System of a Down - Hypnotize

It wasn't a lie when System of a Down said the packaging for Mezmerize and Hypnotize would slot together. Released in November 2005, roughly six months after its counterpart, Hypnotize does indeed feature a tri-fold design. But the extra cardboard slotting's a little extraneous, as are some of the sonic parts on both albums. Truth is the motor for System's spazzy, modernist thrash. It drives the boiling rage in Hypnotize's "Attack," "Stealing Society," and "U-Fig"; on "Holy Mountain," it inspires SOAD to transform the sad facts of genocide into the album's most vicious, powerful, and arresting moment. Of course, truth also drives SOAD to make passionate, if slightly screwy, decisions: Serj Tankian's ADD sputter of "eat 'em eat 'em eat 'em eat 'em" and "banana banana banana terracotta" on Hypnotize; Mezmerize's detour into celebrity baseball game outtakes on "Old School Hollywood." These moments are head-scratchers, no doubt, but they're integral to the experience -- System of a Down confound and irritate even as they rock. And it's precisely because of that weird aggression/aggravation dynamic that Mezmerize/Hypnotize is as strong a concept/double album as metal can offer in 2005. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andy Wallace Mixing Braden Asher Production Coordination Brandy Flower Design Dana Nielsen Editing Daron Malakian Group Member, Vocals, Producer, Guitar David Schiffman Engineer Jason Lader Editing John Dolmayan Drums, Group Member John O'Mahoney Pro-Tools Lindsay Chase Production Coordination Mark Mann String Arrangements Phillip Broussaard Assistant Engineer Rick Rubin Audio Production, Producer Serj Tankian String Arrangements, Vocals, Keyboards, Group Member Shavo Odadjian Group Member, Bass Steve Sisco Mixing Assistant System of a Down Design Vartan Malakian Artwork Vlado Meller Mastering