System Of A Down
Mezmerize

Let's clarify one thing right away: the lack of innovation in this album compared to the previous four is something that's hard to forgive the System Of A Down for. But one cannot overlook the incisiveness of the little that is new that the Armenian-origin band has included in Mezmerize. And above all, one cannot ignore the compactness and maturity of this work.

"Mezmerize" starts with a violence that is almost unusual even for SOAD (and that's saying something!): the first six tracks, while reminiscent in some instances (Revenga but also the single B.Y.O.B.) of the old albums (System Of A Down in particular), win over through subsequent listens but above all highlight a renewed attention from the group towards production (the album is produced by singer and guitarist Daron Malakian along with Rick Rubin) and greater aggressiveness. Worth noting for its folk influences and rock explosions is the fifth track, Radio/Video. Of great impact is Violent Pornography, the piece on television that hands over the baton to the more ballad-like part of the album: it is with Question! that System Of A Down return to the Aerials genre. Obviously without replicating its grandeur, but creating a great song with notable atmosphere (so much so that the references to the past in the refrain go unnoticed) and beautiful words ("Ghosts are not different from you/Ghosts now await you/And you?"). After the prophetic Sad Statue ("You and I/Will all go down in history/With a sad Statue of Liberty/And a generation that didn't agree"), comes the surprise: Old School Hollywood, in which SOAD infuse their nu metal with a notable dose of electronics, creating a small masterpiece that highlights Andy Wallace's good mixing.
And the album closes with Lost In Hollywood, a splendid ballad sung excellently. "Mezmerize" may not be System Of A Down's best work, but it's definitely a musically complete and enjoyable album with a clear message. Seven and a half.