LiveDaily.com
May 19 2005
CD Review: System of a Down, “Mezmerize” (American/Columbia)
by Don Zulaica
liveDaily Contributor
“Mezmerize” is the first of two related, full-length albums from
Armenian metallurgists System of a Down; “Hypnotize” is due in the
fall, and, if it’s anything like this first volley, this is their
year. Hands down. Game over.
It’s a brilliant and dynamic musical Pollack painting of heavy metal,
world music of various ethnicities, freewheeling circus keyboards,
operatic-to-cookie-monster vocals (from both Serj Tankian and
guitarist Daron Malakian), and disco. Yes, disco.
On “B.Y.O.B.,” bumblebee guitars lay on a bed of anti-war lyrics
(“Why do we always send the poor?”), before giving way to a “Saturday
Night Live” backbeat, “Everybody’s going to the party, have a real
good time/dancing in the desert blowing up the sunshine.”
The Zappa-schizophrenia and lyrical acumen also flows freely through
“Cigaro,” “Violent Pornography” and the outrageous “This Cocaine
Makes Me Feel Like I’m On This Song.” They haven’t lost one iota of
their political fearlessness or sense of humor, and that makes them
all the more intriguing (not to mention dangerous) when compared to
much of their so-called hard-rock brethren.
Eleven snappy tracks at 36:11, and this reviewer would go so far as
to say this is the album of the year–right now–if there wasn’t
another System of a Down album due in the fall.