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| Mezmerize Sales Rocketing |
According to Hits Daily Double, System Of A Down's "Mezmerize", the Columbia band's follow-up to the six-times-platinum 2002 breakthrough "Toxicity", is surging in early reports from retail. The way things are going, SYSTEM's release will surpass 400,000 and has a decent shot at hitting the 450,000 mark. There's absolutely no question that "Mezmerize" will top next week's chart.
 Pictures from the in in-store signing at a Best Buy outlet in Burbank, California at this location. |
| No Fines for "Fuck Bomb"...yet |
Launch Radio Networks reports: System Of A Down has yet to deal with any repercussions from its "Saturday Night Live" appearance this past weekend (May 7), in which guitarist Daron Malakian got a spontaneous cry of "Fuck yeah!" past NBC-TV censors during the band's performance of its current single, "B.Y.O.B." The use of the F-word in the song's actual lyrics was muted during the broadcast.
System Of A Down have been fierce supporters of free expression, and Malakian recently told Launch he'd like to see more rock artists take a stronger position on it. "In the Sixties, all these bands had the balls to get up and speak against the government, even though it wouldn't look good in the society, whatever," he said. "They said their mind because they thought it was right. And now you've got all these rock and roll guys, they don't even the balls to even say what they want because they're so afraid of their careers - that's not real rock and roll, man."
There has been no comment from NBC on the "SNL" incident and, so far, no outcry from conservative or religious groups. |
| System Drops Fuck Bomb on NBC |
Bill Hutchinson of the New York Daily News is reporting that SOAD got one over on "Saturday Night Live" last night.
When the group performed "B.Y.O.B" from their new album "Mezmerize", the show repeatedly muted the F-word in the line, "Where the f--- are you?" But it missed guitarist Daron Malakian's screeched, "F--- yeah!" toward the end of the number. The camera even focused on him as he said it.
Fans of the group immediately hailed the move on System Of A Down's web site, with one noting, "The censors missed at least one 'f--- you.' Which was nice."
The band performed a second number, "Aerials", from their "Toxicity" album, without incident.
"SNL" traditionally doesn't use a tape delay. NBC did not immediately return a call seeking comment. |
| System of a Down Announce Their New Summer Tour |
System Of A Down have been confirmed to headline their first major U.S. tour in three years, it was announced today. While specific dates are being confirmed and will be announced shortly, the band will kick off a two-month trek in early August that will see them playing arenas in major and secondary markets throughout North America. It is also announced that The Mars Volta will join System Of A Down as Special Guests on all of the tour dates; a third act, yet to be announced, will open the shows.
"We're very excited about getting out on the road this summer," said System's vocalist Serj Tankian. "It's been a long time since we've done a major American tour, and with The Mars Volta on the bill, I think we're giving our fans a terrific show."
SOAD is currently on a 10-date "guerrilla club tour" playing small venues and debuting a couple of brand new songs from their forthcoming release, "Mezmerize", Disc One of the 2-disc set "Mezmerize/Hypnotize", due out May 17. Disc Two, "Hypnotize", is expected to be released late this fall. "B.Y.O.B.", the first single from the new album, is already a Top 10 track at Rock/Alternative radio, and the band will perform the song when they appear as musical guests on "Saturday Night Live" May 7. |
| New B.Y.O.B. Video |
On SYSTEMOFADOWN.com you can enjoy the new video for "B.Y.O.B."
MTV2's new video premiere campaign, Unleashed, will premiere the new video for B.Y.O.B. next Tuesday 4/26.
MTV will begin playing the video on Wednesday 4/27. |
| Mezmerize Details Revealed |
System Of A Down have finalized the track listing for the first half of their upcoming double album, "Mezmerize/Hypnotize". "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" will be released in two instalments over six months, with the first half, "Mezmerize", due out on May 17 through American/Columbia.
According to NME.com, both albums were produced by Rick Rubin along with guitarist Daron Malakian, who explained the reasons behind putting out a double set: "When we started recording, we were focussed on making every song the best it could be, to really give a thousand percent to every single track.
"Doing a two-album set never entered into our thought process. But when we looked at all the songs we had and arbitrarily tried to choose 'the best' 14 for one album, we realized that they all connected with each other. We didn't chase this idea, it chased us."
"Mezmerize" track listing:
01. Soldier Side (Intro)
02. B.Y.O.B.
03. Revenga
04. Cigaro
05. Radio/Video
06. This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song
07. Violent Pornography
08. Question!
09. Sad Statue
10. Old School Hollywood
11. Lost In Hollywood
12. Lonely Day
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| Mesmerize Realease Date Pushed Back |
"Mesmerize", the first half of System Of A Down's new double album, "Mesmerize/Hypnotize", has reportedly had its release date pushed back to May 17. "Hypnotize" is due out sometime this fall.
The first official single from the album, "B.Y.O.B.", will make its way to rock radio next month. A track called "Cigaro" has already been leaked online and picked up by stations around the country.
