Serj Tankian of System of a Down’s newest single “Cornucopia” from his solo album, Harakiri, seems to be about a torrid love affair with Mother Earth. It’s one that doesn’t seem to be going well, despite the beauty that the Earth once afforded in the sunshine. Now Mother Earth is pissed and the newly-released lyric video shows that with scenes of hurricanes and stormy weather.

In an interview with KROQ in Los Angeles, Tankian talked about the theme of his title track for Harakiri: the mass suicide of animals which he sees as an ecological omen.

“It was really hard to believe and it was just like this major omen,” Tankian explained. “I was trying to make sense of it; spiritually, psychologically, what all of it meant.”

“All of the scientific explanations given for the deaths have been bogus so far. They’re kind of funny if you really read them. From firecrackers to not enough oxygen in the bay.”

“When we’re about to experience an earthquake, for example, fish that are in aquariums start jumping out. They know before the earthquake happens,” elaborated Tankian. “Animals, dogs; before a tsunami they run to higher places. They have a better intuitive sense tied in with nature than we do.”

“I think we used to have that, but we kind of lost it in what we call civilization; in the kind of growth of our psychological realm and technology and all this reasoning and science,” continued Tankian. “So, to me, it’s interesting that all of those species found life unbearable in some ways because there’s no other explanation than suicide.”

“That’s really scary for us because if it’s not good enough for them than what does it really mean for us in terms of pollution, in terms of the way we live, in terms of the times to come?”

Tankian’s second single, “Cornucopia,” is available for free download at SerjTankian.com. Fans can also pre-order Harakiri with two dollars of each sale going to a non-profit organization to fight global hunger.

Awesome music and a good cause? That’s so Tankian.

Confirmed System Of A Down Tour Dates:

08/02 Philadelphia, PA – Susquehanna Bank Center

08/04 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center

08/05 Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

08/07 Washington, DC – Verizon Center Arena

08/09 Boston, MA – Comcast Center

08/11 Montreal, QC – Heavy Metal Festival Parterre @ Parc Jean Drapeau

08/12 Toronto, ON – Heavy Metal Festival Downsview Park

08/14 Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Amphitheater

08/15 Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena

Confirmed Serj Tankian Tour Dates:

08/16 Council Bluffs, IA – Mid-America Motor Complex – KNOTFEST

08/17 Minneapolis, MN – Somerset Amphitheatre – KNOTFEST

For more info on Serj Tankian’s Harakiri, go to SerjTankian.com

–Nadia Noir, CBS Radio Los Angeles