Mezmerize (album)

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
Steal This Album! (2002) Mezmerize (2005) Hypnotize (2005)
Singles from Mezmerize
"B.Y.O.B." Released: February 2, 2005 "Question!" Released: September 20, 2005

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!

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.^{[citation needed]}

Background

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,^[7] including the US Billboard 200, with 453,000 copies,^[8] 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)" without 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.

Track listing

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

Personnel

System of a Down

• Serj Tankian – vocals, keyboards, guitars, graphic design, string arrangement
• Daron Malakian – vocals, guitars, bass,^[9] keyboards,^[9] production, graphic design
• Shavo Odadjian – bass, graphic design
• John Dolmayan – drums, graphic design

Main production personnel Rick Rubin – production Andy Wallace – mixing David Schiffman – engineering Jason Lader – editing Dana Neilsen – editing

Additional production personnel Phillip Broussard – engineering assistance John O'Mahony – Pro Tools engineering Steve Sisco – mixing assistance Joe Peluso – mixing assistance

Additional personnel Mark Mann – string arrangements Vartan Malakian – artwork Brandy Flower – graphic design

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
2005	Billboard 200	1
	UK Albums Chart	2
	Australian ARIA Top 50[10]	1
	Canadian Albums Chart[11]	1
	Finnish Albums Chart[12]	2
	Norwegian VG-lista	2
	New Zealand Top Albums Chart[13]	1
	Polish Albums Chart[14]	5

References

1. ^ ^{a b} [1]
2. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Mezmerize: System of a Down". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r737666/review. Retrieved 2009-11-30. 
3. ^ Sinclair, Tom. "Mezmerize (2005): System of a Down". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1060789,00.html. Retrieved 2009-11-30. 
4. ^ Begrand, Adrien. "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/s/systemofadown-mesmerize.shtml. Retrieved 2009-11-30. 
5. ^ Fricke, David. "System of a Down: Mezmerize". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/systemofadown/albums/album/7309436/review/7313411/mezmerize. Retrieved 2009-11-30. 
6. ^ Pemberton, Rollie. "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/system-of-a-down/mezmerize.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-30. 
7. ^ System Of A Down Mezmerizes Music Fans Worldwide
8. ^ [2]
9. ^ ^{a b} Epstein, Dan (July 2008). Guitar World Interview with Daron Malakian: "A Scar Is Born". Guitar World. http://soadfans.com/Article600.htm. 
10. ^ australian-charts.com
11. ^ hitparade.ch
12. ^ Finnish charts
13. ^ charts.org.nz
14. ^ Polish charts

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