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Rating:
THE REVIEW
I think an album like this must be taken very seriously, because when in an exciting and relatively new musical field, like new metal was at the time, a work emerges capable of violating and overturning the dictates imposed until then by the greatest exponents of the genre, one has to wonder whether we are dealing with an absolute masterpiece or just at the beginning of a long story still yet to be discovered.
All this brings to mind the musical parabola of Faith No More, and SOAD have the same originality, the same compositional and vocal madness, the same mix of genres in their musical repertoire.
The sensory experience consists of some tracks where the scent of Korn is felt like "Suite-pee" or "Know," and in others like "War?" or "Soil," where one walks on a sound path that bases its reason for being on an alternation of furious attacks and moments of reflection, once again managing to surprise you with the appearance of a similar-street solo.
It is all enhanced by the incredible vocal versatility of Serj Tankian, capable of dictating unthinkable and brilliant melodies, all characterized by an underlying madness, which reaches one of its peaks in "Suggestions," a great piece, intended as a sort of vision of madness approaching in a man's mind; here Serj's voices are increasingly different and crazy, and they lead you forward in listening just to discover what sounds the stereo will be able to emit.
This form of mental alienation made music seems to alleviate only in the ballad "Spiders," where the atmosphere becomes very theatrical thanks to the tones used by the singer, but even here, when the tone of the voice rises, Serj gives the impression of being about to lose his mind, managing to hold back at the last moment.
A special mention goes to "Mind," a kind of manifesto of SOAD thought, a circular six-minute journey into the "mind" of the band, try it to believe it.
An album to have to understand the new frontiers of madness. “Don’t you ever get stuck in the sky?”.
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Summary by Bot
This review praises System Of A Down's debut album as a groundbreaking work that challenged and reshaped the conventions of the nu metal genre. The reviewer highlights the band's originality, vocal experimentation by Serj Tankian, and dynamic mix of furious and reflective moments. Key tracks like "Mind," "Suggestions," and "Spiders" exemplify the album's inventive exploration of mental themes and genre-blending. The album is considered essential to understanding new musical frontiers in metal.
System of a Down
System Of A Down is an Armenian-American rock/metal band formed in Los Angeles. Core members are Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan. They are known for blending heavy/alternative metal with Middle Eastern influences and politically charged lyrics.49 Reviews
