CD Reviews: System of a Down…

The Scotsman – United Kingdom
May 13, 2005

Fiona Shepherd

SYSTEM OF A DOWN: MEZMERIZE *** COLUMBIA, GBP 12.99 US-ARMENIAN jazz
metal crew System of a Down may not exactly be a household name but,
in heavy rock circles, they are superstars to the tune of 5 million
sales of their last album Toxicity . And the quirky quartet are not
short on ideas. Single B.Y. O. B. (short for Bring Your Own Bombs)
crams brutal metal riffs, Russian folk vocals, punky thrash, anti-war
lyrics (“dancing in the desert, blowing up the sunshine”) and a
Parliament/Funkadelic influence into four heady minutes, which is
impressive, but also ridiculous.

For such a revered band, they can be hard to take seriously. Violent
Pornography probably has a valid point to make about broadcasting
boundaries but it just jabbers, while the catchy Radio/Video, with its
folk interlude, is practically a novelty tune. But there is something
likeably absurd about their schizophrenic style. In six months, they
plan to hit us with companion album Hypnotize. Take a deep breath.