5/28/2023 0 Comments Hypnotize system of a downStealing Society is another insanely catchy punk anthem, surely a future gig favourite -with the second half of the song riding on a surf-punk wave that puts Green Day to shame whilst remaining determinedly SOAD.Ĭompared to Mezmerize, Hypnotize is certainly a bit more melancholy and less wacky overall, with many more serious moments amidst the madness. The furiously infectious punk blast of Kill Rock n’ Roll leads us to the single and title track which is almost like a pause for breath amidst the rest of the insanity on offer. Dreaming shifts things up yet another gear with a bonkers ‘if Handel did metal’ vocal arrangement and vintage System sing-a-long chorus. The machine-gun riff that launches Attack makes way for a suitably epic pattern of melancholy breaks and ferocious speed-metal. So – first impressions are that Hypnotize does have more of the classic (read pre-Mezmerize) SOAD sound to it. A minute is spent wondering whether you can still get the Mezmerize lyric book into its pocket (you can) before it’s time to step, with trepidation and excitement into the mad, mad world of Hypnotize. It all starts with the ritual of interlocking the two specially designed digi-packs together into one casing, which is hugely satisfying in itself. That’s a lot of pressure – and God only knows how they’ve done it, but System have delivered, and in doing so have given us one of the great rock double albums of all time. Either way, it has to be good enough to justify selling this as two albums, rather than one double – good enough to justify both the cost and the six month wait. Fans of Mezmerize will be wanting more of the same, others will be hoping for music that harkens back to the less eclectic metal assault of Toxicity. 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.So this is it – the second half of System Of A Down‘s Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album (or ‘two album set’ as they call it) – and it’s got a hell of a lot to live up to. 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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