| Mezmerize | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by System of a Down | ||||
| Released | May 16, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2004–2005, The Mansion and Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Alternative metal, heavy metal, progressive rock, alternative rock, experimental rock | |||
| Length | 36:15 | |||
| Label | American | |||
| Producer | Rick Rubin, Daron Malakian | |||
| System of a Down chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Mezmerize | ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85% [1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A- [3] |
| PopMatters | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Stylus | B- [6] |
| Kerrang! | |
| Pitchfork Media | [7] |
Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It is the first half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album. It was released on May 17, 2005, six months before Hypnotize, on American Records. The album has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release.
Contents |
Mezmerize was released to universal acclaim, scoring 85 at Metacritic based on 19 reviews.[1] The album debuted at number one in at least 12 countries,[8] including the US Billboard 200, with 453,000 copies,[9] and has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. The hit single "B.Y.O.B." won a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Despite the time difference between releases, the album actually takes its name from the lyrics in the song "Hypnotize"; Mezmerize and Hypnotize were recorded within the same time frame. The album features guitarist Daron Malakian sharing most of the vocal work with vocalist Serj Tankian, splitting the vocals at least halfway on most of the tracks.
The Japanese version of the album contains a slightly different mix of "Soldier Side (Intro)" with strings, while the leaked mp3 version of "Cigaro" contains a 4-stick hit intro not present in the retail version. The album artwork is done by the father of guitarist Daron Malakian, Vartan Malakian.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soldier Side - Intro" | Malakian | Malakian | 1:07 |
| 2. | "B.Y.O.B." | Tankian, Malakian | Malakian | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Revenga" | Tankian, Malakian | Malakian | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Cigaro" | Tankian, Malakian | Malakian | 2:11 |
| 5. | "Radio/Video" | Malakian | Malakian | 4:09 |
| 6. | "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song" | Tankian, Malakian | Malakian | 2:08 |
| 7. | "Violent Pornography" | Malakian | Malakian | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Question!" | Tankian | Malakian, Tankian | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Sad Statue" | Tankian, Malakian | Malakian | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Old School Hollywood" | Malakian | Malakian | 2:56 |
| 11. | "Lost in Hollywood" | Malakian | Malakian | 5:20 |
|
Total length:
|
36:15 | |||
|
|
|
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 2 | |
| Australian ARIA Top 50[11] | 1 | |
| Canadian Albums Chart[12] | 1 | |
| Finnish Albums Chart[13] | 2 | |
| Norwegian VG-lista | 2 | |
| New Zealand Top Albums Chart[14] | 1 | |
| Polish Albums Chart[15] | 5 |
|title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11839-mezmerize-hypnotize.| Preceded by Stand Up by Dave Matthews Band |
Billboard 200 number-one album May 29, 2005 – June 4, 2005 |
Succeeded by Out of Exile by Audioslave |
| Preceded by Il Divo by Il Divo |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album May 30 – June 5, 2005 |
Succeeded by Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||