Mezmerize (album)
| Mezmerize | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by System of a Down | ||||
| Released | May 17, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | June – November 2004 | |||
| Studio |
The Mansion (Los Angeles, California, U.S.) Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Studios (Los Angeles, California, U.S.) |
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| Length | 36:06 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| System of a Down chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mezmerize | ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| Kerrang! | |
| People |  |
| Drowned In Sound | (8/10) |
| PopMatters | 9/10 |
| Blabbermouth.net | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Stylus | B− |
| BBC Music | Very Favorable |
Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by the 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 Columbia Records.
Mezmerize was lauded by critics, scoring 85 at Metacritic based on 19 reviews. The album debuted at number one in at least 12 countries, including the US Billboard 200, with 453,000 copies, 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.
Metallica's Kirk Hammett named the album the second-best album of the decade and "Violent Pornography" the 16th-best song.
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.
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.
"B.Y.O.B." appeared In Guitar Hero: World Tour, Guitar Hero: Live and was DLC for Rock Band 2.
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