Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The Best System CD
This CD is by far the best SOAD album to date. It is a variety of songs ranging from heavy to ballady. The thought provoking roulette is a perfect example of System's diversity. It is a purely acoustic song, just Serj and Daron singing and playing. Good lyrics, good melody, nice little solo - something unexpected always good. This album features many more solos from Daron than in the past and features the most political songs from the band to date. They attack foreign policy, the justice system, and spending of government money just to name a few. "Mr. Jack" is a great song that shows a new SOAD, an SOAD that can start with a melodic, almost creedlike guitar line, and end in a heavy, profanity laced yelling, that more than delivers the message of singer Serj - "F*** you pig!" he screams. Regardless of their political stands or messages, there is little doubt that this band possesses talent more than worth the meager price of this album. This is System at its best - pick it up and enjoy.Personal Favorites -
Chic'n Stu
Boom!
Mr. Jack
Roulette
Streamline
Inner Vision
Rating: - Classic SOAD
This latest System of a Down CD marks a return to the band's classic sound, message and mindset (or lack thereof). Toxicity, while an excellent album in many ways, failed to recapture the frenetic and witty tone of the self-titled debut. While Steal This Album doesn't play at the breakneck pace of their first album, it displays the same wit, insanity, and political acumen (a complete bundle of contradictions). Songs like "IEAIAIOand "Pictures" showcase some of Serj Tankian's crazy vocals which were mostly absent from Toxicity. Daron's harmonizing vocals are less intrusive and seem to fit better, or maybe I'm just getting used to him. His guitar work is heavy, solid, and at times mirrors Serj's vocals. In terms of content, the band's political views seem to have crystallized and the album presents a cohesive and powerful message denouncing globalization and lifting up the individual. Songs like "A.D.D." and "Boom!" and "Mr. Jack" drive this message home. My only real complaint is that a couple of songs near the end of the album like "Ego Brain" and "Thetawaves" kind of drag and don't match up with the rest of the disc. The beautiful "Roulette" and the catchy "Streamline" make up for it.So, in spite of its occasional lapses, I still give this CD five stars for its in-your-face yet deep yet quirky style, for its potent political message, and for its overall refusal to conform to the machine of popular music. It's really a shame that this album didn't get a lot of promotion, because it's one of the best albums of the year. Rock on SOAD.
Rating:  - Good, but uneven.
A great compilation, but fails to mesh at times. Also why "The Metro wasn't included is baffling. 1) Chic N' Stu- 9/10 (Funny, and political.)
2) Innervision- 10/10 (A great song that should have been on Toxicity - because it doesn't fit as well on this album.)
3) Bubbles- 9/10 (Pure rage, should have replaced Jet Pilot.)
4) Boom!- 9/10 (Poetry to music - literally.)
5) Nuguns- 2/10 (Annoying...)
6) ADD- 10/10 (Jumps starts it from Nuguns, a tough feat.)
7) Mr. Jack- 10/10 (Should be their next single. Much like Spiders in its melody.)
8) I-E-A-I-A-I-O- 9/10 (Great chorus and humorous lyrics.)
9) 36 - 3/10 (Pure filler.)
10) Pictures- 7/10 (Fast, but little depth.)
11) Highway Song- 9/10 (Dramatic and insightful.)
12) F**k the System!- 6/10 (Too much mumbling.)
13) Ego Brain- 8/10 (Great background, average lyrics.)
14) Thetawaves- 4/10 (No purpose, a poor song.)
15) Roulette- 9/10 (Great lyrics, should have had a bit more of a beat.)
16) Streamline- 7/10 (Sounds cobbled together, as you can tell becuase it is a different version than there was in Scorpion King.)
|
