Hypnotize

System of a Down выпустили продолжение Mezmerize, альбом Hypnotize

System Of A Down have always been political, have always been crazy, and have made songs with some very off the wall lyrics. Their most accomplished outing to date, Mezmerize lived up to all the heightened expectations, delivering a hair-raising blast of modern metal, fused with punk and Eastern European musical influences, and held together by a maniacal creative spirit, offering the kind of musical variety that highlighted 2001's Toxicity, but sounding much more cohesive. About six months after the release of Mezmerize, System Of A Down released its direct follow-up, Hypnotize. Or maybe not a follow-up, because these two albums unite to form one in more ways than just musically. The album is composed of System Of A Down's standard nu-metal sound, but experiments with different guitar influences, even funk. Anyone who had doubts of a band selling out when Daron Malakian started singing will have their doubts thrown right back at them. System Of A Down managed to blend both Daron and Serj voices perfectly, while also perfectly mishmashing guitar crunching with well-organized riffs. This is the ideal combination of what System Of A Down do best.

Sharp, staccato riffs, frenzied beats and effective vocal work

The beginning of Hypnotize sounds like the band is in mid-stride, as Attack returns to the kind of no-frills ferocity System Of A Down can do so well, with sharp, staccato riffs by guitarist Daron Malakian, the tempo shifting from mid-paced chugging, to double-time thrash, to frenzied beats by drummer John Dolmayan, with the baritone/tenor lead vocal combination of Serj Tankian and Malakian working especially well. The crunching Dreaming sustains the momentum, highlighted by Tankian's soaring lead vocals, while the more hardcore punk-fueled Stealing Society contains some of Malakian's most effective vocal work, as he channels the nervous delivery of Jello Biafra during the breakdown. The title track Hypnotize captures the spirit of System Of A Down, with the distinctive vocals of Tankian and Malakian, the clock tick intro beats, the building pace and intensity. It has the same searing political commentary underpinning the lyric, regardless of the issue they choose to focus on. The feeling of the song is very similar to the Mezmerize flavor and it is very apparent that this was part of the same recording sessions. Kill Rock 'n' Roll is a good example of how the band is able to incorporate such disparate influences as metal and ska and blend the two with enough subtlety to make the shift in style less jarring. Holy Mountains, meanwhile, is the best song on the album, a highly emotional account of the slaughter of one and a half million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks during and after World War One. The band's proud Armenian heritage, and the song's elegiac melodies and moments of blind rage make for a devastating combination.

Intensive tour through rock, metal, folk, pop and more

Songs like Vicinity of Obscenity will have you urging to jump and scream along. The song is a perfect representation of the overall feel of Hypnotize. System Of A Down changes the speed of the song on the go, many times over, and this is a trademark of the whole album. It's also a good reflection of the kind of lyrics you'll encounter when listening to songs like She's Like Heroin or U-Fig. Where Mezmerize started up with a slow introduction, only to proceed into fast, mind-blowing rock, Hypnotize takes the opposite approach and puts you straight in the intensity that riddles the twelve songs, proceeding – eventually – into slower, more melodious music. System Of A Down take you on an intensive tour through rock, metal, folk, pop and more. Mezmerize was already an album full of drive and energy, but Hypnotize takes the cake. Never before has System Of A Down released an album that was so spirited. The great variety of musical style that you will find in Hypnotize makes this an album definitely worth checking out, even for those who are not fans of System Of A Down.