System Of A Down Mezmerize CD

P/A. Pt.1 Of A 2 Album Release For 2005.Prod.By Rick Rubin.

System of a Down: Shavo Odadjian (bass guitar); Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian, John Dolmayan.
Personnel: Daron Malakian (vocals, guitar); Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboards); John Dolmayan (drums).
Audio Mixer: Andy Wallace.
Editors: Dana Nielsen; Jason Lader.
Adjectives like "ambitious," "jagged," and "startling" have always defined System of a Down, and their third official full-length is no different. Prerelease, the band described Mezmerize as being the first part -- the first side -- of what's essentially a double album. The records' packaging would even slot together, making the eventual Mezmerize/Hypnotize whole. Appropriately then, there's an intro to System's first new material since 2001's brilliant Toxicity. On "Soldier Side" Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian harmonize as they do throughout the record, and Malakian's guitar has a mournful, Eastern air. But it's just a lull before "B.Y.O.B.," a thrash assault pierced with rabid and incredulous screams. "Why do they always send the poor?" Suddenly the gears switch, and the song stomps in crunchy half-time as its lyrics riff with a sick grin on cultural ignorance. The government's lying, System's saying, but "Blast off!/It's party time." The vocal exploration between Tankian and Malakian on Mezmerize is a thrill -- they spur each other on like a two-headed hardcore hero. Their intermingling voices make "Cigaro" more aggressive, frantic, operatic, and totally bananas; they'd be triumphant over the break in "Violent Pornography" if they weren't spitting out lines like "Choking chicks and sodomy." The fantastic "Pornography" is a rusty shiv of absurdity, another example of System's ability to effectively skewer society with little more than hyper guitar, blistering percussion, and weird turns of phrase. Their volatile mix of righteousness, wordiness, odd meters, and thrash has balanced System's activism since their self-titled debut, making them "unique heavy music" over the much more problematic "unique, heavily political music." And Mezmerize doesn't fail to be unique. "Old School Hollywood" essays the bizarre experience of a celebrity baseball game ("Tony Danza cuts in line!") over keyboard effects from "Beat It" and a brutally simplistic rhythm, "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song" is more twisted-tongue histrionics and explosive playing, and Tankian and Malakian's harmonies are the catalyst (again!) for making "Revenga" a truly feral epic. System of a Down -- what's another adjective for "awesome"? ~ Johnny Loftus
Many rock bands talk endlessly about their "sound," refining a basic formula until it's either perfect or perfectly boring. System of a Down, however, developed a loyal fanbase with the opposite approach--the group mixes genres so freely that describing what their music sounds like is nearly impossible. Sure, SOAD is, at its core, a metal band, but on MEZMERIZE's first two songs alone, vocalist/guitarist/mastermind Daron Malakian and crew zigzag their way though Beach Boys-like stacked vocal harmonies, Anthrax-esque hardcore thrash, Cameo-style funk, and prog rock of a CARESS OF STEEL-era Rush variety. "Revenga" adds a touch of swooping Freddie Mercury vocal drama to the mix, while "Sad Statue" sports a guitar riff that sounds like a Greek bouzouki. Even sharper, tighter, and more ambitious than System of a Down's previous albums, MEZMERIZE makes for a consistently surprising listen.

Rolling Stone (No. 975, pp.67-70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "[E]verything on MEZMERIZE hits and splits with viciously honed purpose..."
Spin (p.101) - "Moods are muddled even more artfully on MEZMERIZE." - Grade: B+