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Mezmerize

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For other uses, seeMesmerize.

Mezmerize
Studio albumby
System of a Down
ReleasedMay 17, 2005(2005-05-17)
RecordedJune–November 2004
StudioThe Mansionand Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Studios,Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length36:06
Label
Producer
System of a Downchronology
Steal This Album!
(2002) 		Mezmerize
(2005) 		Hypnotize
(2005)
SinglesfromMezmerize
  1. "B.Y.O.B."
    Released: March 28, 2005
  2. "Question!"
    Released: July 12, 2005

Mezmerizeis the fourth studio album by the Americanheavy metalbandSystem of a Down,released on May 17, 2005, byAmerican RecordingsandColumbia Records.Upon its release, the album received acclaim from critics. The album sold over 450,000 copies in its first week (over 200,000 more thanToxicitydid), and immediately topped theBillboard200.[6]

At a length of just over 36 minutes,Mezmerizeis the band's shortest studio album.

Background

[edit]

MezmerizeandHypnotizeare considered two parts of a double album.Mezmerizefeatures guitaristDaron Malakiansharing most of the vocal work with vocalistSerj Tankian,splitting the vocals at least halfway on many of the tracks.

Malakian wrote "Old School Hollywood" after playing in a celebrity baseball game for charity. The song mentionsTony DanzaandFrankie Avalon,who also played in the game.[7]

In "Radio/Video", there are lines referring to two people named Danny and Lisa. Malakian commented on the song toRevolvermagazine:

"My neighbors were Danny and Lisa, who I sing about in" Radio/Video "with System — they had that record [Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album] and it ended up at my apartment. I would listen to that record all the time. I first sawKissat a relative's house. They were older teenagers and had Kiss all over the walls in their bedrooms. I remember being so afraid of Kiss, and it just stuck. Kiss started the metal attitude, metal theatrics and metal fashion — they contributed to that a lot. I was listening to that album in my car with my girlfriend a few months back. When I put it on, I said: 'This album is extremely special to me.' "

In the same interview, Daron Malakian talked about the "non-stop disco" lines in "Violent Pornography":

"I've always been a huge fan of disco music through my life. We have a song called 'Violent Pornography' in System of a Down, and the lyrics are: 'It's a non-stop disco/Betcha didn't know/Betcha didn't know…' That line means, 'I love disco, betcha didn't know.' That has nothing to do with the rest of the song, by the way."[8]

The Japanese version of the album contains alternate mixes of "Soldier Side (Intro)" and "Lost in Hollywood", the former with additional strings and the latter containing slightly different background vocals, while "Cigaro" as a bonus track on the single for "B.Y.O.B."contains a 4-stick hit intro not present in the retail version. The album artwork is done by Vartan Malakian, the father of Daron Malakian.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Blabbermouth.net[11]
Drowned in Sound8/10[12]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[13]
People[4]
Pitchfork7.1/10[14]
PopMatters9/10[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
StylusB−[17]
Uncut[18]

Mezmerizewas acclaimed by critics, scoring 85 out of 100 onMetacriticbased on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]The album debuted at number one in at least 12 countries,[19]including the USBillboard200,with 453,000 copies,[20]and has since been certified double platinum by theRIAA.The hit single "B.Y.O.B." won aGrammy Awardin 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Track listing

[edit]

All music written byDaron Malakian,except "Question!", written by Malakian andSerj Tankian.

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Soldier Side - Intro"Malakian1:04
2."B.Y.O.B."Malakian, Tankian4:15
3."Revenga"Malakian, Tankian3:48
4."Cigaro"Malakian, Tankian2:11
5."Radio/Video"Malakian4:09
6."This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song"Malakian, Tankian2:08
7."Violent Pornography"Malakian3:31
8."Question!"Tankian3:20
9."Sad Statue"Malakian, Tankian3:25
10."Old School Hollywood"Malakian2:56
11."Lost in Hollywood"Malakian5:20
Total length:36:06

Personnel

[edit]

System of a Down

Vocals

  • "Soldier Side" - Intro: Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian (both main)
  • "B.Y.O.B.": Tankian (main), Malakian (second voice)
  • "Revenga": Tankian (main), Malakian (second voice)
  • "Cigaro": Tankian (main), Malakian (second voice)
  • "Radio/Video": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on this Song": Tankian
  • "Violent Pornography": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "Question!": Tankian (main), Malakian (backing vocals)
  • "Sad Statue": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "Old School Hollywood": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "Lost in Hollywood": Malakian (main) and Tankian (second voice)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications forMezmerize
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[68] Gold 20,000^
Australia (ARIA)[69] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPIAustria)[70] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[71] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[72] Gold 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[73] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[74] Platinum 20,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[75] Platinum 33,068[75]
France (SNEP)[76] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[77] Platinum 200,000‡
Greece (IFPI Greece)[34] Gold 10,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[78] Platinum 15,000^
Italy (FIMI)[79]
sales since 2009 		Gold 25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[80] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[81] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[82] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[83] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
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