The new SoaD CD is AWESOME! The below is a review I posted on a music forum. And yeah, it's the first review I've ever written.
System of a Down - Mezmerize
Note for past fans: Mezmerize is not your typical System of a Down album. Daron Malakian, the guitarist, now sings along with Serj. Daron generally sings an octave higher than Serj in a somewhat generic way, while Serj retains his unique style. The album rocks hard like past System of a Down records, but this every song is of high quality, unlike the disasters of Steal This Album and Toxicity.
For newcommers to System of a Down, let's just say they're a nu-metal band which usually sings songs with political messages.
01. Soldier Side - Intro [1:03]What can I say? It's a soft, peaceful and somewhat beautiful intro featuring the vocals of Daron Malakian.
02. B.Y.O.B. [4:15]This was their first radio single on this album. This song introduced us to the new vocals of guitarist Daron Malakian mixed with the former unique vocals of Serj Tankian. The song starts with a riff, goes into fast paced verses, and features a slow, pop-like chorus. The end of the song is almost an entirely different song due to a tempo change in mid-chorus, but it all works. The energy, anti-war (and anti-Bush) lyrics (as usual), and melody are great in this song. I give it a
4.5/5.
03. Revenga [3:48]The Chop Suey of Mezmerize: vocals by Serj, extremely fast-paced verses and a slower chorus. The melody and lyrics are great, and the tempo doesn't change too drastically to take away from anything. The song talks about plotting revenge (obviously). I give it a
5/5.
04. Cigaro [2:11]...this is probably the most interesting song on the album. Lyrics are.. interesting.. dirty.. sexual... Daron starts off with a line and Serj screams back a response. The chorus is all Serj. I give it a
4.5/5.
05. Radio/Video [4:09]This song is a pure slam on the junk that currently litters the pop industry. The song has an upbeat and catchy background during the verses, features the vocals of Daron during the verses, and has a single line repeated during the chorus by Serj. I give it a
4.5/5.
06. This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song [2:08]Serj sings extremely fast during the verses about how there's nothing wrong with him and there's something wrong with you. That is, unfortunately, the highlight of the song. The pre-chorus is utterly strange, with an extremely high-pitched portion, while the chorus is like the verses but slower. After the chorus, the pre-chorus plays again, then we go to the second verse. The lyrics are pretty good, but the musical presentation in this song is disappointing. I give it a
3/5.
07. Violent Pornography [3:31]This song is similar to the previous track, except both Serj and Daron sing quickly during the verses and the pre-chorus and chorus rock. The bridge is more melodic than the rest of the song, but remains powerful. The entire song is about how everybody sucks and about crap on the TV. I give it a
4.5/5.
08. Question! [3:20]This is a great track. The song starts with soft accoustic guitar, then goes to an electric riff, then goes back to soft accoustic with soft melodic lyrics. The melodic and slower chorus goes back to electronic with louder vocals and retains the past tempo. The bridge is typical SoaD screaming, and the whole song altogether works perfectly. I give it a
5/5.
09. Sad Statue [3:26]Another awesome song. The beginning and the verses are all hard-rocking with somewhat high-pitched and odd-paced melodic lyrics. The pre-chorus rocks just as hard as the verses, while the chorus has no riffs and has softer and slower melodic lyrics about a sad Statue of Liberty. The bridge is purely guitar, and ends with a slower and more majestic chorus. I give it a
5/5.
10. Old School Hollywood [2:57]This song is great. The verses start with Daron saying something, then having a robot-like voice respond. Serj basically just says Old School Hollywood with a few word changes the whole chorus. The bridge is much calmer with the same melody of the verses, then goes back to guitar riffs and the chorus. I give it a
5/5.
11. Lost in Hollywood [5:21]Haha! This song actually made my laugh and fall out of my chair. It's a soft song sung purely by Daron. The first half starts with a bunch of verses about how Hollywood was bad, then goes to a hilarious line for a chorus. After that, there's hymming in the background by Daron and Serj, and then another chorus. An example of one of the chorus' is "All you maggots smoking fags out there on Sunset Boulevard." Overall, this song could well be the best song on the album, even though its far from typical SoaD. I give it a
5/5.
Overall, I rate this album
5/5. It was well worth a purchase of $11.99 at Best Buy, and is basically All Killer No Filler.
If you are interested, there is a Torrent for this album at ISOhunt encoded in Lame 192kbps. You can find it
here .
(this was my first review. comments?)