As previously reported, System Of A Down are rumored to be planning a show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California in mid-March as part of MTV's "$2 Bill" concert series. No further details are currently available.
MTV's "$2 Bill" concert series was born out of the marketing department in 2002 and has become a staple touring and programming opportunity for the network since its introduction. The network is staging "$2 Bill" events on a quarterly basis. |
| Sometimes a Cigaro is Just a Cigaro |
Though leaked track Cigaro is a hit, System Of A Down are not making it an official single.
BURBANK, California - "You know how when you meet someone as a little boy and he turns into a man, you will always remember the little boy?" System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian asked recently.
"Well, we've got that," he continued. "You remember what our roots are. As we grow up as men, you can see that we are evolving, but you remember us as little boys."
So explains what to expect from System's upcoming ambitious double album, Mezmerize/Hypnotize.
"You will hear a difference, you will hear a growth, but you will always hear us," Malakian said. "All my favorite bands tend to have those kinds of careers. They kind of re-create themselves, but they re-create themselves, they don't re-create into somebody else."
System of a Down will blend familiar elements (skittery riffs, Middle Eastern-influenced rhythms, harmonized vocals) with new, mostly sonic, touches.
"I personally came in very focused with how I wanted everything to sound on this record opposed to our other records," said Malakian, who wrote the music and most of the lyrics and also sings more than ever on the albums. "I think our guitars were a little muddy on our other records. On this record I think it's a lot more crisp. We've got the best drum tone that we've ever had on any of our records. And the performances, each individual musician, everybody is performing much better than we used to. We've all stepped up and grown up with what we do, so that's definitely reflected in the songs."
One of those songs, "Cigaro," was recently leaked online and became an instant hit on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles as well as other stations. Another song, "B.Y.O.B.," will actually be the first single. System will shoot the video later this month before the track hits the airwaves in March.
"I don't know if I'll direct it by myself, but I would love to have some kind of influence on it," bassist Shavo Odadjian, who co-directed the "Toxicity" and "Aerials" videos, said. "I would love to collaborate with someone else. I love doing that."
Choosing a single proved especially challenging after the band recorded more than 40 tracks and decided to release them as a double album (see "System Of A Down To Release Two-Album Set In 2005"). "We had a lot of songs last time, too, but this time I think they join together," Malakian said. "You feel like you want to show people what you're doing right now."
System are calling Mezmerize/Hypnotize a double album, although unlike Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, for example, the first half (Mezmerize) is due in April, followed by Hypnotize six months later.
"[Mezmerize] is going to have plenty of material, and we want people to sit with it before we give them the second one," frontman Serj Tankian said.
"Songs tend to lose character if you bunch them all together," Malakian added. "Some people throw [together] as much music as you can throw on a CD and it doesn't really do each individual song justice. They end up getting lost in the shuffle."
System recorded the tracks in the fall but worked on them throughout most of 2004.
"We're a live band, so what we do in terms of recording is we work out the songs for a long time and let them live with us, and if we want to change something over time, if we are uncomfortable about something or think something could be better, we would know it before anyone else steps in," Tankian explained. "When we go into recording, we don't ever walk in and say, 'Oh, let's write a new song in the studio.' It's always like we've got all these songs that we've been living with as a band for at least six months to a year. And that makes it so much easier recording it. If everyone is much more fluent, more comfortable, there is no hesitation. Sure, we change things here and there in the studio, but a lot of it is well-digested."
Track titles other than "B.Y.O.B." and "Cigaro" include "Hypnotize," "Lost in Hollywood," "Violent Pornography" and "Kill Rock 'n' Roll," which revolves around the line "I killed the rock 'n' roll in you."
"We have a really tough time explaining songs because we would like everyone to take something else aside from what we think of the song," Malakian said. "But ['Kill Rock 'n' Roll'] is about being a murderer and enjoying it at the moment, but actually having a conscience about it after you are done." |
| New Album Release Date Confirmed |
Launch Radio Networks is reporting that System Of A Down have confirmed an April 26 release date for "Mezmerize", the first half of their new double album set. The second CD, titled "Hypnotize", will be out sometime this fall. Meanwhile, the first single from "Mezmerize", called "B.Y.O.B.", is poised to arrive at rock radio on or around March 1.
The Armenian-American quartet has just wrapped up its headlining stint on Australia and New Zealand's Big Day Out festival and is heading home to Los Angeles to finish work on the new album. |
| Serj Tankian on New CD |
Serj Tankian recently spoke to Australia's Beat magazine about the group's forthcoming album "Mesmerize/Hypnotize", which is currently being mixed at a Los Angeles studio by Andy Wallace (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Sepultura).
