Mezmerize
Studio album by
System of a Down
ReleasedMay 17, 2005 (2005-05-17)
RecordedJune–November 2004
StudioThe Mansion and Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length36:06
Label
Producer
System of a Down chronology
Steal This Album!
(2002)		 Mezmerize
(2005)		 Hypnotize
(2005)
Singles from Mezmerize
  1. "B.Y.O.B."
    Released: March 28, 2005
  2. "Question!"
    Released: July 12, 2005

Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on May 17, 2005, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Upon its release, the album received acclaim from critics. The album sold over 450,000 copies in its first week (over 200,000 more than Toxicity did), and immediately topped the Billboard 200.[5]

At a length of just over 36 minutes, Mezmerize is the band's shortest studio album.

Background

Despite the time difference between releases, 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 many of the tracks.

Malakian wrote "Old School Hollywood" after playing in a celebrity baseball game for charity. The song mentions Tony Danza and Frankie Avalon, who also played in the game.[6]

In "Radio/Video", there are lines referring to two people named Danny and Lisa. Malakian commented on the song to Revolver magazine:

"My neighbors were Danny and Lisa, who I sing about in "Radio/Video" with System — they had that record [Paul Stanley 1978 solo album] and it ended up at my apartment. I would listen to that record all the time. I first saw Kiss at a relative's house. They were older teenagers and had Kiss all over the walls in their bedrooms. I remember being so afraid of Kiss, and it just stuck. Kiss started the metal attitude, metal theatrics and metal fashion — they contributed to that a lot. I was listening to that album in my car with my girlfriend a few months back. When I put it on, I said: 'This album is extremely special to me.'"

In the same interview, Daron Malakian talked about "Violent Pornography"'s "non-stop disco" lines:

"I've always been a huge fan of disco music through my life. We have a song called 'Violent Pornography' in System of a Down, and the lyrics are: 'It's a non-stop disco/Betcha didn't know/Betcha didn't know …' That line means, 'I love disco, betcha didn't know.' That has nothing to do with the rest of the song, by the way."[7]

The Japanese version of the album contains alternate mixes of "Soldier Side (Intro)" and "Lost in Hollywood", the former with additional strings and the latter containing slightly different background vocals, while "Cigaro" as a bonus track on the single for "B.Y.O.B." contains a 4-stick hit intro not present in the retail version. The album artwork is done by Vartan Malakian, the father of Daron Malakian.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Blabbermouth.net[10]
Drowned in Sound8/10[11]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[12]
People[4]
Pitchfork7.1/10[13]
PopMatters9/10[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
StylusB−[16]
Uncut[17]

Mezmerize was acclaimed by critics, scoring 85 at Metacritic based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] The album debuted at number one in at least 12 countries,[18] including the US Billboard 200, with 453,000 copies,[19] and has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The hit single "B.Y.O.B." won a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Track listing

All music written by Daron Malakian, except "Question!", written by Malakian and Serj Tankian.

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Soldier Side - Intro"Malakian1:04
2."B.Y.O.B."Malakian, Tankian4:15
3."Revenga"Malakian, Tankian3:48
4."Cigaro"Malakian, Tankian2:11
5."Radio/Video"Malakian4:09
6."This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song"Malakian, Tankian2:08
7."Violent Pornography"Malakian3:31
8."Question!"Tankian3:20
9."Sad Statue"Malakian, Tankian3:25
10."Old School Hollywood"Malakian2:56
11."Lost in Hollywood"Malakian5:20
Total length:36:06

Personnel

System of a Down

Vocals

  • "Soldier Side" - Intro: Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian (both main)
  • "B.Y.O.B.": Tankian (main), Malakian (second voice)
  • "Revenga": Tankian (main), Malakian (second voice)
  • "Cigaro": Tankian (main), Malakian (second voice)
  • "Radio/Video": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on this Song": Tankian
  • "Violent Pornography": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "Question!": Tankian (main), Malakian (backing vocals)
  • "Sad Statue": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "Old School Hollywood": Malakian and Tankian (both main)
  • "Lost in Hollywood": Malakian (main) and Tankian (second voice)

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Mezmerize
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[68] Gold 20,000^
Australia (ARIA)[69] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[70] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[71] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[72] Gold 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[73] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[74] Platinum 20,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[75] Platinum 33,068[75]
France (SNEP)[76] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[77] Platinum 200,000‡
Greece (IFPI Greece)[33] Gold 10,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[78] Platinum 15,000^
Italy (FIMI)[79]
sales since 2009 		Gold 25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[80] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[81] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[82] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[83] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (January 8, 2019). "Top 50 Best Nu-Metal Albums of All-Time". Loudwire. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ Blumenfeld, Zach (November 18, 2014). "Nine Years Later, System of a Down Still "Mezmerizes" Me". WRVU. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  3. ↑ "On 'Mezmerize', System of a Down pushed nu-metal to its limits". Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Arnold, Chuck (June 27, 2005). "Picks and Pans Review: System of a Down (Mezmerize)". People. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  5. ↑ Harris, Chris (May 25, 2005). "System Of A Down Top Billboard With Mezmerize". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Moss, Corey (2007). "System of a Down: Doubleheader". MTV. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  7. ↑ "System of a Down and Scars on Broadway's Daron Malakian: The Albums That Made Me". Revolver. July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Mezmerize by System Of A Down". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  9. ↑ Loftus, Johnny. "Mezmerize - System of a Down | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Mezmerize - SYSTEM OF A DOWN". May 15, 2005. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Album Review: System Of A Down - Mezmerize". Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (May 16, 2005). "Mezmerize Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  13. ↑ Byrom, Cory (November 21, 2005). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2005.
  14. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (May 25, 2005). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". PopMatters. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  15. ↑ Fricke, David (June 2, 2005). "System of a Down: Mezmerize". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 28, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  16. ↑ Pemberton, Rollie (July 22, 2005). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  17. ↑ Confirms System Of A Down as one of the most innovative bands in modern rock. [Jun 2005, p.110]
  18. ↑ Records, Columbia. "System Of A Down Mezmerizes Music Fans Worldwide". Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Records, Columbia. "System Of A Down Mezmerizes Music Fans Worldwide". Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ Alan Di Perna https://www.guitarworld.com/features/daron-malakian-21st-century-schizoid-man Archived August 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (September 29, 2008)
  21. ↑ Fabrizio Pedrotti https://fabriziopedrotti.com/2019/07/18/shavo-odadjian-system-of-a-down-nunca-va-a-morir/ Archived August 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (July 18, 2019)
  22. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  23. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in German). Hung Medien.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in French). Hung Medien.
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  28. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  29. ↑ "Eurocharts: Album Sales". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 23. June 4, 2005. p. 71. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  30. ↑ "System of a Down: Mezmerize" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  31. ↑ "Lescharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  32. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  33. 1 2 "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece.
  34. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2005. 20. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  35. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography System of a Down". Hung Medien.
  36. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
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  38. 1 2 "Los Más Vendidos 2005" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2010.
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  40. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  41. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  42. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  43. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  44. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  45. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  46. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Hung Medien.
  47. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  48. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  49. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  50. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard.
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