[3] Tankian achieved fame as part of the American rock band System of a Down.

Tankian's experimentation with classical composition began with Elect the Dead Symphony.

His second album, Imperfect Harmonies, blended classical with traditional rock elements.

The album is structured into four acts that were composed using "non-traditional approaches to classical music."

According to Tankian, "Orca is known as the killer whale, but is really a dark dolphin, a symbolism for human dichotomy.