Review Summary: This album stands as a wonderful starting point for an epic, but most curious band.
There's something here. There's something about this band that intrigues to no end. Maybe it's their thrashy-ness. Maybe it's their extravagantly political lyrics. Maybe it's there heavily experimental musicianship. Maybe it's their weird singer who on top of growling and screaming and making weird noises, is also is a very vehement vocalist. There's something about System of a Down that pulls you in. It really could be many different things. This Armenian four-piece have stamped their names into the metal community and generations to come. It must be their breakout record Toxicity. It must be that, right? Well, you could say so. But like all bands who influence and make their names known world-wide, they have to start somewhere. You could say they started with their demo tapes, as did every band. But it's this album that really says "We started here,". So, what does this album hold? Is it something original sounding that we've never heard before, or is it some generic nu-metal 7-string C-tuned four-piece crying about their teenage problems?
The answer is their originality. This album has been classified as nu-metal numerous times but I don't always like to say so. This album is immensely original, but also incorporates nu metal and thrash to blend it all together to make something... different per se. For one, Daron's guitar playing isn't so focused on the trashing chugga chugga riffs, but more with well-constructed chord progressions and melodies. He was pretty interesting to listen to here. The songs here are a lot simpler then they would evolve to become. It's not as technical as "B.Y.O.B.", and has simpler riffs and instrumentation. Shavo is very audible, with his bass technicalities ringing out and become very bouncy and fun. He compliments the songs very well. He isn't exactly the frosting on the cake, but he's up there. His eclectic bass lines ring out in songs such as DDevil and Mind. The albums opener "Suite-Pee" relays this well. With a strange but fascinating riff, underlying bass, pounding drums and strange but ornate vocals, the song comes together well and is a good opener to the record. Serj's vocals are truly an odd case. While he is a powerful singer and he is highly skilled, he isn't as fervent as he will become. He sounds very young on this album, and my father has told me this confused him with Daron on the first album. His oddity shows up with the unusual noises, deafening growls, loud screeches and weird singing styles. This could potentially steer listeners away from the record, but in my opinion is unique and compliments the songs well. "Know" is about how we will never know what is there after we die. Know is an intense song, but slowly falls into the cracks amongst other songs. The drumming is probably the highest point to the song. Speaking of drumming, John is a very strong drummer. He doesn't explore the thrash sound as he does later, but he still pounds the crap out of his drums, which really sets up System's primary sound.
"Sugar" is the most popular track to the record, being the leading single and the most played System song live to date, and can also potentially be the oddest. The chorus is the best part to the song. The heaviness and vocal work really work together well. The "Sugar!" relayed by guitarist Daron Malakian is possibly the most memorable part to the song. It's so silly that it automatically creeps into the brain. The silliest parts of the song stand out because they're unique, and it often has people remembering the goofy part over it. The end with the dialogue and anger finish the song in a boom, leaving listeners to contemplate what that exactly was. Serj's vocals really do crawl through different styles. He can go from screaming, to emotional echoes, to psuedo-rap. He goes with the mood and whatever fits him best. "Suggestions" is my favorite song, with a memorable riff, driving bass, superb drumming and unusually vehement vocals. It's astounding how well the lyrics are written. Each spew truth in all different ways, and evolve with Serj's vocal work to become truly wondrous. "Spiders" truly is deep and very serious. It starts very calming, but scary. It evolves into a heavy assortment, and automatically becomes memorable. Soil talks about the angry feelings after a loved one or close friend commits suicide. Soil is an intensely excellent and angry song about losing someone to suicide. The riff and vocals are possibly the highest point to the song, with the bass and percussion assorting well with it. When there is powerful songs like that, there's short and silly ones like "DDevil". The bass and drums stand out the most, and the riff is mostly forgettable. The vocals are odd but nicely done. As I said, the lyrics are truly perplexing, with "War?" being a definitively political track, talking about the different reasons we come up with as to why we need to go to war. "Mind" is truly a frightening song. The vocals make you shiver in fear, as does the instrumentation. The entire song is a frightening ride from start to finish. The "Look at each other," repeating in whispers makes the hairs on your neck stand, as does the rest of the song.
Some songs can fall short. "Peephole" is a pretty forgettable song, and is not my favorite. It is a very poppy and folk-sounding song, but is still creepy in its own. What makes SOAD so brilliantly marvelous is that the sounds they make and the words they spew fit together in complete sublime. Their songs are so diverse, and each wondrous in their own ways. Mind is frightening, Peephole is out there, Soil is raging and apathetic, Sugar is odd and heavy, and it just keeps getting more and more diverse from there. Wicked and jaded, System proves themselves as an original and frighteningly heavy band. In fact, this album has a very scary feel to the songs, and are intensely dark. This album succeeds in making good songs and flowing well. They each make a good assortment and really scream their name and their purpose. Songs like CUBErt and Darts are both deep and dark in their own, and shoot unsettling feels and vibes into the listener, but still intrigue. P.L.U.C.K. announces a key token to System's purpose, which is the Armenian Genocide of 1915. As they are Armenian and are assertively political, it makes the Armenian Genocide very important to them.
Each and every song on this record are outstanding. The instrumentation flows to become darkly and frighteningly impeccable. Daron and Shavo are very talented and are the cream of the crop here, and become key components to the song. The guitar on the album is noticeably different then later releases. Daron focuses more on constructing cogent chord progressions and awe-inspiring riffs. Shavo's bass lines don't really lay any foundation, but he compliments the songs well. John is a truly outstanding behemoth of a drummer, and lays a lot of the foundation for the record. Serj's vocals is a weird conundrum, but still stand out and really fit the feel. Lyrically the record is phenomenal, with politically active and socially-recognizable lyrics, the words are well-written and Serj's creative and diverse vocal style compliments them well and brings them to life. The instrumentation is noticeably different here then later releases, but still hold up excellently.
In the end, the debut record is a wonderful starting point for an epic, but most curious band. The album that started it all. Mass-tours, multi-platinum records, Grammy nominations and awards won, the album placed them in the race to become known. Toxicity could be recognized as a more important album, but this album is the one that instigated their climb. While the album isn't as technical, and the songs are not as memorable as later releases, the album still holds up to this day. The immense creativity and perplexity of the album truly makes it an excellent debut record for and from an excellent band, and overall a contumaciously exhilarating release.
Favorite Track: Suggestions
Least Favorite Track: Peephole
