System Of A Down - Hypnotize
With the release of Hypnotize, the fifth System of a Down album, they complete the second half of the 2 album release. The band had a large collection of songs that they wanted to release on an album, however there were too many tracks. Splitting them over 2 CDs was the answer.
Mezmerize was released mid 2005 and Hypnotize contained the remainder of the tracks. With this format of release, it’s easy to stand the albums side by side and compare tracks. Although Daron Malakian insists that the two albums contain a full set of quality tracks, I can’t help but think that Mezmerize had the best of the bunch.
Fans of System will come to expect some fanatical vocals from Daron and Serj, and the Mezmerize delivered this in lashings. The last album really falls short. Whilst we can expect that the two releases will be of similar sound, the first album was diverse in tempo and style but Hypnotize unfortunatley didn”t follow suit. The tracks don”t have that same crushing power teamed with erratic vocals that make System songs so memorable. Too much emphasis on melody and harmonised vocals leaves the guitar riffs lacking.
‘Attack’ leades a promising start with a thundering drum riff and jagged guitar sound, and then unleashes some power in the chorus parts. Tracks two to six can be summarised in one word - uninteresting. U-Fig starts to claw back a little and injects some of that energy and tingle that we should expect. ‘Vicinity of Obscentity’ takes the wierd level off the scale. Certain parts enlist the vocals of a group of smurfs by the sounds of it. Lonely Day is a great clean-versed track coupled with a driven chorus and the paired vocals don”t saturate the song, as with previous tracks. The final track follows from Soldier Side Intro from Mezmerize. Unfortunatley nothing too special here.
Die hard fans will buy this album to complete the set, but if you’re trying to decide between Mezmerize and Hypnotize, then stick with the former of the two.
Track Listings for Hypnotize:
- Attack
- Dreaming
- Kill Rock ‘n’ Roll
- Hypnotize
- Stealing Society
- Tentative
- U-Fig
- Holy Mountains
- Vicinity of Obscentity
- She’s Likes Heroin
- Lonely Day
- Soldier Side
Buy this now from: amazon.co.uk
Written by Alex on Tuesday 20th December 2005 at 11:05am and posted in Music Reviews, Reviews
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