71. System of a Down – Mesmerize/Hypnotize

 

Mesmerize and Hypnotize were System of a Down’s final two albums before going on an indefinite hiatus. They are place here together because the albums were recorded at the same time and released six months apart. The CD cases actually fit into one another to form one album. Even the tracks have some continuity with Mesmerize opening with the “Soldier Side – Intro” and Hypnotize ending with “Soldier Side”. The album basically takes all of the crazy styles present on the previous album Steal This Album! and distills them down into a much more cohesive and defined format. They still carry that “What is going to happen next?” feeling of song shifting but the songs are deeper and more layered. Best of all, Malakian takes a front seat to Tankian as a vocalist. It’s tough because I love both singers. I especially think they show here that their voices harmonize amazingly well together and create some of the most beautiful metal melodies ever. At the same time, on their own, I think I prefer Malakian’s vocals to Tankian’s when they are singing. (Not to be confused with Tankian’s yell-talking of the early days) The album also features tons of very strange easy to remember lyrics just like Cake’s I had mentioned in my last review. There is something about System of a Down that is just extremely fun to sing along to. The album also has some clearly defined political stances but I’ll be honest, I’ve always tried to steer clear of that side of System of a Down in favor of just rocking out.  Speaking of rocking out, you will do A LOT of that with this album. The drums are wild and powerful. Get ready for guitar riffs and solos that will blow your mind! And the melodies! I feel that metal often skimps on choruses and melodies in favor of technical work. System of a Down loves a good poppy sing along chorus. Even if we have to scream it. I will say that on the whole Mesmerize  is slightly harder than Hypnotize  which sounds a bit more introspective.  It’s a shame the band hasn’t released more music since I believe all their albums to be perfect. Since the release of this album, members of the band have released many solo albums but nothing reaches these heights. There was just something about this specific combination of people that created some truly timeless metal.

 

What does it make me feel like?

 

Like I’m conducting the most awesome metal symphony ever concocted.

 

What to Listen for Track by Track

 

Mesmerize

 

– The peaceful beginnings of Soldier Side – Intro and your first introductions to the harmonies!

– The “Every bodies going to the party” hook on B.YO.B. So catchy!

– 2:02 of Revenga! Whenever the band does little bridges… Chills. Masters of the form, and then when the guitar solo drops!

– Radio/Video is probably my favorite part of Mesmerize. 2:18 specficially with the Reggae beat blows my mind every time and then when it speeds up and the have the “La La La La” part!!! So amazing! This song is ridiculous!

– The change in vocals on the 2:49 chorus of Violent Pornography and “B-B-B-B-Brainwashing!”

– The guitar part under the chorus of Question? and all the little clapping parts. And the harmonies! I mean really the harmonies are amazing on every song but seriously!

– The repeated chorus of Sad Statue. I think the song perfectly captures sad. And 2:14!!!! So Amazing!

– The final 2 minutes of Lost in Hollywood! Perfect ending to the first half of the album.

 

Hypnotize

 

– The “Na Na Na Na Na” part of Dreaming

– Kill Rock N Roll is the “Radio/Video” of Hypnotize. My favorite part is still when he says “Mow down the sexy people!”

– The quiet chill of Hypnotize showing off System’s softer side

– The moment of reprieve at 1:35 before everything desolves into chaos on U-Fig

– The absolute insanity of Vicinity  of Obscenity. You will not find another band singing a song like this.

– The resurgence of Soldier Side bringing the albums together

Example Tracks:

Mesmerize: 

Hypnotize: 

88. System of a Down – Steal This Album!

 

System of a Down has never taken themselves too seriously.  But for those who wondered just how crazy System of a Down actually was, they answered with this collection of very old and very new tracks (for the time).  It’s interesting how this actually happened though.  After Toxicity, fans became so obsessed with System that they compiled a collection of decent quality mp3’s and released them to the internet as Toxicity II.  When System heard about it, rather than getting upset at the leak, they recorded high quality versions of all the leaked songs.  They even added a couple of new ones for good measure, while also updating the lyrics, melodies and song titles to create a ten time more epic album than the fans bootlegged.  To add to that, they named it of all things, Steal this Album!  What results is System at it’s most chaotic.

Since the album was a compilation of works written at different times, the mood is hard to nail down as the sound changes so much from song to song.  Some are happy, some are sad, some are funny, some are creepy, some are filthy.  All of them have EPIC guitars and melodies.  We also get to begin seeing the change of Serj as primary vocalist, with Daron as secondary, start to shift towards them sharing the spotlight.

It’s hard not to love the songs on this album.  While it can sometimes feel disjointed, it consistently entertains and throws something new at you all the time.  You never know what to expect.

How does it make me feel?

You know how the first time you heard Bohemian Rhapsody, you were shocked at all the song changes and how it continually surprised you with new and inventive sounds?  However, now you know and anticipate them and it is the most fun song to sing-along to in the world?  Well that’s how this album is, for 43 minutes.

What to Listen for Track by Track

♦  Chi N’Stu – How they can sing about pizza toppings and then turn it into a serious consideration about advertising.

♦  The guitar riff that is in the center of Inner Vision. Everything after 1:48.

♦  The guitat solo at 1:30 on Nuguns.

♦  The way the guitars build the foundation for the song at 0:31 of A.D.D.

♦  2:42 into Mr. Jack

♦  The chorus of I-E-A-I-A-I-A-O.

♦  The way he says “life so unnecessary” on 36.

♦  Serj’s vocals on Pictures.  The way his voice cracks.  And the Pupupapa!

♦  Everything about the Highway Song, from the main guitar riff, to what happens at 1:51, until it finally becomes legendary at 2:37, to the end.

♦  How cool is the Opening of Ego Brain??  The guitar that comes in at 0:50.

♦  Everything that happens during the verse of Thetawaves.  The amazing guitar work that starts around 1:38 culminating in the awesomeness of 1:53.

♦  Going acoustic for Roulette!

♦  Is there a better way to end an album than with Streamline?  To me, Streamline embodies everything that is great about later years of System of a Down.  And it probably does it better then any other System song to come after it.  From it’s opening baseline, to the tempo change around 28 seconds.  Serj’s vocals during the verses.  His change to the pre-chorus vocals.  Daron backing him up.  The build into the harmony at 1:30.  The build into the guitar solo at 2:17!!  I mean seriously!  Just wow.  Then how the guitar solo succeeds in breaking down in order to build up for the final chorus.  And that yell followed by that singing sigh (what else do you call those ending vocals?).  Perfect.

Example Track

Song of the Day 09/05/12: System of A Down – Chop Suey

You know what stinks about a band breaking up?  They stop releasing new music!  If nobody actively recommends System of A Down, then there’s no way younger audiences will ever hear their music.  If you glance at my Top 100 Albums list, you’ll notice that every one of System of a Down’s albums is on that list.  Tragically, they haven’t released any music together since 2005.  I found out most of my siblings have never even heard of them!  In 2001, I remember sitting around watching MTV hoping, beyond hope, that the next video to come on would be Chop Suey!   In the YouTube era, we can watch it whenever we want!

Song of the Day 12/27/10: System of a Down – Radio / Video

So I think “Radio/Video” has all the pieces that make System of a Down so great!  Awesome guitars, cool harmonies, crazy lyrics and big sections of “oh oh oh ahaha” kind of singing parts.  A ska breakdown.  Dizzying melodies.  I mean c’mon, who doesnt love System?? Ok, so they can be annoying if you aren’t in the mood.  But otherwise!  This song makes me wanna dance in circles.  And then possibly go insane.