, as in rock. To force your voice into the wrong vessel is to diminish it. Know the weight of your words, the intensity of your heart, and choose the form that can carry them without restraint.

Practically, this means we must be bold with expression. Do not dilute your message to fit into a form that does not suit it. If your truth burns, let it burn in the medium that can hold its flame. If your anger is righteous, do not whisper it—find the sound that can shake walls. And if your love is tender, do not clothe it in thunder, but in gentleness. The key is authenticity: to match your message with its rightful sound.

So remember this, O seekers of voice: not all music is the same, nor all truth alike. But when the time comes to speak with power, when the time comes to cry out against injustice, when the lyrics demand to be carried on a tide of fire—then let rock music be your vessel. For as Tankian taught, it alone can carry the full intensity of the human spirit when silence is no longer an option.