CD Review: New System of a Down disc welds music, message
by BRENT BALDWIN Satellite Correspondent
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
July 15, 2005 Friday
Final Home Edition
System of a Down is the pseudonym behind one of the most unique,
high-energy and bizarrely twisted sounds in the music industry today.
The band, four Armenian-Americans hailing from Los Angeles, put
together the finest elements of heavy metal, Armenian folk music,
new wave and pseudo-funk to create an aggressive, hyperactive and at
times mesmerizing sound.
The band’s extremely talented line-up includes
guitarist-songwriter-singer Daron Malakian, lead
vocalist-keyboardist-string arranger Serj Tankian, bassist Shavo
Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan.
Malakian leads the way on the stunning new release, “Mesmerize,”
writing almost all the lyrics and music, as well as singing more
often than he has on past albums.
“Mesmerize” is a stunning package, even when you first open it. It’s
tough to predict what will capture the buyer first — the astoundingly
creative cover art by Malakian’s father, Vartan Malakian, or the
gigantic parental advisory label on the front that warns of explicit
material, drug references, sexual references and foul language.
Regardless, the music inside of the peculiar package makes this album
one of the best releases of the year.
The political messages System of a Down has recorded in the past are
still prevalent in this effort, and they start right away with a sort
of political lullaby intro named “Soldier Side,” which only has three
lines of lyrics:
“Welcome to the soldier side where there’s no one here but me /
People all grow up to die / There is no one here but me.”
Then the listener is promptly kicked in the face/ears by the
aggressive, electric energy of the (also very political) single
“B.Y.O.B.” Another apt title for this song would be “Schizophrenic
Shuffle.” It changes tempos on a dime, going from metal shredding
to psychotic riffing to its catchy pop chorus: “Everybody’s going to
the party / have a real good time / Dancing in the desert / blowing
up the sunshine.”
It’s a sharp attack on the behind-the-scenes decision-makers for the
Iraq war.
Other political statements can be found in “Sad Statue” and “Cigaro,”
where issues are dramatized and put into guitar-driven tanks of songs.
And this is only the start of the scathing social commentary that
presents itself throughout the album.
Pointed assaults on the seemingly mind-numbing entertainment industry
are laid out like National Enquirers in a grocery store. The band
takes those who believe in a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and wake them up
to the real world of nonreality/MTV with songs such as “Radio/Video”
and “Violent Pornography.”
“Radio/Video” is pure mockery at its best, and “Violent Pornography” is
a look at what TV is becoming, with shows like “Desperate Housewives”
and “The O.C.” commercializing sex, a step that System of a Down
feels will lead to widespread XXX television.
“It’s a violent pornography / choking chicks and sodomy / the kind
of (expletive) you get on your TV / it’s a nonstop disco / turn off
the TV.”
The catchiness and absurdly fast tempo of the music makes it sting
with a certain urgency, as if television must be fixed now before
it’s too late.
“Old School Hollywood” is more of a comic relief track on the album,
along with “This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I’m on This Song.”
“Old School Hollywood” is about Malakian’s experience at a celebrity
baseball game where he felt completely out of place with washed-up,
stuck-up movie stars. The music is heavy with ’80s new-wave keyboards
and relentlessly paced guitars.
Intensity runs rampant on the album. “Revenga” is a hyped ode to
revenge, while “Question!” is an utterly poetic and spiritual song
with fret-busting, guitar-laden verses and almost Evanescence-esque
dark choruses.
“Lost in Hollywood” closes the album, highlighting Malakian’s
insecurity about being a resident of Hollywood and the false,
dog-eat-dog lifestyle celebrities celebrate:
“Phony people come to pray / Look at all of them beg to stay / You
should’ve never trusted Hollywood.”
Sometime later this year fans will get the follow-up disc, “Hypnotize,”
which is bound to carry just as heavy a message in an impeccable
musical package.
Powerful emotions, political awareness and raw energy make this album
one of the best buys of the year.
In the game of metal, System of a Down makes, bends and breaks the
rules with innovative style, boldness and energy.