Not a song you can really headbang to, but one you could really sing along to. Sadly the song isn’t as heavy as Mesmerize before it, but compensates with a very catchy and modern melody. If they want more Daron singing, this is the way to do it, with very prominent backups. Hypnotize: Great lyrics (“can you say brainwashing…brainwashing” as an example), this was a great track to choose for the title, but what I especially love is the solid balance between Daron and Serj’s vocals. “I felt like the biggest ass” goes to show there was some honest musicianship on this album, and even some hints of experimentation in their songwriting, which meant this album was anything but tame. Kill Rock ‘n Roll: Another solid SOAD track, especially the comedic lyrics.

This song does work, and has a lot of emphasis on Serj’s voice, which for me is a major plus. There are some standout tracks on this: Attack: We get a really fast, and thrash-like riff opening the album, and does remind me of the way 80’s bands tended to open their albums. However, regardless this is a SOAD album, so it is still of a high quality, even if it can’t keep up with its predecessors. There are fewer moments in the vocals on this album that really resemble Spiders and Know, which evoke that middle eastern sound, which could really have helped these tracks. For one, Daron’s voice is high and whiny (intentionally so), which does suit the instrumentation, but wastes the manic singing of Serj, who really proved his skills in their debut. In my opinion he works so much better as a backup singer than a lead vocalist, and it’s a shame he steals the show from Serj, who really is the greater singer. There are some issues on this album, for example the overuse of Daron’s voice. This also, perhaps, was their weakest album, and the hiatus will most likely allow them to spiritually clear their air, and allow them to head in a clearer, more musically interesting direction. This was their final album before they went on a long hiatus, which will soon be ending with their upcoming album. This was their final album before they went on a long hiatus, which Hypnotise is perhaps the most important album System has ever released. Taken as a whole, 'Mezmerize/Hypnotize' still fares better than most projects of the same size: I'd say there's a great album and a half here when all is said and done.Hypnotise is perhaps the most important album System has ever released. Clearly the least interesting of all four (or five, if you count 'Steal…') of SYSTEM's albums, 'Hypnotize' is not a fatal blunder by any means but just proof that even the most creative and unique of musical acts can occasionally come up thin. Several old and new SYSTEM trademarks are still in abundance on 'Hypnotize', such as the band's abrupt swings between political lyrics and bizarre food metaphors (like 'Banana terracotta terracotta pie' on 'Vicinity of Obscenity') and the increased vocal presence of guitarist Daron Malakian, whose voice here is not as annoying as it was on 'Mezmerize'. Some appealing surf influences crop up on songs like 'Stealing Society' and 'She's Like Heroin', but the most generic tunes on the album are the thrashier ones like 'Attack' and 'Dreaming'.

In fact, it's the slower songs here that are the most memorable, such as the album's penultimate track, 'Lonely Day', a poignant meditation on death. The title track is effortlessly catchy, while 'Tentative' has the somber, haunting quality and powerful hooks of previous SYSTEM classics like 'Aerials' and 'Sad Statue'. Still, this is SYSTEM OF A DOWN, one of the most original heavy rock bands to come along in the last decade, so even a weaker record by the band (like its 2002 collection of 'Toxicity' leftovers, 'Steal This Album!') has plenty of interesting and sometimes brilliant moments.

Many of its musical themes sound like rehashes of better songs on 'Mezmerize', and the tunes themselves simply aren't as good or powerful as those on the earlier album. Yet, oddly enough, 'Hypnotize' is the lesser of the two. Both releases are clearly the product of the same recording sessions, and the band insists that they form one complete work. In the case of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, the band deflected the 'double album' stigma by releasing their magnum opus in two pieces: 'Mezmerize' came out in May, while the second half, 'Hypnotize', arrived at the end of November. With the rare exception of a concept record like THE WHO's 'Tommy' or PINK FLOYD's 'The Wall', even acclaimed collections like the SMASHING PUMPKINS' 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' or GUNS N' ROSES' massive 'Use Your Illusion 1 & 2' are seen as solid single albums hidden in a sprawling, excessive package and surrounded by filler. Double album sets have often been seen as an indulgence by an artist or band overcome with their own confidence in their creativity and abilities.

Hypnotize system of a down