DOUBLE REVIEW TIME MOTHER FUCKERS BECAUSE THESE ALBUMS GO TOGETHER
Album #2
System of a Down - Hypnotize (Suggested by Plan_Bsk81127)
Tracklist:
1. Attack
2. Dreaming
3. Kill Rock 'n Roll
4. Hypnotize
5. Stealing Society
6. Tentative
7. U-Fig
8. Holy Mountains
9. Vicinity of Obscenity
10. She's Like Heroin
11. Lonely Day
12. Soldier Side
Hypnotize comes out of the quick with some erratic volume and speed changes with
Attack, my favorite song on the album. My favorite part of this song is the breakdown at the end (i.e "Attack all the homes and villages//Attack all the schools and hospitals, etc.), too good.
Dreaming, a good, but not very memorable track. The instrumental and vocal work on this song is fantastic, it just didn't seem to stick with me.
Kill Rock 'n Roll is the first signs of SOAD's trademark sarcasm, although it's minimal with this song, with lines like "Felt like the biggest asshole", and "Eat all the grass that you want; Accidents Happen".
Hypnotize, the title track, is amazing. The lyrics (pertaining to Tianamen Square) are both clearly audible and powerful. Serj and Daron's vocals come together wonderfully.
Stealing Society is the weakest song on the album for me. It's just not really memorable at all. Again, it's very good, it just pales in comparison to the others.
Tentative has the kind of transitions from intense to slow/relaxed and back that I love. "Where do you expect us to go when the bombs fall" that section is so powerful and expertly done. Not a big fan of
U-Fig's Vocal work, personally. I can really get down to SOAD's silly songs, but this one which kind of blends silly and serious (normally good) doesn't sit too well with me, unfortunately.
Holy Mountains is one of my favorites on the album. Everything flows together so well, and I personally love the guitar work by Daron in this one.
Vicinity of Obscenity and
She's Like Heroin are hilarious, pretty much all there is to say. Heroin's "Selling, ass!" sections get me every time. Finally, the album slows down with two slow, serious, powerful, and well known songs,
Lonely Day and
Soldier Side. The lyrics to these songs are well written, and the instrumental work done to create the tone is flawless. Soldier Side is another favorite on the album for me, and is also where I got my custom usertitle.
Overall, a fantastic album by a great band, one of my favorite SOAD albums.
★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8 - Excellent
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Album #3
System of a Down - Mezmerize (Suggested by Plan_Bsk81127
Tracklist:
1. Soldier Side - Intro
2. B.Y.O.B
3. Revenga
4. Cigaro
5. Radio/Video
6. This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song
7. Violent Pornography
8. Question!
9. Sad Statue
10. Old School Hollywood
11. Lost In Hollywood
This album is full of great songs. It starts off nice and relaxed with an altered, slower intro of
Soldier Side (intro), which uses the final lyrics in the original version. The album immediately shifts gears, letting out crazy fast riffs in
B.Y.O.B. and
Revenga. These two feature more erratic speed shifting, expertly done. Revenga is one of my top three on the album for it's lyrics and, specifically, it's slow section and Serj/Daron's harmony. It was very difficult to decide a favorite from my top three.
Cigaro brings in the hilarious side of SOAD, with the first line of the song being none other than "My cock is much bigger than yours".
Radio/Video features some great duet work by Daron and Serj.
This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song and
Violent Pornography has brutally fast lyrics from Serj, and has some pretty funny spots in it. Really enjoyed the drums in these.
Question! is my favorite song on the album, and is one my all time favorites of theirs. Everything comes together perfectly for me. Specifically, Shavo's bass playing is amazing here, he's a fantastic bass player. The choruses are flawless to me.
Sad Statue is my other song in the top 3 for this album. The lyrics, backed by some crazy instrumental work are so great.
Old School Hollywood has one of my favorite guitar riffs.
Lost in Hollywood is a great finisher to the album, slowing the pace down with some great lyricism and really some great dynamics.
This is my favorite System of a Down album. It just has so many great things about it, there isn't a single song I'm disappointed with on it. Could listen to it on repeat quite a bit without getting bored or tired of it. Truly a great album.
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9 - Amazing