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Hypnotize

 
Album Review: Hypnotize
 

  • Artist: System of a Down
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: November 22, 2005
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Contains explicit content
  • Genre: Rock

Review

It wasn't a lie when System of a Down said the packaging for Mezmerize and Hypnotize would slot together. Released in November 2005, roughly six months after its counterpart, Hypnotize does indeed feature a tri-fold design. But the extra cardboard slotting's a little extraneous, as are some of the sonic parts on both albums. Truth is the motor for System's spazzy, modernist thrash. It drives the boiling rage in Hypnotize's "Attack," "Stealing Society," and "U-Fig"; on "Holy Mountain," it inspires SOAD to transform the sad facts of genocide into the album's most vicious, powerful, and arresting moment. Of course, truth also drives SOAD to make passionate, if slightly screwy, decisions: Serj Tankian's ADD sputter of "eat 'em eat 'em eat 'em eat 'em" and "banana banana banana terracotta" on Hypnotize; Mezmerize's detour into celebrity baseball game outtakes on "Old School Hollywood." These moments are head-scratchers, no doubt, but they're integral to the experience -- System of a Down confound and irritate even as they rock. And it's precisely because of that weird aggression/aggravation dynamic that Mezmerize/Hypnotize is as strong a concept/double album as metal can offer in 2005. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Attack Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (3:06)
Dreaming Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (3:59)
Kill Rock 'N Roll Daron Malakian System of a Down (2:27)
Hypnotize Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (3:09)
Stealing Society Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (2:58)
Tentative Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (3:36)
U-Fig Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (2:55)
Holy Mountains Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (5:28)
Vicinity of Obscenity Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian System of a Down (2:51)
She's Like Heroin Daron Malakian System of a Down (2:44)
Lonely Day Daron Malakian System of a Down (2:47)
Soldier Side Daron Malakian System of a Down (3:40)

Credits

Rick Rubin (Producer), David Schiffman (Engineer), Steve Sisco (Mixing Assistant), Andy Wallace (Mixing), Mark Mann (String Arrangements), System of a Down (Design), Daron Malakian (Guitar), Daron Malakian (Vocals), Daron Malakian (Producer), Daron Malakian (Group Member), Shavo Odadjian (Bass), Shavo Odadjian (Group Member), Serj Tankian (Keyboards), Serj Tankian (Vocals), Serj Tankian (String Arrangements), Serj Tankian (Group Member), Brandy Flower (Design), John Dolmayan (Drums), John Dolmayan (Group Member), Lindsay Chase (Production Coordination), John O'Mahoney (Pro-Tools), Phillip Broussaard (Assistant Engineer), Vlado Meller (Mastering), Jason Lader (Editing), Braden Asher (Production Coordination), Vartan Malakian (Artwork)
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Wikipedia: Hypnotize (album)
Top
Hypnotize
Hypnotize cover
Studio album by System of a Down
Released November 22, 2005
Recorded The Mansion
Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California
Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research
Los Angeles, California
Genre Alternative metal, hard rock, progressive rock
Length 39:46
Label Columbia (UK)
American/Columbia (U.S.)
Producer Rick Rubin, Daron Malakian
Professional reviews
System of a Down chronology
Mezmerize
(2005)
Hypnotize
(2005)
Singles from Hypnotize
  1. "Hypnotize"
    Released: October/November 2005
  2. "Lonely Day"
    Released: March 2006
  3. "Kill Rock 'n Roll"
    Released: 2006

Hypnotize is the fifth album by System of a Down and the second half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album before taking their hiatus to work on their individual solo projects. It was released on November 22, 2005, six months after the release of companion album Mezmerize.

Contents

Reception

The album opened at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 320,000 copies on November 22, 2005. The album was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA on December 13, 2005. [1]

Entertainment Weekly (No. 851, p.100) - "[T]hey're flaunting a heretofore underexplored sensitive side, offsetting their trademark stampeding riffology with flashes of delicate lyricism." - Grade: B+

Rolling Stone (No. 988, p.117) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "Hell immediately runneth over on Malakian's scoured-staccato guitars and Dolmayan's furious hammering."

Spin (p.62) - Ranked #20 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005."

Uncut (p.109) - 3 stars out of 5 - "System succeed through their skill at wielding complex, progressive heaviness in a pop context."

"Pop!! Magazine" (p.203) - 9.4 out of 10 stars - "SOAD is a great band and the second half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize album did not fail to again show what they are made of."

Track listing

# Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "Attack"   Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian Malakian 3:06
2. "Dreaming"   Malakian, Tankian Malakian, Shavo Odadjian 3:59
3. "Kill Rock 'n Roll"   Malakian Malakian 2:28
4. "Hypnotize"   Malakian, Tankian Malakian 3:09
5. "Stealing Society"   Malakian, Tankian Malakian 2:58
6. "Tentative"   Malakian, Tankian Malakian 3:36
7. "U-Fig"   Malakian, Tankian Malakian, Odadjian 2:55
8. "Holy Mountains"   Malakian, Tankian Malakian 5:28
9. "Vicinity of Obscenity"   Tankian Tankian, Malakian 2:51
10. "She's Like Heroin"   Malakian Malakian 2:44
11. "Lonely Day"   Malakian Malakian 2:47
12. "Soldier Side"   Malakian Malakian 3:40

DualDisc edition — DVD side

Personnel

System of a Down is:

  • Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian
  • Mixed by Andy Wallace
  • Engineered by David Schiffman
  • Editing by Jason Lader and Dana Neilsen
  • Assistant Engineer: Phillip Broussard
  • All Artwork by Vartan Malakian
  • Design: System of a Down and Brandy Flower
  • String Arrangement: Serj Tankian and Mark Mann
  • Worldwide Representation: Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group
  • Mix Protools Engineer: John O'Mahony
  • Mix Assistant Engineers: Steve Sisco (Soundtrack) & Joe Peluso (Enterprise)
  • Album Production Coordinator: Lindsay Chase / Braden Asher
  • Recording Location: The Mansion in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, CA and Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, CA
  • Mixed at Soundtrack Studios, New York, NY And Enterprise Studios, Los Angeles, CA
  • Mastered by Vlado Meller at Sony Music Studios, New York, NY

Chart performance

Album

Year Chart Position
2005 Billboard 200 1
UK Albums Chart 11
Australian ARIA Top 50 3
Canadian Album Chart 1
New Zealand Top Album Chart 1

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
2005 "Hypnotize" Billboard Hot 100 57
Modern Rock Tracks 1
Mainstream Rock Tracks 5
2006 "Lonely Day" The Billboard Hot 100 2
Modern Rock Tracks 10
Mainstream Rock Tracks 10
Australian ARIA Top 50 37
"Kill Rock 'n Roll" Mainstream Rock Tracks 38

References

Preceded by
Confessions on a Dance Floor by Madonna
Billboard 200 number-one album
December 4, 2005 - December 10, 2005
Succeeded by
Now 20 by Various artists

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hypnotize (album)" Read more

 

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