The new location turns out to be a plush-editing suite where Shavo - who recently made his directorial debut on the promo video for the �Toxicity� single - is splicing together the final takes. Or at least this is where he�s supposed to be. He finally turns up half-an-hour later, hobbling slightly - the after effects of a painful operation on his foot that took place on the previous day.
Like his bandmates, Shavo is warm and amiable, although it�s clear he�s stressed and under pressure. It�s also evident that he likes to give whatever he�s doing total attention, and spends the next 30 minuets looked into the world of editing �Toxicity�. Time is precious for Shavo right now - it takes a slightly guilty reminder that I�m supposed to be at guitarist Daron Malakian�s house by four o�clock to prise the bassist away from his editing duties, and towards he end of the interview he begins to worriedly glance at his watch.
He admits the chance to show off his talents behind the camera - Shavo used to film and edit skateboard shorts as a kid - appear to have provided him with a release from pressure that comes with success, even though he confesses to having no real idea what directing involved before he dived in.
�It is obsessive,� he beams. �You should have seen me on the set. At first I was really timid, but then I felt this passion coming through me. It�s cool to know that I can do it ad I�d rather someone from the band represented the band in that way because then it�s the bands eye instead of someone else�s vision.�
The video for �Toxicity� features various shots from around Los Angeles, from crack-addled hookers on Sunset Boulevard to the stars on Hollywood�s Walk of Fame. What do you remember about growing up in LA?
Shavo: �I actually moved about a year ago, but me and Daron grew up in little apartments in Hollywood. They were weird areas that I wouldn�t walk through now because they�re not too safe. When I was living there I wasn�t scared at all, but I know there�s a lot of shit goes on because every time I drive by there�s something going on. It�s got cleaner, it�s got dirtier. It�s like a roller coaster, I always drive through my old neighbourhood just to get the vibe. There were helicopters outside every night and you�d hear gunshots at night�
I saw a show bank robbery on Sunset Boulevard the other day�
Shavo: �I�ve actually been through a band robbery. When I worked as a teller, I go robbed at gunpoint. These guys came in and before we knew it they were on our side of the counter, holding guns to our heads. I was the only guy working there so they put most their attention on me. It was crazy. It all happened so fast, I didn�t have time to think. They told me to get down, so I got down and they took off with all the money. They made a lot of noise and scared everyone, and it freaked me out for a while. I had that thought that I might die. And I kept thinking, �Is this how it�s gone be? This sucks�.�
How has SOAD�s success affected your life?
Shavo: �To me we�re the same people, but we get recognised more in public and it�s given me kind of a phobia about going out. I love our fans so much that I always want to give them 100 per cent attention. I never like saying no to a kid who wants a picture or an autograph or a hug, but then I have no more time for myself, so I try to stay at home a lot. But then some people get mad. They say, �Oh, you guys have changed!� We haven�t changed, it�s just there�s more of you and I can�t give the half-an-hour that I would before, of there�s gonna be another 30 people that aren�t happy. You�ve got to learn to deal with that. You�re being normal and people say you�re being a rock star. That really gets on my nerves. I hate it. I really feel that when people say I�ve changed, it�s because they�ve changed towards me. You find out who your friends are.�
Do you feel pressure when people look to SOAD for answers?
Shavo (exasperated): �Yeah, everything we say is under a microscope. We say one little thing and it�s magnified into the biggest thing. Relax people. We�re four guys who were saying worse things on the first album. At that time we were way more political, but now we�re saying less and we�re getting bombarded with it all. It�s like years of things that have been built up have suddenly exploded with the second album.�
How will you deal with it if SOAD, as everyone seems to be suggesting grow to become as big as Metallica?
Shavo (smiling): �The way I�m dealing with it now. By not dealing with it. Just keep on being who I am. That�s how I go here and that�s how I�m gonna get out of her. I don�t know if we�ll be able to take it as a band. We�re normal people and it�s put us in a world that�s not normal, we�re like fish out of water. We might be able to adapt to it really well and grow lungs� or we�ll just suffocate. We�ll see.