Are System of a Down the new Queen?
Are At the Drive In the gods of art metal?
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
“Mesmerize”
(American/Columbia)
Who says there’s nothing new you can do with heavy metal?
Thirty-six years into the history of this strikingly impolite form, anyone blessed with enough power lust and perversity can still find fresh ways to scream and slam.
Take System of a Down. They’re undoubtedly the first band in recorded history to think of slinging together arias, speed metal beats, bubblegum pop and – oh, yes – Armenian folk tunes.
That last element comes from the members’ ethnic backgrounds. While they grew up around Los Angeles, their parents hail from the region of balalaikas and babushkas. Three of the band’s first names should tip you off: Serj, Daron and Shavo.
Certainly, the guys deserve brownie points for drawing on their Armenian heritage to defy metal clichés. But as their fifth album makes clear, there’s a fine line between pushing boundaries and lapsing into weirdness for its own sake.
“Mesmerize” sees System leaping across that line every chance they get.
In the song “Revenga,” their triple-timed metal riffs fitfully morph into a kick dance that would wow ’em around the Black Sea, while singer Serj Tankian squeals like someone just gave him the wedgie of his life.
Those who found Freddie Mercury’s high-flying impersonations of Maria Callas a tad laughable will collapse into stomach-clutching guffaws as they hear Tankian do his particular trills and bellows.
Amazingly, the band doesn’t seem to be kidding. Unlike Queen, which had some sense of its absurdity, System delivers its shtick in earnest. That’s obvious from their lyrics, which address subjects like the war in Iraq (they don’t like it), TV violence (they think it’s bad for you) and fame (news flash: It’s not what it’s cracked up to be).
If System’s music often sounds too imbecilic to believe, at least they should be commended for having the nerve to inject some catchy pop melodies into metal, a macho style that’s normally resistant to them. They’re getting away with it, too: “Mesmerize” went straight to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album chart this week.
The album also benefits from Rick Rubin’s crisp production and its brevity – it’s a mere 38 minutes long. (A sequel, “Hypnotize,” will be released this fall.) Also there’s something admirable about any band that can make you repeatedly ask, “What the hell is this?”
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