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Just over six months ago System
of a Down released what was there finest album to date Mezmerize.
On November 20th 2005 System of a down released Hypnotize an album
that floored everything else in its path! Produced by the legendary
Rick Rubin in conjunction with system of a down’s guitarist/vocalist
Daron Malakian, the album contains twelve tracks that are fast, furious
and everything else in between that we have come to love from system
of a down. From the opening to closing tracks System of a Down constantly
deliver rip roaring riffs, harmonies from hell, lyrics that will keep
you thinking long after a song is over, catchy sing along choruses
and much more. It is safe enough for me to say that this is by far
the greatest System of a Down album to date and it is going to be
very hard for the band to top this album, but I am sure they will
be able to as with every single album this band gets stronger both
musically & lyrically. Kick back for my track by track review!
“Attack” - Awesome thrashy intro that blows you off the
seat, this is one of those system songs that takes on many forms in
four minutes. This is one for those moshers amongst us! Killer song
that will leave ya with sore muscles, I can’t wait to hear this
live! “Dreaming” - Great vocal tracks have been laid down
on this one. I loved the harmonies they work very well; you will find
it hard not to sing along to this track while you’re rockin
out! “Kill Rock 'n Roll” - “felt like the biggest
asshole, when I killed your rock n roll” wow what a great fuckin
way to open a track, this song was an instant favorite from the very
first time I heard it. I can’t tell you how many times I have
had this one on repeat. In parts Serj Tankian’s vocal melodies
reminded me of the Beatles ‘Elinor Rigby’ not sure if
that is what they were going for but I certainly heard it! “Everyday
I look in your eyes, everyday I’m watchin you die” oh
another song you will be sure to sing along with, loved the lyrics
& music. Not a bad thing can be said about this track. “Hypnotize”
- title track from the album and also the first single, this is one
of those songs that grows on you with every listen, vocal melodies
shared by both Darren & Serj are amazing. At first I hated this
song, but now I sing it word for word, it’s another one of those
songs I just cant get enough of, could do without hearing it live
though! “Stealing Society” - Just like ‘Dreaming’
this is another one of those songs that I loved from the very first
listen, great heavy, thrashy intro that again takes you to places
you would never imagine. There is no doubt that no other band could
ever pull this off anywhere near as well as system of a down. Lyrically
fantastic, another song I constantly find on repeat & always sing
along to “I’m a midnight fist fight, lookin’ for
a mutha that can get me high, just a stupid mother fucker if I die
I die” another great song that has both Darren & Serj sharing
the vocals. “Tentative” - certainly an easy song to get
into, this is your typical System of a Down track if you can say they
have a typical sound [laughs]. I love ‘Tentative’ you
will not be able to help yourself but sing along with this one also.
“No one can save us now, not even god” “where do
you except us to go when the bombs fall” another one of those
very deep well written tracks that I always enjoy from these guys!
“U-Fig” - Oh probably the best song on the album, it’s
very hard for me to say that as I have so many favorites. This song
will blow your head apart in the first ten seconds. I loved every
second of hearing this song, I’m sure my neighbors have disagreed
for over a week now but as they say we can’t please everyone.
Great song for the headbangers, great song to sing along to &
I seem to picture suicide bombers blasting this song before blowing
themselves up! It just has that flavor to it. Fuckin’ loved
this track and every time I hear it I love it even more! “Holy
Mountain” - my first initial thoughts when I heard the intro
was how much this song reminded me of aerials taken from the ‘Toxicity’
album, but as the song progresses it take a life of its own and it
doesn’t take too long for me to forget about “Aerials”.
This is one of the best written songs on the album, I loved everything
about it. Serj really shows off his voice in this track too, you can
hear the anger, the passion and the intensity with every word! Very
well done! “Vicinity of Obscenity” - Probably my least
favorite song on the album and yet I don’t turn it down, I still
sing along to it and when the album is over I still find myself humming
along to the melody. I know that this is going to be another one of
those songs that grows on me. I feel that this track didn’t
really fit with the rest of the album but it’s still a pretty
cool song. “She's Like Heroin” - Well when I first heard
it I laughed my ass off, just thought it was a stupid song, but then
I listened to it again and concentrated on the lyrics “selling
ass for heroin” wow powerful lyrics right there, just opens
our eyes to one of those serious issues that many of us turn a blind
eye to in today’s society! Very well written and a song I have
come to respect with every listen! “Lonely Day” - Wow
what a great song, I love hearing Darren take charge on the vocals,
glad he isn’t the front man but think he does a great job on
everything he sings on this album. Lonely day is for the most part
a very mellow song that you can kick back and listen to very loud
or moderately on a softer volume. I loved this track both lyrically
& musically. This is another favorite! “Soldier Side”
- Fuck, what a great way to close what is sure to be classed as the
album of the year in my eyes. “Welcome to the soldier side,
where there’s no one here but me” those lyrics may sound
familiar from the first track on mesmerize. Let me assure you if you
liked that mellow intro then you are going to love this fantastic
close to what is the definitive System of a Down album to date! “they
were crying when there sons left, god is wearing black, he’s
gone so far to find them home’s he’s never comin back”
Wow powerful lyrics there that will be interpreted in many ways I
am sure depending on your beliefs & thoughts of war and so on.
It won’t surprise me if this is the next single for the band,
in fact I’ll be surprised if it isn’t a smash hit for
them! To sum up, this is by far the greatest album system of a down
has released to date. Musically these guys just keep getting better,
the drumming is as phenomenal as on any of their past albums, the
bass sounds solid & will have your chest pumping, guitars are
very well done on this album & is the one thing I noticed a major
improvement in compared to previous releases. The vocals are 110%
outstanding from both Serj & Darren. This band has proven time
and time again that they are not an industry joke, that they are not
riding a wave, face it people System of a Down have something to say,
they are here to stay and I for one give them two horns up for doing
so. Hypnotize has my vote as album of the year. If you love your metal
make sure you get the latest album you will kick yourself if you don’t,
it’s safe to say it will leave you hypnotized. Hypnotize is
available now where all great rock & metal albums are sold, lets
keep meal in the charts, send this to number 1, it deserves to be
there! Rating: 100 Reviewed By: Cameron Edney |
