Scars on Broadway-System of a Down went on hiatus after the tour to promote Mezmerize and Hypnotize, freeing Malakian up to pursue music away from the band. Scars on Broadway developed from a series of demos Malakian recorded in 2003 with side musicians. Some of those songs were later leaked to the public, but Malakian had already decided to move in a different direction, scrapping those tracks and eventually recruiting Dolmayan to join the group as an official member.

The songs that would end up on Scars on Broadway were recorded in 2007 and 2008. The album debuted July 29, 2008, peaking at No. 17 on the Billboard 200. The first single, "They Say," a ferocious diatribe against faddishness that features an explosive guitar solo from Malakian, was a hit on the mainstream and modern rock charts. The album displayed Malakian's musical eclecticism, ranging from pop to psychedelic numbers.

Members:

Daron Malakian
John Dolmayan
Franky Perez
Dominic Cifarelli
Danny Shamoun