Heavy rockers System Of A Down have dismissed reports they are seeking to replace frontman Serj Tankian after bassist Shavo Odadjian went public with his frustrations over the singer's solo career.

The Chop Suey! hitmakers have been on a recording hiatus since the release of 2005's Mezmerize/Hypnotize album and Tankian has since embarked on a successful solo career, releasing four projects in the past eight years.

It appears bandmate Odadjian is far from happy about the frontman's alternative career after he sparked rumours of discord in the group on Monday (20May13), when he responded to fans' questions about album plans by claiming that the vocalist was the only one refusing to commit to recording sessions with guitarist Daron Malakian, drummer John Dolmayan and himself.

Taking to his Facebook.com page, he raged, "Ok, I'll come clean. It's not us. Its Serj, who doesn't want to do a new album! So please stop harassing us about it!...We are just waiting for Serj.

"Now, he might hate me for exposing the truth but I had to. Sorry folks! We're trying to get a new album out, it's just not passing Serj's rules! Kinda funny, since we started the band and now he's holding us back!"

Odadjian then stated he was prepared to hire a new frontman to record and perform songs with the other members of the band, because he's sick of having to "beg" Tankian to stay with the group.

He added, "Just remember, he's been holding us back for seven years so far. Wanna wait another five years? Or shall we release a record without Serj? You tell us... I'm furious that he let us down like this, but we gotta do something to keep this great band alive! agreed?"

The Facebook post was removed shortly afterwards, and a statement from the whole group was released to address Odadjian's comments.

The statement reads: "Earlier today, Shavo posted a few statements on his personal Facebook page that do not reflect the sentiments of System Of A Down as a collective band. These were misleading statements that were made during a temporary state of bad judgment on his part alone.

"To be clear, the full band lineup of Serj, Daron, Shavo and John will be performing all scheduled tour dates. With respect to new Soad music, although we have not agreed on a timetable for a new album, we all believe that having the four of us do it together is the way to be true to the band and our fans."