![]() ![]() Latter tracks such as "She's Like Heroin" (Frank Zappa's idea of The Three Penny Opera) and "Lonely Day" fail to maintain the intensity heard early on but not don't prevent Mesmerize and Hypnotize from coming together as one of the most definitive heavy rock albums of the decade. The album's first half features the most brutal, perfect and direct rock ‘n' roll that's come down the old mainstream this year: "Attack," "Kill Rock ‘n' Roll," "Tentative" and "U-Fig" lead the charge while "Holy Mountains" gracefully moves us toward this epic's final challenging moments. (Vocalist Serj Tankian's barbaric yawp sometimes calls to mind head Kennedy Jello Biafra.) More practically, they have given listeners a fine second act that attacks and attacks hard, inspiring as much headbanging as vintage Metallica and as thought-provoking as the Minutemen and the Dead Kennedys. System has created an enduring body of work that challenges conventional notions about the nature of the contemporary rock album. The two albums form a lean and nearly perfect whole that places this Los Angeles collective in league with the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Pink Floyd. To sum it all up, Hypnotize is just lacking a little bit of the class that was in such abundance on Mezermerize, but I would expect there will be others that disagree and I would imagine that like the Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion albums, fans will have their own highlights and debate for eternity which of these two monsters is the best.Closing out the second half of 2005 just as its predecessor i>Mesmerize closed out the first, Hypnotize completes System of a Down's finest hour to date. Ive always been a fan of keeping albums short, sharp and to the point and with both records weighing in at less than 40 minutes they're lean and mean on their own or can easily be combined for those with the time to indulge. We have two albums which fit together perfectly even down to the consistency of the artwork and the different versions of Soldier Side kicking off album 1 and closing album 2. It has to be said that as a whole, this is a more mid-paced record compared to the unrelenting assault that was Mezmerize and a stand out feature for me is the quality of the harmonies between Malakian and Tankian - metal fans haven't been treated to this sort of vocal delivery since Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell were at their peak.Īs a package, what SOAD have delivered this year is exceptional. Dreaming and (ironically) the stunning title track would feel right at home on Mezmerize and a few others serve up a more varied release than the one we were treated to in May. ![]() Now were this to be the case throughout the album you would have to credit the band with pulling off a master stroke: one album for the broader metal fan and one for the hardcore follower - who could possibly feel left out? But the more you listen to Hypnotize the more layers you will uncover, and that's what makes an album you'll still be talking about in years to come. New tracks like U-Fig and Vicinity Of Obscenity certainly have more in common with Jet Pilot than Revenga. Just compare the way the chorus' are delivered to anything on say Toxicity and you'll see what I mean, there's more actual singing and Daron Malakian hangs onto the guitar chords a bit more. It struck me as a collection of more traditionally heavy metal structured set of songs compared to what they had unleashed in the past. For me, Mezmerize was a different kettle of fish from anything SOAD had previously released. Upon first listen to Hypnotize and indeed the first song Attack, which sets the tone for much of the album, it strikes me that this record is more of a System Of A Down album for the real old school System Of A Down fan than its companion. Six months ago we reviewed Mezmerize, the first of SOAD's 2 albums scheduled for release in 2005 and at the time Stevie said: "It's a risky strategy and many would fear that working on two albums will be a distraction that would see each album fall short of what it could have been." And after concluding that Mezmerize was an absolute triumph stated: "If System of a Down can do the same with Hypnotize, due out later this year, they would have my vote for Band of the Decade." Well my friends, the moment of truth has arrived.
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