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By JEFF MAKI
We all know by now what System Of A Down sounds like but apparently they still feel the need to be as weird and quirky, and just plain ridiculous at times on their new album Mesmerize. Serj Tankian, though one of the strangest out there is a pretty good vocalist, so why does he feel the need to fill in parts of songs with weird little sounds and other oddball parts? In some songs it works like the first single "B.Y.O.B." This is System at their best combining a pop MTV like chorus with hardcore and punk and it works. Other tracks like "This Cocaine...." and "Cigaro" just seem a bit too ridiculous and the band has already been down this path before. It's not to say this a bad album by any means, I just expected something a little more different than the same old weird and quirky things we got in previous albums.
Strange enough S.O.A.D. is at their best on slower more atmospheric songs such as "Lost In Hollywood" and "Sad Statue." They are both similar to "Toxicity" and "Arials" from the album Toxicity. This could be that they've found a new style and they are further exploring it or they are just trying to please radio and MTV. Either way these are the strongest songs that appear on this record. Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian combine for some of the most beautiful (believe it or not) and moody vocals you'll hear on these songs. Daron defiantly has an increased vocal output on this album, singing in almost every song and some lead. Like I said though he sounds best on the slower songs and just as ridiculous as Terj on others.
Mesmerize is a decent album but suffers from the band trying to be the band a little too much. It just sounds like they're trying to be weird and different when in fact they already are. There will be two or three singles from this album and it'll probably go platinum with enough radio play but System is going to have to change things up a bit on the next release or the sound will definitely start to be way too repetitive.
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