Artist: SYSTEM OF A DOWN
Album: MESMERIZE (DIGI)

Release date: 2005
EAN/UPS: 5099751900023
Media type: CD

Los Angeles Nu-Metal band with an Armenian heritage. The roup would be picked up by respected producer Rick Rubin for their debut eponymous album and an affiliation deal with the giant Sony Corporation. SYSTEM OF A DOWN's entrance onto the Rock scene was both well timed and impressive. The rapid build up to major status began as SYSTEM OF A DOWN toured America in early 2000 on a package bill dubbed 'The Billionaire Pirates' alongside LIMP BIZKIT, METHOD MAN and REDMAN. Malakian went out on the road despite having an injured leg. The band recorded a BLACK SABBATH cover 'Snowblind' for the 'Nativity In Black II' tribute album and WU TANG CLAN's 'Shame On The Nuh', again for a tribute album.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN's 'Toxicity', selling over 220'000 copies in its first week, debuted quite spectacularly at no. 1 in the U.S. Billboard album charts in September. Across the world 'Toxicity' charted high and would remain lodged in many charts as a consistent seller for up to a year after release. Not everything would run so smoothly for the band though. A free album launch gig in a Hollywood parking lot attracted over 10'000 fans to an area designed to hold roughly a third that number. When local police refused the band permission to play the audience responded rushed the stage destroying and stealing band equipment. Six people were arrested.

Outtakes from the 'Toxicity' album sessions would be so widely circulated on the bootleg market that the band seriously considered releasing the tracks commercially.

In November SYSTEM OF A DOWN travelled to Australia to partake in the 'Big Day Out' series of festivals.Tankian would also announce the near completion of his Dance side endeavour BAD GIRLS, a collaboration with Scottish vocalist Petra Jolly.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN would head the list of bands appearing on the Columbia ‘Pledge Of Allegience’ live compilation album, contributing the tracks ‘Chop Suey’, ‘Bounce’ and ‘Toxicity’ recorded at the Rosemont, Illinois in October 2001. During early 2002 Daron Malakian took time out to act as producer on a demo session for Los Angeles Punk act THE AMBULANCE.

The band joined the summer 2002 'Ozzfest' North American dates billed as special guests. However, their status would be elevated to that of temporary headliner when OZZY OSBOURNE withdrew from ten dates in order to be at his wife Sharon's side as she underwent chemotherapy, planning on a return for the Denver leg of the tour. During the interim SYSTEM OF A DOWN would extend their set to cover the absence.

Serj Tankian put his efforts into building a brand new record label in collusion with Columbia dubbed Serjical Strike. In early October Tankian convened a showcase concert at the Hollywood Troubadour to show off the singer's first three signings BAD ACID TRIP, SLOW MOTION REIGN and KITTENS FOR CHRISTIAN.

The band revealed they were set to issue an album comprising entirely of outtakes in November billed as 'Steal This Album'. Quite incredibly 'Steal This Album' debuted on the Billboard album charts at no. 15, shifting over 165,000 copies in its first week of sale and within two months the record had passed the half million sales marker. That month SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian embarked upon a side project in union with AMEN's Casey Chaos.

Serj Tankian's debut release on his Serjical Strike Records would be a collaboration between Tankian and fellow Armenian musician Arto Tuncboyacian dubbed SERART. In May of 2004 John Dolymayan sessioned on the SCUM OF THE EARTH album 'Blah…Blah…Blah...Love Songs For The New Millennium'. That July Tankian allied himself with the AUDIOSLAVE pairing of guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk for a one off set at the 'Axis of justice' non-profit show at the Avalon in Hollywood, California.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN announced they were to release two albums in 2005, entitled 'Hypnotize' and 'Mesmerize', preceded by the single 'B.Y.O.B.' ("Bring your own bombs"). 'Mesmerise', issued in April scored the band a no. 1 placing on the US Billboard charts. European dates saw the band putting in appearances at 'Nova Rock' in Austria, the German 'Southside' festival, the 'Download' event in the UK, the 'Norwegian Wood' festival in Oslo and the Hultsfred festival in Sweden. SYSTEM OF A DOWN put in a ten date "guerrilla club tour" of the USA upfront of large scale Summer touring with THE MARS VOLTA and BAD ACID TRIP as support. In side activity, Serj Tankian produced and guested on ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist BUCKETHEAD's solo album 'Enter The Chicken'.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN launched 'Hypnotize' on 22nd November with two special events in New York City. At 6pm the band engaged in an in-store appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square then followed this with a headlining date at Webster Hall for MTV2's $2 Bill Concert series.

TRACKLIST:

01 "Soldier Side - Intro" (Lyrics and Music By D. Malakian) – 1:03
02 "B.Y.O.B." (Lyrics By D. Malakian, Casey Chaos and S. Tankian; Music By D. Malakian and Casey Chaos) – 4:15
03 "Revenga" (Lyrics By D. Malakian and S. Tankian; Music By D. Malakian) – 3:50
04 "Cigaro" (Lyrics By D. Malakian and S. Tankian; Music By D. Malakian) – 2:11
05 "Radio/Video" (Lyrics and Music By D. Malakian) – 4:13
06 "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song" (Lyrics By D. Malakian and S. Tankian; Music By D. Malakian) – 2:08
07 "Violent Pornography" (Lyrics and Music By D. Malakian) – 3:31
08 "Question!" (Lyrics By S. Tankian; Music By S. Tankian and D. Malakian) – 3:20
09 "Sad Statue" (Lyrics By D. Malakian and S. Tankian; Music By D. Malakian) – 3:27
10 "Old School Hollywood" (Lyrics and Music By D. Malakian) – 2:58
11 "Lost in Hollywood" (Lyrics By D. Malakian and S. Tankian; Music By D. Malakian) – 5:20

LINE UP

Serj Tankian - lead vocals, keyboards
Daron Malakian - vocals, guitars
Shavo Odadjian - bass
John Dolmayan - drums


Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian
Mixed by Andy Wallace
Engineered by David Schiffman
Editing by Jason Lader and Dana Neilsen
Assistant engineer: Phillip Broussard
All artwork by Vartan Malakian
Design: System of a Down and Brandy Flower
String arrangement: Serj Tankian and Mark Mann
Worldwide representation: Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group
Mix protools engineer: John O'Mahony
Mix assistant engineers: Steve Sisco (Soundtrack) & Joe Peluso (Enterprise)
Album production coordinator: Lindsay Chase/Braden Asher
Recording location: The Mansion in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, CA and Akademie Mathematique of Philisophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, CA
Mixed at Soundtrack Studios, New York, NY And Enterprise Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Mastered by Vlado Meller at Sony Music Studios, New York, NY