SYSTEM OF A DOWN — System of a Down (review)

SYSTEM OF A DOWN — System of a Down album cover Album · 1998 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
The game of musical Monopoly was still the scene in the 90s. SYSTEM OF A DOWN picked up a chance card and got to advance to go and collect their $200. That meaning they got to side-step the traditional climb to musical success by going from playing the LA clubs to recording their first album after Rick Rubin caught a show and offered to produce it for them which granted them instant access to MTV, radio and soon thereafter a stint with Ozzfest. A true story of rags to riches all in a relatively short time.

Undoubtedly they got so much attention because of the strange hybrid they exhibited from the beginning with a kind of alternative metal that at times utilized thrash, at times elements of death metal but all mixed with the traditional music of their Armenian roots. That coupled with their ability to weave complex musical ideas out of rather simple catchy riffs and drumbeats meant they had the perfect background to expound their political views on issues such as the Armenian genocide of 1915 by the Ottomans and the more recent War On Terror by the US.

A lot of the music here is very melodic metal oriented with groove and thrash leanings which drop in and out with strange little lead breaks and Serj Tankian's unusual half screamed, half rapped lyrical outbursts and lots of other unorthodoxies. A very strong album but doesn't quite have the diversity of the following ones. I find this album very good, but not great. The ideas they present here are interesting to say the least but don't really develop fully until their next album TOXICITY. As much as I love listening to this album it does seem to drag a bit towards the end, however still a strong debut for a band whose unique yet accessible experimental take on metal would take the world by storm.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Tarantula Heart Sludge Metal
MELVINS
Buy this album from MMA partners
God Damned You To Hell Traditional Doom Metal
FRIENDS OF HELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Absence Melodic Death Metal
THE ABSENCE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Unextinct Technical Death Metal
HIDEOUS DIVINITY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Powerlords Power Metal
ELETTRA STORM
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Fallen Ashes - Wage War (Official Lyric Video)
FALLEN ASHES
Bosh66· 5 days ago
EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Unreality (Single) 2024
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 5 days ago
EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Cold Hands
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 5 days ago
IRON MONKEY - Misanthropizer (Official Music Video)
IRON MONKEY
Bosh66· 8 days ago
??? (Losing ART) - "????" (Official Music Video) [HD]
漂浮者樂團
Bosh66· 8 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed