System of a down is one of the most unique bands many will ever find. They're songs feature Serj's and Daron's unique voice and many instruments not normally used in today's average rock band, like electric Sitars and electric Mandolins. With influences from Slayer, Black Sabbath and Rage Against the Machine under their belt, they release their self-titled debut album in 1998. Their self-titled album is probably the most intense of their five albums released, with some of the heaviest riffs and lyrics they've ever produced.
Even if you hate System of a Down because they're labled "Nu-Metal", your missing out on some of the best metal out there. System of a Down is a very original band; far from your average "Nu-Metal" bands like Korn and Mudvayne. There is no rapping or and DJ stuff if your wondering. Go give this album a shot; I guarantee you will be satisfied.
Song Reviews
The CD Opens with
Suite-Pee. This song has a very strange opening guitar riff and gets really heavy shoRTly after. It's lyrics appear anti-religious, because of the many mentionings of Christ and his crucifiction in this song. It is a powerful opening, and the best opening song SOAD has ever made, compared to the four other albums.
The next song is
Know. It staRTs off with a drum riff and then goes into Serj screaming "Cursed EaRTh". This song appears to be about imprisoned people, but there can be so many other different meanings to the song.
I think all you metalheads have heard their next song,
Sugar, from somewhere. In the song, "Sugar" stands for some soRT of drug, cocaine maybe, and how much trouble it can get you into. The outro of this song has pure awesome written all over it. Any metalhead should like this song.
Suggestions is number four on the album, and it staRTs out with an acoutstic guitar in the intro, and is repeated in some areas in the song again. Though slower and lighter than
Sugar, it gets its message out just a cleanly as the other songs. Some hate Serj's screaming here, but I think he does a good job at it. Better than Daron would, anyway.
Spiders is up next, and what a song it is. Though the slowest overall on the album, it's probably one of my favorites. It features a really catchy bassline at the beginning. The song does get heavier as the song moves along, with the heaviest paRT at the chorded solo, which is very neat. After the solo, the song staRTs slowing down little by little until the bassline from the beginning is played again.
The next, and probably the strangest song on the album, is
Ddevil. I don't know what the spelling is all about, but it does look a little better if then they just put "Devil". This song is not about the devil; it is how people can be like the devil by stealing works from someone, which is what "Shake your spear at Shakespeare" probably means.
Soil is a very good song that staRTs out with an off-key major riff, then they go back into their regular minor key. The song is perfect; and even better yet, it has a solo! The solo is quite amazing, too. I can't really explain the solo technically, so go buy the album/song if you want to listen to it.
System of a Down's third single,
War?, is up next. This song gets its message out without being annoying and repetitive, like punk music is. The softer paRT where Serj is talking about War itself is probably the best paRT of the song.
Mind is a masterpiece. It is the heaviest song on the album, because of the speed it goes at. This is one of the few longer songs that don't get old and boring, like Avenged Sevenfold songs tend to do. This song is divided into 3 clear halves basically; the intro lasting about 1 minute, 40 seconds, the main paRT of the song that lasts around 3 minutes 40 seconds, and the outro that lasts about 50 seconds. The first half is incredibly slow, featuring a bassline for the first 25 seconds. The rest of the intro is actually relaxing. The main paRT is the best paRT; its incredibly heavy for System of a Down. The riffage will burn into your
Mind. It gets to a paRT where it seems like it's slowing down, but speeds up again into a fast paRT where Serjs is shouting "Gonna let you motherf***ers die!". The outro is all bass and is similar to the intro.
Peephole has an odd keyboard intro for the first 30 seconds, then the guitar staRTs. This song is in 3; System of a Down usually has 1 song per album in an odd time signature (Peephole in this album, Toxicity in Toxicity, Streamline in Steal This Album!, Question! in Mezmerize, Lonely Day in Hynotize). I personally find this song a little repetetive with the "Stuck in the Sky" thing, but I like the solo at the end, though it doesn't beat
Soil's solo. I find it the weakest song on this album, but it's definently still very good.
Ah, here is System of a Down's best song under 2 minutes, and suprisingly my personal favorite on this album.
CubeRT is amazing; it squeezes several lyrics into the shoRT 1:49 seconds it lasts. The screaming by Serj is also his best here. It sounds like he's screaming "die" (which I thought he was at first), but he's actually saying "dare". (Sorry guys, I had to make all the RT's capitalized, just because I love this song so much.)
Many people claim
Darts is the worst, but I find it just as good as the other songs on this album. The paRTs where only Serj is singing and John is drumming and the outro I find pretty neat. It's also one of the heaviest on the album.
P.L.U.C.K. stands for
Politically Lying Unholy Cowardly Killers. This song is easily about the Armenian Genocide. Everything in the song slides into place almost perfectly. I personally think the song cuts off too soon, which is the only impurity in this song. This is one of the best songs on the album. I highly recommend it.
Pluses
[+]
CubeRT
[+]
Mind
[+] The solo in
Soil. Well I guess the whole song too
[+] No song on the album is really a "filler"
Minuses
[-] Peephole is weaker than the other songs
[-] Language might be too intense for some people
Wtf!?
[?] Why can't System of a Down make an album like this anymore?
What do you think of my first review? Sorry if it seems a little strange in some areas.
System of a Down is...
Daron Malakian: Guitars, Background Vocals
Serj Tankian: Vocals, Keyboards/Samples
Shavo Odadjian - Bass
John Dolmayan - Drums
