System of a Down - Mezmerize

ALBUM REVIEW

Mezmerize is the first real new album we've had from my favorite Armenians, and it's another shot in the arm to modern rock. At their best, System of a Down is rather a lot like theatre to me. While some people may see their antics and delivery as extreme, I think that it's more an exaggeration for effect. This album sports their normal flair for classical themes hidden within devious crunching metal time signatures.

While as a whole this album didn't satisfy me quite like Toxicity did,
the gems here outshine almost anything else they've ever done.

The "Soldier Side" intro wasn't really necessary, and could have easily been skipped in my opinion. If you're going to give me an intro track, then I'd like to have a)an instrumental theme established, b)a humorous or rare sample, or c)the equivalent of a pallet-cleansing preface to the first real track of the album. This track's too short, and doesn't really go anywhere at all.

However, it does lead into "BYOB" which is phenomenal. This is the first single, and how it manages to pack a political message into such an interesting song is pretty amazing. I will admit that the political thing isn't my bag. I've said it before in other reviews too. Still, just focusing on the music alone, this is a wonderful song. We go from frenetic screams and blistering speed, and then seamlessly transition into a booty-grooving guitar chorus that's mockingly sweet and irresistible. This isn't my favorite track on the album, but it's definitely one of the best.

"Revenga" is a twisted tale of love, with warp speed guitars for the tender touch. Aside from the warped verses lyrics, this is a hyper-ballad at heart. Sort of like a country song girl-done-me-wrong sort of thing, but without a twang or pedal steel guitar in sight.

It's hard not to laugh at such a blatant tongue in cheek song like "Cigaro". This is the mantra of every rich and powerful corporate whore that we all hate. Played out and painted in the most bombastic lyrical onslaught, and with surging guitars to boot. The message here isn't hard to see, but it's fun to hear.

"Radio/Video" could easily be marked as one of the more "accessible" tracks on the album. It's a little more structured than some, and maybe even a bit easier to understand what's being sung throughout. It's easily one of my favorites of the album, but not because of those things. What I love about this song is the fact that it's really just traditional Armenian folk music disguised as a rock song. There is a beautiful bit of vocalization to the bridge that's easily missed too. Also, there's a great bit of fun as the song changes pace, and then goes whisper soft only to rip right back into a scream once you've been fooled into hugging the speaker. Very good stuff.

What honest rock album wouldn't have at least one song about drugs? In the spirit of that, we get "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song " which is a Lewis Carroll dive down the rabbit hole. Full of the rantings of paranoia and megalomania that are typical of the title "mood enhancing" drug, this song sweeps and swirls around you like city traffic in the summer.

Well, I suppose that since we had a drug song, we might as well get the trifecta out of the way, and get a sex song in here too. Not that the title "Violent Pornography" would have given that away or anything. It's actually a song with a very simple point. With as many weak people that we have given unlimited access to depravity, it's no wonder that we're reaping the harvest of reprobates and sociopaths.

Ah, now we've finally gotten to my favorite song. "Question!" is an operatic wonderment. This is progressive and classical, and yet modern and hard as hell too. Most people wouldn't be reminded of a symphony on their first listening of this track, but the influence is there. From the quiet acoustic plucking around the first stanza, through the emotional delivery of the titular question in the chorus, this song is powerful in a lot of nice ways.

"Sad Statue" is another political song, but it's slower pace, and poignant lyrics put it above and beyond most. The chorus may be a bit of an over-simplified encapsulation of our culture right now, but it's pretty darn close.

Let's kick off a tale of "Old School Hollywood" with some synth bass! We end up with a mix of Devo and Dio on this one, and although those are some strange bedfellows, it's not as odd as it sounds(for a System of a Down song).

Wrapping up the album is "Lost in Hollywood", a classic tale of disillusionment in tinsel town. The song is sung with a real empathy and sincerity. Like it's something a big brother would say to a younger sibling, instead of just saying "I told you so".

This album is a little erratic for me. The songs I like are great, and the rest is good, but not ground breaking. Those great songs are really something special though. Overall, the album is awfully short, and it's a good thing that it's merely the first of a planned double release. I'm looking forward to their next album, so I guess that's a pretty good testament to the music that they continue to make.

Rating = * * * 1/2 out of 5 stars.