Take the band’s first single, “Sugar,” which mixes jazz-style drums and Cookie Monster growls about “Kombucha mushroom people” that combusts into frontman Serj Tankian manically yelling, “How do I feel? What do I say? In the end, it all goes away.” Though Rubin signed the band to his label, American Recordings, it’s hard to fault him for his initial reaction. They were unlike any hard rock or metal band I had seen previously.” “They made me laugh,” Rubin says, mentioning the band’s mix of Armenian folk dancing and heavy guitar riffs. The first time famed producer Rick Rubin saw the band perform in front of a sold-out crowd at the Viper Room in 1997, he couldn’t contain his excitement. Nu metal’s popularity was near its peak, and while System of a Down was tossed into that category, the band was a different beast: They painted their faces, were influenced by Slayer, and proudly sang about their Armenian heritage. Prime slots on Ozzfest ‘98 and ‘99 alongside metal gods like Black Sabbath, Tool, and Deftones didn’t hurt. System of a Down had grown from local heroes selling out shows on the Sunset Strip to the most-buzzed-about band across the country. In fall 2000, the heavy rockers headed home-a rehearsal space in North Hollywood called The Alley-to work on what would become their masterpiece, Toxicity. This sound is also heard multiple times in "Soldier Side" and at the outro of the song "Soldier Side - Intro" on their previous album "Mezmerize".After nearly three years of touring behind their self-titled debut, System of a Down was ready to give the mainstream a wake-up call. On the outro of the track "Lonely Day", the sound of a bomb dropping is heard. "Pop!! Magazine" (p. 203) - 9.4 out of 10 stars - "SOAD is a great band and the second half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize album did not fail to again show what they are made of." Uncut (p. 109) - 3 stars out of 5 - "System succeed through their skill at wielding complex, progressive heaviness in a pop context." 988, p. 117) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "Hell immediately runneth over on Malakian's scoured-staccato guitars and Dolmayan's furious hammering." 851, p. 100) - "hey're flaunting a heretofore underexplored sensitive side, offsetting their trademark stampeding riffology with flashes of delicate lyricism." - Grade: B+ The album was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA on December 13, 2005. The album opened at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 320,000 copies on November 22, 2005. It was released on November 22, 2005, six months after the release of companion album Mezmerize. Hypnotize is the fifth album by System of a Down and the second half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album before taking their hiatus to work on their individual solo projects. Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound ResearchĪlternative metal, hard rock, progressive rock
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