System Of A Down
Hypnotize

THE REVIEW

"Hypnotize." This is the name of the latest effort by System Of A Down, arriving in stores just six months after the excellent "Mesmerize," which was released this past spring. This album is indeed its completion, and this can be deduced from the short duration (approximately 40 minutes) and the cover, designed by Malakian, which complements that of its close predecessor. The idea to release two albums so closely together was also considered in previous works, "Toxicity" and "Steal This Album."

Now, after this brief but necessary introduction, let's delve deep into the album. It opens really well with the adrenaline-pumped "Attack," in pure System Of A Down style, with a melody initially sweet and calm but quickly changing pace and becoming very intense near the chorus. A true "Attack" on the listener's ears and truly an excellent song, where you can immediately hear the voice of guitarist "Malakian," who makes himself heard much more than in the past, and who, as was the case in "Mesmerize," will accompany us in practically all the songs. The album is characterized by the constant alternation and overlapping of the singer's and guitarist's voices. Continuing with the CD, we then reach the following "Dreaming," characterized by a darker and more melancholic atmosphere but really well done. With track number three comes one of the most beautiful and fitting songs of the album: "Kill Rock'n'Roll." This, in my humble opinion, can be defined as a masterpiece. A true time bomb ready to explode, but unfortunately, it is really short (lasting about two and a half minutes) and ends very quickly. But after all, it fits the style of the "four Armenians" who have accustomed us, even with the masterpiece "Toxicity," to songs with an average duration ranging from two to three and a half minutes. Instead, the title track "Hypnotize" lasts three minutes, truly "hypnotizing" the listener with its peculiar melody, very similar to a lullaby. This good song is also the first single from the album and even has a video shot for it. The two subsequent tracks, respectively "Stealing Society" and "Tentative," glide by with pleasure, continuing the album's streak of positive songs, which really stands at excellent levels. The following "U Fig" is no less, very intense and with lyrics as sharp as a razor blade. Finally, we reach the second masterpiece of the album, the splendid "Holy Mountains" with a beautiful chorus and melody. Five and a half minutes of pure musical enjoyment. Then, it moves to the ironic and crazy "Vicinity Of Obscenity" with its really wild time changes. The atmosphere this song creates is truly unique, and it might even elicit some laughter due to the alternation of outbursts with ironic, very calm pieces that resemble the melody of some trashy commercial jingle. Truly ingenious! The album closes with three excellent songs: the crazy "She Is Like Heroin," the beautiful ballad "Lonely Day," and another masterpiece, "Soldier Side." This last splendid song was already in the previous "Mesmerize," but it lasted only a minute and was used as an intro and not as a proper song.

In conclusion, "Hypnotize" can be said to be a really excellent album and, even if it doesn't reach the levels of the masterpiece "Toxicity," it is better, although not by much, than its predecessor "Mesmerize" and can really be a lesson for the many nu-metal bands that recently are really running out of ideas.