Beginning on April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey) began an extermination campaign that resulted in the deaths of more than 1.5 million ethnic Armenians. In a statement Saturday marking the 106th anniversary of that campaign, Joe Biden’s White House recognized those killings as “genocide,” a term no president since Ronald Reagan has used to describe the events for fear of alienating NATO ally Turkey. This has indeed pissed off Turkey’s government, but it has also won the approval of System Of A Down.

When System Of A Down finally returned with new music last fall after 15 years, it was for reasons related to their Armenian cultural heritage. The wild experimental metal quartet had spent the decade since their 2010 reunion not releasing music, for reasons that apparently had to do with both creative and political differences. But last year, SOAD swung into action in response to military attacks against Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh), a nation on the border of Azerbaijan largely populated by ethnic Armenians.

When Turkey and Azerbaijan (from which Artsakh won its independence in the ’90s) began launching missiles into Artsakh last year, SOAD issued a statement calling on global leaders to take a stand against “[Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s denialist Turkey” and “petro-corrupt Azerbaijan.” They then released two new songs, citing “a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia.”

Now, System Of A Down have issued a statement on Instagram thanking Biden for recognizing the genocide:

Thank you to President Joe Biden for properly recognizing the #ArmenianGenocide today. This extremely important milestone is a large step on the long road towards justice. As System Of A Down, we want to acknowledge and thank all of you who have stood with us over the years marching in the streets, signing petitions, and voicing your support to hold Turkey accountable to make amends towards the descendants of 1.5 Million Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians systematically slaughtered by its Ottoman Turkish ancestors. Read the full statement using link in our stories. #armeniangenocide #1915neveragain

Some international relations experts have argued Biden’s statement is evidence of Turkey’s waning international power. As a mere music blogger, I don’t have the expertise to unpack any of this, but I can tell you a new System Of A Down album this year would be sick.