Review by Rachel Jablonski
“It’s repetitive, and it repeats itself, too,” our Lincoln East High School Varsity Volleyball Coach, Myron Oehlerking, matter-of-factly declared. On our way to Chicago for a National Volleyball tournament, only a few of us were in the van to hear such a random thought from our very nice, but usually down to business type of coach. Out of character for him, or so we thought at the time, a short silence swiftly followed the affirmation. After a moment of looking at each other mystified, genuine laughter ensued from what was probably Coach O’s greatest proclamation of the 1997 season.
This season, in 2005, the words of Coach O. apply as loudly as ever to the highly praised band System of a Down who themselves have a declaration to coach. WHY DO THEY ONLY SEND THE POOR the band asks in “B.Y.O.B,” the first single off their latest album titled Mezmerize. Attempting to make a political statement, the simple lyrics consider the average American going to war while rich leaders ignore consequences. But, regardless of listener political opinion, the point is not well taken as the composition of “B.Y.O.B” is distracting and difficult to take seriously. The roar roar roar fast tempo of the verse vilely contrasts with the la la la sing-song nature of the chorus and the results are amazingly nauseating. Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time says the chronic poppy chorus that the mainstream is sure to love. Known for being politically flamboyant, the band almost makes a mockery of themselves this time around with pointless lyrical flops and simply average musical surroundings.
Running at a very short 36 minutes, Mezmerize is a catchy System of a Down display, but contains very little substance. Many songs on the album include only a couple stanzas repeated over and over and over. Often the words seem childish as if names, clichés, and ideas were quickly tossed together with little or no thought. Thus, the lyrics contain very little meaning or imagination. Lyrical repetition may be enticing initially, but will not hold attention for the long run.
Hey man! Look at me rockin out! I'm on the radiooooooo. Hey man! Look at me rockin out! I'm on the videooooooo, begins the song “Radio/Video.” But look out, here it comes again! Hey man! Look at me rockin out! I'm on the radiooooooo. Hey man! Look at me rockin out! I'm on the videooooooo with Danny and Lisa. In comes the next stanza, They take me away from, the strangest place of, sweet Danny and Lisa, they take me away from...AHHH. And then here it comes! Hey man! Look at me rockin out! I'm on the radiooooooo. Hey man! Look at me rockin out! I'm on the videooooooo with Danny and Lisa. Second verse same as the first! They take me away from, the strangest place of sweet Danny and Lisa, they take me away from...AHHH.
There is not much of any lyrical substance to “Radio/Video,” but actually it is one of the better songs on the album musically. Proficient harmony encompasses the song among straight up rock, an accordion sound, and a portion of the song which is more Reggae-like in style and tempo. Overall, the distinct musical sections seem to make up for the lack of lyrical quality.
Continuing along the lyrical bomb trend is a track called “Cigaro,” which could have been promising with different vocal contributions. The song contains heavy bass, percussion very quick in tempo, crunchy guitars, a beginning vocal scream, and then... my cock is much bigger than yours, my cock can walk right through the door with a feeling so pure it's got you screaming back for more! Not even I could come up with lyrics as shallow. But lyrics aside, musical integrity continues throughout the song. The listener may keep interest with the consistent heaviness and a circus sounding note progression which ranges from high to low, much like the evolution of the band musically.
The musical heights System of a Down reached with Toxicity and their self-titled release unfortunately seem to have dropped. Though only fairly average in musical composition, Mezmerize does contain some straight up rockin tracks such as “Radio/Video,” “Revenga,” “Violent Pornography” and “Question!” with acoustic to crunchy guitars, occasional double bass drums, and some style variance. Yet, the album is difficult to take seriously. The vocal and lyrical contributions are random, distracting, incoherent, and at times hideous. Despite our country being at war, the vague political assessments are downright insensitive. Not because they go against the grain, but instead because there is no real meaning behind the random lyrical madness. Mention of soldiers such as in “Soldier Side – Intro,” bombs in “B.Y.O.B.,” and The Statue of Liberty in “Sad Statue” are comically incorporated in the album. How can the listener possibly take meaning from serious issues when lyrics like Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time and poppy music to accompany are incorporated in the same breath? How can the listener take the cliché Put your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care, which is utilized in “Lost in Hollywood,” seriously?
If Mezmerize is aimed to be lighthearted and mainstream pleasing it may have done the job right. The album has been highly acclaimed across the board and will more than likely achieve mainstream success. But the lack of heavy substance, both musically and lyrically, along with overused repetition could be a great turn off for offbeat rock appreciators.