System Of A Down - Mezmerize Review [2]
Posted by John Malady on 05.23.2005
The first half of this Rubin sandwich never tasted better…
Malady is back and jacking his crank to throw some DNA soup in your face! Always remember that when in doubt choose TITS! This is the first of 2 reviews, which I am calling the Rubin Sandwich Special. Rick Rubin, the master blaster production guru of the modern day, has his stamp on 2 new albums out right now for your listening pleasure. Weezer’s Make Believe and System of a Down’s Mezmerize are currently kicking ass with rock fans nationwide and rightfully so because not only are both of them quality rock records but also I haven’t really known Rick Rubin to produce anything that wasn’t top notch quality. Rubin has the talent of really getting a feel for the bands he works with and can just bring the best out of every band somehow making them realize their own talents in a new light, which makes for strong outings when it comes to Rubin’s stamp across your albums ass. I don’t take this lightly at all because he is a rare producer in that aspect. Most producers that are in demand have some type of sound they are known for giving an album, the Bob Rock’s and Steve Albini’s. Rubin as a producer is definitely going to give you top-notch production sound wise but he also seems to make bands focus on their good qualities so much they can forget the bad ones and really find themselves musically, hence the term guru when referring to Rubin. Now that the Rubin Sandwich is ready to eat lets dig in to the first half which contains his second collaboration with System of a Down. The first round it was Toxicity and for the second it is Mezmerize. Wendy?…Yes Lisa…. Is the water warm enough?…Yes Lisa…. Shall we begin?
What can I say about this album? Phenomenal…Indeed! Champions of true metal…You better fucking believe that when you watch your Metallica therapy session on DVD..Fucking pussies! Are SOAD one of the better-known bands creating heavy music today? Yes! I don’t need to break this thing down man because front to back and back to front and once more around the ride to the side this album kicks a major heaping pile of ass. Rubin and SOAD continued right where they left off after Toxicity but I think this time around they trimmed off the little bit of fat that was remaining in the songwriting and really outdid the previous effort in all ways. It is sleeker, smarter, faster, and flows without any lulls or snags whatsoever. A triumph of metal beauty! I have read the previous review on this site by MM and I couldn’t disagree more, especially when it comes to the mentioning of Patton and his projects. Mike Patton is a modern day master of music/voice convention breaking and I am a fanatic when it comes to the records he puts out. I feel the influence is there because of the drama created by changing gears quickly in a song but there are no direct parallels at all because the vibes of the 2 artists are just so different in what they are trying to accomplish musically. There is no rip off of anything from the first Bungle album and I fail to see any ripping off of anything when it comes to SOAD because they are a unique and original band which is harder and harder to be in the modern age. They sound closer to the start and stop heaviness of Fantomas than Mr. Bungle but either way things people like and admire usually come out when they play. Influence is not ripping off. If we wanted to break it all down like that then Mr. Bungle ripped off jazz and polka. In fact check out Green Day’s kick ass American Idiot album and near the beginning of the song “Jesus of Suburbia” one of the grooves is “On with the Show” by Motley off “Too Fast for Love” but it isn’t a rip off because of the context it is in. I don’t think they sat down and said, “Hey, lets use that old Crue riff in this 9 min. tune man”. Sorry MM but I had to call you out man. Don’t dis the SOAD! They are saving heavy music as we know it today. They are heroes to everyone who puked when “Enter Sandman” played the first time. I can’t wait for the second half of this one which is supposedly called Hypnotize. I can only hope that it is called that and they plan to hypnotize Metallica into never making another fucking record of SHIT SALAD!
The 411: Mezmerize is exactly what it says it is from the first note until the last…. mesmerizing in the best way! SOAD knows my cock is much bigger than yours and they know this because they are cool and in denial. The regulators smoking Cigaro Cigaro! Until I find the righteous one I am sticking to Computer Blue. Malady out!
