Track Listing

1. Attack
2. Dreaming
3. Kill Rock & Roll
4. Hypnotize
5. Stealing Society
6. Tentative
7. US Fig
8. Holy Mountains
9. Vicinity
10. She Likes Heroin
11. Lonely Days
12. Soldier Side

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3354 in Music
• Released on: 2005-11-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
The second in System Of A Down’s projected 2005 two-album set picks up where its predecessor Mezmerize left off, melding together bug-eyed political rage, complex prog-metal, and incomprehensible lyrical absurdities and packaging them all together in one of the ugliest sleeves ever seen in Christendom.

Mind you, to be aesthetically pleasing is not System’s way: "She’s On Heroin" and "Stealing Society" are lurid snapshots of society at its most grotesque, schizophrenic canvases of thrash metal and dizzying Cossack rhythms as warped and twisted as the drug addicts and insane dictators they inevitably depict. A bizarre highlight comes in the shape of "Victim Of Obscenity", where frontman Serj Tankian chants "Banana banana banana terracotta/ Banana terracotta pie". As with Mezmerize, Hypnotize finds guitarist Daron Malakian handling many of the vocal duties: he takes the lead on "Kill Rock’n’Roll", declaring "I felt like the biggest asshole/When I killed your rock’n’roll", and again on the uncharacteristically slow, emotive "Lonely Day". If anything, though, this is a heavier, more bewildering work than its predecessor. An album to sort out the men from the boys – Louis Pattison

From the Label
Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian, Hypnotize maintains System of a Down’s reputation as full-spectrum agitators who adeptly channel righteous rage into compelling, provocative and relevant rock. Daron, singer Serj Tankian, bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan recorded some 30 tracks for Mezmerize/Hypnotize at Rubin's Laurel Canyon studio between May and December of 2004. The songs are more complex, more progressive, more unorthodox and more experimental than ever, while retaining the idiosyncratic, ironic and schizophrenic qualities that make System of a Down so distinctive.

CD Description
'Hypnotize' is the second part of System Of A Down's two-part CD album set with the first part 'Mesmerize' being released earlier in 2005. The outspoken quartet continue with their mix of brutal metal, bizarre time signatures and thought provoking lyrics, creating a truly unique sound. The single 'Hypnotize' is also included.

Customer Reviews

Now that's one damn fine album!
I'm gonna have to say this is the best System of a Down album, and just goes to prove why they won Best Alternative at the MTV awards, and I love every song on it. Favourites being..... Soldier Side, Kill Rock 'n' Roll, Hypnotize, Tentative, Vicinty of Obscenity, Dreaming, Lonely Day (ok so that's most of the album. Although just a word of caution, if you didn't like Mezmerize that much (as I know some people didn't) and especially the last four songs, then you may want to be cautious here, because this isn't a really heavy album, so people who were expecting something like the first or second albums be warned. But of course that's where System of a Down excel, they aren't afraid to try something new and radically different, and this album fills both, and with some of the most powerful political songs I've ever heard this is sure to be a great hit.

hydrocloptic-perrifertingular
imagine a world with no fresh fruit, i cant. so this album is to a greater degree, comperable to finding a vanity case full of firm dew spangled apricots. i cant say fairer than that.

It Blew Me Away
This is not SOAD's best album, but it comes mighty close. This is my second favourite album behind 'System of a Down'. All these SOAD fans that were expecting a great year of the heavier material from SOAD's early years would be disappointed with this and Mezmerize. But this album is one of the finest pieces of work released last year. The music and lyrics are different on the two latest albums oppose to earlier work as Daron has taken the helm. The album is much more tuneful than any of SOAD's work before.

The powerful thrashing 'Attack' opens the album and is a fantastic opener, with a nice little guitar riff repeated throughout.

'Dreaming' the next track is possibly the worst on the album, but it is not a bad song, it's just not up to the standard of the rest of the album.

'Kill Rock 'N' Roll' is a great song and really shows how well Serj and Daron's vocals can work together if the song's right.

'Hypnotize', the first single from the album, is possible the most sing-along-to-able of the album, and is the most appealing to a large audience.

'Stealing Society' has a great opening and is a highly charged song throughout, always keeping the pace high and with the odd mosh moment.

'Tentative' also shows how Daron and Serj can fit vocals together and it's such a powerful song you can feel emotion tearing out of the CD whilst listening to it.

'U-Fig' is my favourite song on the album. It's just so, wow. It doesn't sound like that much in the opening but when Serj comes in with a slightly demonic scream of 'Melt In The Sun' it really gets going.

'Holy Mountains' is the longest song on the album at 5:28 and does sound like a slightly more tuneful 'Psycho' from the Toxicity album.

'Vicinity of Obscenity' is the only song with which Serj solely wrote the lyrics, and they are certainly different. The seem very non-sensical, with various cries of 'Banana, Terracotta, Terracotta Pie' and then singing about 'beating the meat'...ahem. Yes well a diffrent song and shows musical versitilty and the range of Serj's voice.

'She's Like Heroin' also leaves a fair bit to be desired from some of the mature lyrics...'He wants nothing less, but to wear a little dress' for example. But despite tis the song itself is my 2nd favourite.

'Lonely Day' is another one of those, yeah it's Ok but why is it on this album, songs. Don't get me wrong I like it, but it feels more like a Mezmerize track than Hypnotize.

'Soldier Side' this is the follow on to the Intro on Mezmerize and is a fantastic, sad, song. It is my 3rd favourite and really ends the album on a poignant note.

This album is not like old SOAD's work but does take them in a different and very exciting new way, which could spell even bigger things in the future.