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SYSTEM OF A DOWN's much-rumored comeback/reunion tour is expected to be announced on Monday, November 29, along with details of several European festival appearances in 2011, including the U.K.'s Download.

When asked by a fan via Twitter if there is any truth to reports that SYSTEM OF A DOWN will play next year's Download festival, SYSTEM bassist Shavo Odadjian replied, "Stay tuned."

Download festival organizer Andy Copping revealed that Download 2011 early-bird tickets will go on sale on December 3. Writing on his Twitter, Copping said, "Christmas comes early! Download 2011 early bird tickets on sale 9 a.m. Friday 3rd December 2010. There will be more Download info [on November 29]. Please…any specific questions about bands being announced, ticket prices, RIP, length of time for early birds etc. will be answered November 29."

According to the official blog of Francis Zégut, host of the show "Pop Rock Station" on the French radio station RTL2, SYSTEM OF A DOWN will perform at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in Paris, France on June 6, 2011. This is expected to be one of many gigs the reunited band will play in Europe during next summer's festival season.

When asked about the possibility of a full-blown SYSTEM reunion during an August 2010 interview with The Pulse of Radio, singer Serj Tankian replied, "Shavo got married like two months ago, we were all at his wedding, and you know, we all talk, we're friends, nothing's changed, and we get offers to play shows, tours, whatever, and we discuss them once in a while. We have not made any decisions as of yet as to what we're gonna do. But when we do, it'll be quite obvious."

(A short audio clip of Serj Tankian talking to The Pulse of Radio about SYSTEM OF A DOWN's status is available at this location [Real Media].)

Meanwhile, Odadjian himself said in a recent interview with Hustler magazine that SYSTEM went on an "indefinite break" to save the band from splitting up permanently.

Odadjian explained, "We won a Grammy and we had two number one records. We were making a lot of loot [money]. Then some people within the group of four brothers started seeing things differently . . . and their actions made the reactions of others pretty unbrotherly-like."

The bass player added, "All of a sudden band members are having problems financially. . . . [and] fighting about, 'I want my style of music to be this and that.' I love them. They're my brothers, but I couldn't see my brothers digging into each other's pockets and killing each other's artistic creativity."

Odadjian said that the band members vowed to come back "when we again have the hunger and the fire in our eyes that we did when we started SYSTEM OF A DOWN."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has been on hiatus since 2006 while its members have pursued various personal projects. Tankian released his first solo album, "Elect The Dead", in 2007 and a follow-up effort, "Imperfect Harmonies", earlier this year, while bassist Shavo Odadjian recorded with members of the WU-TANG CLAN and launched a new online music initiative. Meanwhile, guitarist Daron Malakian started a new band called SCARS ON BROADWAY, also featuring SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan.

According to a new .SWF file that has been uploaded to the official servers of the Rock-Am-Ring.com web site (Note: You can open the file using Internet Explorer), the reunited SYSTEM OF A DOWN will be one of the headliners of next year's edition of the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, set to take place June 3-5, 2011 in the German towns of Nürburgring and Nürnberg, respectively. You can also see the new ad in the YouTube clip below.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

BEATSTEAKS
COLDPLAY
HURTS
IN FLAMES
KINGS OF LEON
MANDO DIAO
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
VOLBEAT

For more information, visit http://www.rock-am-ring.com.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN's much-rumored comeback/reunion tour is expected to be "officially" announced on Monday, November 29, along with details of several European festival appearances in 2011, including the U.K.'s Download.