Review: System of a Down ready for a hard-rock reign
Jon Bream, Star Tribune

Minneapolis Star Tribune , MN
May 3 2005

The line for tickets on Monday morning stretched literally around
the entire block on which the nightclub First Avenue is located.
Hard-rock fans wanted to see System of a Down, the night’s attraction,
in a rare club appearance.

It was obvious from Monday’s knockout 90-minute, 24-song performance
that System of a Down, a longtime underground favorite, is going to be
the next huge hard-rock band. The 10-year-old Los Angeles quartet is
playing 10 club shows around the country before unleashing the rest
of its multi-pronged attack: the double-disc “Mezmerize/Hypnotize”
(with the first CD on May 17, the other in the fall) and a summer/fall
arena tour.

Surprisingly, System did only three new numbers and instead
concentrated on material from its previous two CDs, 2001’s “Toxicity”
and 2002’s “Steal This Album.” Not that any of the 1,500 fans was
complaining.

In the spirit of Led Zeppelin, System mixes hard and soft with some
Middle Eastern exotica (the members are of Armenian descent). More
specifically, System melds the thrash of Metallica with the theatrical
bombast of Queen, seasoned with Middle Eastern guitar figures and
chants.

Looking like a cross between Frank Zappa and Josh Groban, Serj Tankian
was a frenzied frontman who had the manic moves to match the music of
System. But he also showed a sense of theatrics à la Queen’s Freddie
Mercury, especially when he’d break into folk chants or dances.

Even though System’s songs are often politically charged, Tankian
didn’t make any statements in introducing his diatribes. The opening
“B.Y.O.B.,” the group’s current single, speaks for itself as Tankian
railed against war. “Everybody is going to the party/Have a real
good time. Dancing in the desert/Blowing up the sunshine,” he sang
during a melodic part. Before too long, he was barking: “Why don’t
presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?”

The rabid sellout crowd responded with a explosive roar and hands,
with pinkie and index fingers raised in the universal metal sign,
thrust in the air.

Another new number, “Kill Rock ‘n’ Roll,” was equally virulent but
more personal in its politics and more dramatic in its presentation.
And “Cigaro,” the other new tune, was a juvenile male novelty led by
guitarist Daron Malakian.

Much more compelling was the old material — the rhythmic thrash of
“Suite-Pee”; the change-of-pace, quieter love song “Roulette,” the
spacey, almost mystical “Spiders”; the crowd-pleasing, Pogo-inducing
“Bounce,” and “Mr. Jack” with its ferocious ending.

System isn’t as dangerous and pulverizing as Rage Against the
Machine, but System’s more musical sense of rage is going to make
this politicized machine the next monster of rock.

–Boundary_(ID_N/pyky0JLh876wpga9lhIA)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress