System of a DownHypnotize

Some great tracks and some even better ones

Plays perfectly with no scratches

The smell

Firstly System, I have been big fan and thank you for giving us 2 albums this year. To me, this is the most paramount album written. I picked up “Hypnotize” and was fortunate to get a free T-Shirt as an extra. So I walked to my car and in went the new offering and yup it was just what I was expecting and that was the ideal mélange of screaming that was present in their self-titled effort and their immensely victorious “Toxicity.” Those that weren’t too delighted with Daron Malakian singing and had doubts, well you are going to have those doubts thrown right back as they managed to blend both Daron and Serj’s voices impeccably in the new set of songs and the systematic riffs are beautiful poetry at best. Lyrically this is conceivably their best album to date as they tackle subjects such as War with songs like Soldier Side which, is the continuance of the intro found on “Mezmerize.” The sound is very blockbuster with lyrics like: “God Is Wearing Black, He’s Gone So Far To Find Hope, He’s Never Coming Back.” And to be fair on this appraisal they have really thrown in their outrageous side we are all used to hearing e.g. “Kill Rock N’ Roll” or “Vicinty Of Obscentiy” but a System album just wouldn’t be comprehensive if there was no imagery to be found on them. One of the main astonishments of System’s contribution in Hypnotize is “Lonely Day”, this song just touches a nerve that we haven’t seen System investigate formerly but they’ve done everything superbly on both parts offered this year. Upon first listen my thoughts were that “Hypnotize” is going to outsell a lot of major artists without doubt and System of a Down deserve every victory and admiration for their fine accomplishments in music as a band.

The long awaited (well, several months) second part of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize album by System of a Down is finally here – and is certainly worth the wait. A feast of dark, political songs await you with Hypnotize; the album is full of the originality that made System of a Down one of the most popular of the modern metal bands.Hypnotize is markedly different from previous works of this Armenian-American band. The style of the music is more mature – strikingly so. It is, perhaps, not as heavy as previous works – but the vigour and energy of the metal genre is not lost here. Soaring riffs give way to haunting orchestral pieces, giving weight to the stark lyrics.As with all other System albums, politics are the primary focus here – particularly war, with the Armenian genocide featuring prominently once again, particularly in the song Holy Mountains. The title track deals with the manipulation of the public, along with U-Fig. Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian combine in a risky but ultimately fruitful combination of raging and lamenting which strengthens the band’s message – one that becomes more obvious with each listening.System of a Down have the courage to write bluntly about the controversies of American politics, combining their poignant argument with beautifully sculptured, passionate music.

Although this is the 2nd half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize album, its got a completly different feel to it, than Mezmerize.Every song at 1st blends into one massive soundtrack, but as you listen more each song comes into sharp focus as another great hit by System. Special songs on this album, "Tentative", "Vicinity of Obscenity" and "Kill rock'n'roll", thats just on the 1st 12 listens, as I listen more an more the album just blows me away. You must buy this album for the good of....well....everyone! System fans will love it instantly, non fans will surely love them after this! The DVD feature will give an interesting insight into how the band come up with some of the most amazing rock song to grace our stereos. This is a must buy! Better to get the DVD version than miss out on this. Hail System!

i think i'd like to do a better review than the previous sychophantic ones from the other reviewers. but first, the correct tracklisting:1 - attack2 - dreaming3 - kill rock n roll4 - hypnotize5 - stealing society6 - tentative7 - U - fig8 - holy mountains9 - vicinity of obscenity10 - she's like heroin11 - lonely day12 - soldier sideall in all, a very good effort, and certainly my favourite album by system. we get the standard system of a down fare with tracks like "attack", "tentative", and "u-fig", and also some stuff that breaks new ground, like "kill rock and roll", "holy mountains" and "vicinity of obscenity." the album is a bit hard to get into at first, but with every listen, you realise that this, along with twin album "mesmerize" is system of a down's masterpeice, and will probably prove to be their peak of creativity in years to come. a very solid effort, and worth buying. all serious music fans should at least give this a few listens. expect the radio friendly "lonely day" to be the next single.(and for the record, you are meant to listen to hypnotize first, then mesmerize)

as you all know, this is the long awaited second part of the latest system of a down album. many (most) people were annoyed at this format, because of the long wait, but hey, its system. give 'em a break. mezmerize was my favourite album... until i heard this. it's a double album that is a perfect mix of old skool system, and newer system. its great. with songs like the title track, hypnotize, attack, dreaming, and of course, the second part to "soldier side" it's onto a winner before you've unwrapped it from that plastic. if you ask for nothing else this Xmas, do whatever you must to get this album. i mean anything. rape, pillage, steal, murder, maim, wound. it'll be worth it. just take a CD player to jail!!!!! have fun!