Asked what prompted the idea to release a double album (the first disc - "Mesmerize" - will drop in the spring, while the second disc is scheduled to come out roughly six months after that), Tankian said, "It was not an idea that we went in to the studio with. When we went in to record, we wanted to make sure that each song was as good as it could possibly be, and when we were deciding what songs would finally make the album, we realized that we had two full albums of songs that were all amazing and all worked well together. We are recording, mixing and mastering all of it at once. That way both albums will flow like a single piece and really work as one. The second release will add more to the same feeling created by the first."
Regarding whether the band feel like they know each other better musically, Serj said, "Everything changes based on all sorts of experiences. How (SOAD have changed) is something you may have to sort out. We have all been through some troubled times over the last year and I think a lot of that emotion is coming through in our new songs. We have learned a lot of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and that helps us as a group, both live and when we are recording. I'm not sure it changes the formation process, but enhances it, based on everyone's known fortes…"
When quizzed about producer Rick Rubin's continued involvement with the group (he has been at the helm of all the band's previous three releases), Tankian replied, "Rick understands System's vibe and music really well, and in that way has always contributed to its resounding projection. He is an amazing producer who knows this music from the studio/engineering perspective as well as from the musician's. We enjoy working with him, and I think he helps us in achieving the sound and feeling we are looking for on our albums. Production-wise, I think Daron's guitar on this one is on another level with his layering and mixing of sounds." |
| New Download Page |
Check out the new download page. Download the new System of a Down song called Cigaro. It's on their new cd, Mesmerize.
Also, in maybe a few days, I'll add a lyrics page for some lyrics to some of my favorite bands. |
| System to Spend Next Two Years on the Road |
Daron Malakian recently spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about the group's upcoming albums - "Mesmerize", due this spring, and "Hypnotize", due this fall - and their plans to spend the next couple of years on the road.
Malakian told Rolling Stone that two of his favorite songs from the upcoming CDs are "Lost in Hollywood", which he calls "one of the best songs I've ever written"; and "Cigaro", which opens with a ferocious punk riff as vocalist Serj Tankian sings, "My cock is bigger than yours." Other standout tracks include "Hypnotize"'s Indian-seasoned title track and the brutal speed-metal blast "Kill Rock & Roll".
System Of A Down's first stop is Auckland on January 21, where they will kick off a six-day stint at New Zealand and Australia's annual traveling festival, Big Day Out.
"We're going out and doing as many shows as we can," said Malakian. "It'll be constant touring for two years," he explained. "Right now, I'm most excited about being with the band onstage, and being behind a guitar."
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| Announced Release Date |
Launch Radio Networks is reporting that System Of A Down are looking at March 1, 2005 as the release date for "Hypnotize", the first half of their new album. The second half, titled "Mesmerize", is slated for a late summer or early fall release. The March 1 release has not been officially confirmed yet by band or label representatives.
Contrary to initial reports, "Hypnotize"/"Mesmerize" will be one two-record set, released in two sections, and not two separate projects. Guitarist Daron Malakian said that the band's decision to issue a double album of new material became a necessary choice. "Doing a two-album set never entered into our thought process," he said. "But when we looked at all the songs we had and arbitrarily tried to choose 'the best' 14 for one album, we realized we had two albums' worth of really great songs."
Malakian recently told Entertainment Weekly that the new music "is more mature." He added that among the elements added to the band's sound this time around are "an orchestra, some obscure Middle Eastern instruments, and 'pure schizophrenia.'"
The quartet are currently in the final stages of recording "Hypnotize"/"Mesmerize" in a Los Angeles studio with producer Rick Rubin.
Shavo Odadjian |
| Two New Albums |
Hypnotize and Mesmerize will hit six months apart. Fans waiting for new music from System Of A Down are about to be doubly happy.
Aside from 2002's odds-and-ends collection, Steal This Album!, it's been a long time since we've heard a lick of music from the band, but all that will change in 2005, when the group plans to release two new studio albums.
The albums — titled Hypnotize and Mesmerize — are scheduled to hit record stores six months apart, with Hypnotize bowing late in the first quarter of 2005 and Mesmerize due in late summer or early fall, according to System's spokesperson.
Frontman Serj Tankian explained that the decision to release two albums of new music was born out of sheer necessity.
"We didn't chase this idea, it chased us," he said in a statement. "When we started recording, we were focused on making every song the best it could be. Doing a two-album set never entered into our thought process. But when we looked at all the songs we had and arbitrarily tried to choose 'the best' 14 for one album, we realized we had two albums' worth of really great songs."
The band is currently holed up in a Los Angeles recording studio finishing vocal tracks for both albums. Rick Rubin, who produced both the band's self-titled 1998 debut and 2001's Toxicity, is helming the sessions, with help from Tankian. And while there are no track lists currently available, Tankian gave fans an idea of what they can expect from the new tunes.
"There has been a great deal of upheaval [and] very troubling times for all of us over the past year or so, and that has brought forth a lot of emotional material," he explained. "There's a good amount of social commentary in the new songs, as well as songs where we deal with love, reminiscing, relationships, politics and funny experiences."
— James Montgomery, mtv.com
System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian |
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