There seems to be some growing tension with the members of System of a Down and frontman Serj Tankian -- bassist Shavo Odadjian says the band wants a new album and will make one with or without their colorful frontman.

"If [Tankian] wants to be in the band then he's welcome but if he's not? what do you expect us 3 to do?? we really want anorther System Record! wish Serj was down but if hes not, then im going ahead and making a System record without him!!!"

Odadjian went on to say they he's "furious that he let us down like this, but we gotta do something to keep this great band alive!!!"

Meanwhile Tankian will be releasing two albums this summer. His Orca symphony is due on June 25th; Jazz-iz Christ, his collaborative jazz infused album, will be released on July 23th via his own Serjical Strike Records.

System Of A Down will play their only US show this year in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl on July 29th.

Serj Tankian released a video for his upcoming Orca symphony, which is due out in June.

Here's a video for the truncated studio version of "Orca Act I - Victorious Orcinus":

System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian will release two new albums this summer.

Here are some additional details on both projects from a press release issued today:

"Orca was composed and demoed in Tankian’s home studio and fully realized after a successful Kickstarter campaign that helped fund a recording and debut performance at the regal Brucknerhaus with the “Das Karussell Ensemble”. With conductor Werner Steinmetz at the helm, the four acts of Orca mix influences from early 20th century composers with modern film compositional dynamics showing influences ranging from Ennio Morricone to Philip Glass. Listeners are met with a mingling of sounds and intertwining pieces that are both serene and bombastic at the same time, offering a fresh interpretation to the classical art."

"Jazz-iz Christ is Serj’s brainchild, but truly is a collaborative effort between many musicians that Tankian curated to be part of the group and self-titled album. Among others, there are considerable contributions from renowned pianist Tigran Hamasyan, flautist Valeri Tolstov, and trumpet player Tom Duprey. Additional performances from Stewart Copeland and actor/musician Davis Alpay and Vincent Pedulla make for a very unique collaboration. The 15 tracks that comprise Jazz-iz Christ, a mostly instrumental effort except for 4 tracks, are an amalgam of progressive jazz, electronic, ethnic and even rock elements, displaying a unique presentation of the genre itself."

System Of A Down have announced their only US performance in 2013.

Set to take place in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl on July 29th, tickets for the show go on sale this Friday at 10AM PST. 

Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), and Rise Against vocalist Tim McIlrath have teamed up for a new track called "We Are The 99 Percent" in support of the Occupy Movement.

Video footage of System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian joining Deftones onstage at Knotfest in Council Bluffs, Iowa at Mid America Motorplex on Friday is below.

Fan footage of Deftones frontman Chino Moreno joining System of a Down onstage for the song "Suite Pee" is below.

The clip comes from the band's performance on Tuesday night in Clarkston, Michigan at DTE Energy Theater.

System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian is back in the studio with Achozen, a project featuring The RZA (Wu-Tang Clan).

In January 2010 Odadjian revealed that a full-length album was set to be released. So far only a few tracks have surfaced online from the long-awaited album -- their latest song "Soultrigga" was released in July 2011.

System of a Down and Deftones will tour in August. Dates confirmed thus far include:

Following System of a Down's tease of a big announcement on Monday with a picture of Shavo Odadjian holding a Deftones laminate, Deftones have posted a picture with frontman Chino Moreno holding a System of a Down laminate, suggesting a System of a Down/Deftones tour could be in the works.