:: System Of A Down - Mesmerize

System Of A Down

Enter a lone soldier’s anomic mind of disillusionment; a solitary guitar accompanies. Then an explosion! We are now in a battlefield with what seems like an ensuing barrage of characters coming out of a insane carnival tent: a crazed general cowering and screaming ‘blow up the sunshine’, a revenge-obsessed mother with her (whore?), a meditation on the size of one’s manhood, then a suburbanite circus-tale of happy-poppy-ignorance - always a good dose for dangerously numbed empathy - all thanks to a drug called brainwashing. Then unexpectedly, a sincere and mature plea for us to understand our death, situation and most importantly, our humanity, as a spit is aimed at the lies, fake promises and curse of Hollywood. It is understandable if you did not fully comprehend a word that was being said. I didn’t either. How can we - it sounds exactly like a Lynch nightmare on repeat! Symbolically-laden, this is just your typical SOAD album talking to you, only this time drawing from influences as varied as Britney-hip hop, to robotic voice usage, to their Armenian heritage and even Beach Boys harmonisation. Their target: the flaws of society and politics. Their theatrical tool: satire for you to admire and ponder. Blurring the lines between hard rock and metal, they have not only proven that the latter is not dead boring (keeping in mind the resurgence of 80s pop music), but is also sociologically informative. And yes, we might ask, how does angst work within reason? Surprise, surprise the answer: sarcasm. And Serj Tankian has cleverly utilised it as evident in his acrobatically lyrical missiles. This, and the accompaniment of Daron Malakian’s schizophrenic guitars, Shavo Odadjian’s prodding bassline and John Dolmayan’s erratically consistent drum patterns, a poignant musical-thematic experience is born. In what is the first part of a double disc album, Mesmerize clocks a mere 38 minutes but is complete with well-written songs ranging from intense anger to despairing lost; one cannot help but notice the concept of a failed society of broken dreams that is heading towards nowhere in particular. Yet we wonder - are they not biting the hand that feeds them? Or perhaps they are aware of it and that this is their guilt-ridden trip of confession and repentance. However ambiguous their views, lyrics and intentions might be, we cannot deny this to be yet another Rick Rubin/Malakian produced, SOAD piece of admirably crafted artwork that deserves at least some considerable recognition and questioning.