The group weaves a dynamic blend of sonic textures, creating a culmination of heavy yet vulnerable musical flavours. SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET brings together a powerhouse collective featuring Shavo Odadjian (System Of A Down) on Bass, vocalist Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer), guitarist/vocalist Alejandro Aranda (Scarypoolparty), guitarist Michael Montoya (Morgoth/Winds of Plague), and drummer Josh Johnson (Winds of Plague). The group has graced major stages at Mayhem Fest, Knotfest and more, alongside heavy hitters like Tom Morello, BABYMETAL, Tool and more.
You can catch SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET in 2025 at the below:
15/06 – Download Festival, Donington
16/06 – Deaf Institute, Manchester *
17/06 – Camden Assembly, London *
* – Headline show
ABOUT SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET
When the universe aligns, magic happens. This was certainly the case when Shavo Odajian, the legendary bass player of System of a Down, crossed paths with producer and multi-instrumentalist Morgoth at a party on 2.22.22. Their initial sessions were a spontaneous combustion of creativity, transforming from a potential solo venture into a full-fledged band.
“We wrote a song right away. It wasn’t like any writing session I had been part of before, riffs were just flowing out of me without me even having to try. Every time I felt like I couldn’t write anything. Morgoth would hand me a guitar and say, “go, go, go”. I needed that, you know? I needed someone to push me when I wasn’t pushing myself.” Shavo recalls. As music continued to pour out in torrents, with Shavo writing and performing all the guitar and bass parts and Morgoth producing and providing the beats, atmospherics and FX, Morgoth suggested they turn it into a Shavo solo project. However, with his eye now firmly set on the live arena, Shavo decided to create a full band.
Finding the right vocal talent to compliment the musical landscape created by Shavo and Morgoth was crucial. Morgoth’s recommendation of Taylor Barber from Left to Suffer was a game-changer. Shavo was blown away: “He was singing in falsetto one minute and growling the next—it was ridiculous. He became the singer because he knocked every song out of the park.” With Shavo on bass and Morgoth on guitar, the band also brought in Morgoth’s Winds Of Plague band mate, Josh Johnson on drums and Alejandro Aranda as lead guitarist and backing vocalist, known for his solo project Scarypoolparty and as runner-up on American Idol.
Once the new music was complete, mixed by Zach Jones and mastered by Maor Applebaum, Shavo partnered with Ash Avildsen of SumerianMusicGroup to create the brand new joint label venture 1336 Records, with SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET being the first signing.
“I’ve been making music for over 30 years, I wanted to do something super heavy, but melodic and come back to my roots.” shares Shavo “Until this band, every side project I’ve done has been outside of the walls of heavy music. I steered away from anything heavy because System Of A Down is heavy. Once I got I started with SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, I had to let go of that. I said “let me go with my gut and do what I’m best at”. For the first time ever in my career, I just said, “as long as I love it, I don’t give a f*ck what anybody else thinks” and that was extremely liberating. SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET is the result. It’s my favourite thing I’ve done since System and I can’t wait for the world to hear it.”
