Mezmerize (album)

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Metacritic	85/100
Review scores
Allmusic
Entertainment Weekly	A−
Kerrang!
People
Pitchfork Media	7.1/10
PopMatters	9/10
Robert Christgau
Rolling Stone
Stylus	B−

"B.Y.O.B."
Mezmerize
Studio album by System of a Down
Released	May 17, 2005
Recorded	June - November 2004
Studio	The Mansion; (Los Angeles, California); Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research; (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Alternative metal; heavy metal; hard rock;
Length	36:06
Label	American
Producer	Daron Malakian; Rick Rubin;
System of a Down chronology
Singles from Mezmerize
	"B.Y.O.B."; Released: March 29, 2005; "Question!"; Released: August 29, 2005;

Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by Armenian American rock band System of a Down. It is the first half of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album. It was released on May 17, 2005, six months before Hypnotize, on American Records. The album has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release.^{[citation needed]}

Background[edit]

Mezmerize was well received by critics, scoring 85 at Metacritic based on 19 reviews.^[3] The album debuted at number one in at least 12 countries,^[12] including the US Billboard 200, with 453,000 copies,^[13] and has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. The hit single "B.Y.O.B." won a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Despite the time difference between releases, the album actually takes its name from the lyrics in the song "Hypnotize"; Mezmerize and Hypnotize were recorded within the same time frame. The album features guitarist Daron Malakian sharing most of the vocal work with vocalist Serj Tankian, splitting the vocals at least halfway on most of the tracks.

Malakian wrote "Old School Hollywood" after playing in a celebrity baseball game for charity. The song mentions Tony Danza and Frankie Avalon, who also played in the game.^[14]

The Japanese version of the album contains a slightly different mix of "Soldier Side (Intro)" with strings, while the leaked mp3 version of "Cigaro" contains a 4-stick hit intro not present in the retail version. The album artwork is done by the father of guitarist Daron Malakian, Vartan Malakian.

Soundtrack appearances[edit]

"B.Y.O.B." Appeared In Guitar Hero: World Tour and was DLC for Rock Band 2.

The single "Lost in Hollywood" was also sampled by rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN) in a 2008 promotional single for The War Report 2: Report the War—the single was simply entitled "Hollywood."

Track listing[edit]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Soldier Side - Intro"	Malakian	Malakian	1:03
2.	"B.Y.O.B." ("Bring Your Own Bombs")	Malakian, Tankian	Malakian	4:15
3.	"Revenga"	Malakian, Tankian	Malakian	3:48
4.	"Cigaro"	Malakian, Tankian	Malakian	2:11
5.	"Radio/Video"	Malakian	Malakian	4:09
6.	"This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song"	Malakian, Tankian	Malakian	2:08
7.	"Violent Pornography"	Malakian	Malakian	3:31
8.	"Question!"	Tankian	Tankian, Malakian	3:20
9.	"Sad Statue"	Malakian, Tankian	Malakian	3:25
10.	"Old School Hollywood"	Malakian	Malakian	2:56
11.	"Lost in Hollywood"	Malakian, Tankian	Malakian	5:20
Total length:				36:06

Personnel[edit]

System of a Down

Serj Tankian – vocals, keyboards, guitars, graphic design, string arrangement
Daron Malakian – vocals, guitars, bass,^[15] keyboards,^[15] production, graphic design
Shavo Odadjian – bass, backing vocals, graphic design
John Dolmayan – drums, graphic design

Main production personnel

Rick Rubin – production
Andy Wallace – mixing
David Schiffman – engineering
Jason Lader – editing
Dana Neilsen – editing

Additional production personnel

Phillip Broussard – engineering assistance
John O'Mahony – Pro Tools engineering
Steve Sisco – mixing assistance
Joe Peluso – mixing assistance

Additional personnel

Marc Mann – string arrangements
Vartan Malakian – artwork
Brandy Flower – graphic design

Charts[edit]

Chart positions[edit]

Year	Chart	Position
2005	Billboard 200	1
	UK Albums Chart	2
	Australian ARIA Top 50^[16]	1
	Canadian Albums Chart^[17]	1
	Finnish Albums Chart^[18]	2
	Norwegian VG-lista	2
	New Zealand Top Albums Chart^[19]	1
	Polish Albums Chart^[20]	5

Sales and certifications[edit]

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[21]	Gold	20,000^x
Australia (ARIA)^[22]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
Belgium (BEA)^[23]	Gold	25,000^*
Brazil (ABPD)^[24]	Gold	50,000^*
Brazil (ABPD)^[25] 5-album bundle	Platinum	40,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)^[26]	3× Platinum	300,000^{^}
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)^[27]	Platinum	33,068^[27]
France (SNEP)^[28]	Gold	129,000^[29]
Germany (BVMI)^[30]	Gold	100,000^{^}
Ireland (IRMA)^[31]	Platinum	15,000^x
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[32]	Platinum	15,000^{^}
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[33]	Gold	20,000^x
United States (RIAA)^[34]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References[edit]

^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3rxm
^ http://www.popmatters.com/review/systemofadown-hypnotize/
^ ^a ^b [1]
^ Loftus, Johnny. "Mezmerize: System of a Down". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
^ Sinclair, Tom (May 16, 2005). "Mezmerize Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
^ Arnold, Chuck (2005-06-27). "Picks and Pans Review: System of a Down (Mezmerize)". People. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
^ Byrom, Cory D. (2005-11-21). "System of a Down: Mezmerize / Hypnotize". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
^ Begrand, Adrien (2005-05-25). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". PopMatters. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
^ "CG: system of a down". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
^ Fricke, David (2005-06-02). "System of a Down: Mezmerize". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
^ Pemberton, Rollie (2005-07-22). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
^ System Of A Down Mezmerizes Music Fans Worldwide
^ [2]
^ Moss, Corey (2007). "System of a Down: Doubleheader". MTV. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
^ ^a ^b Epstein, Dan (July 2008). Guitar World Interview with Daron Malakian: "A Scar Is Born". Guitar World.
^ australian-charts.com
^ hitparade.ch
^ Finnish charts
^ charts.org.nz
^ Polish charts
^ "Austrian album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter System of a Down in the field Interpret. Enter Mezmerize in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2007". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
^ "Brazilian album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
^ "Brazilian album certifications – System of a Down – System of a Down" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
^ "Canadian album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Music Canada.
^ ^a ^b The first web page presents the sales figures, the second presents the certification limits:
- "System Of A Down" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- "Kultalevyjen myöntämisrajat" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
^ "French album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
^ "Les Albums Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (System Of A Down; 'Mezmerize')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
^ "Irish album certifications – System Of A Down – Mezmerize". Irish Recorded Music Association.
^ "New Zealand album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.
^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (System Of A Down; 'Mezmerize')". Hung Medien.
^ "American album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

Preceded by Stand Up by Dave Matthews Band	Billboard 200 number-one album May 29, 2005 – June 4, 2005	Succeeded by Out of Exile by Audioslave
Preceded by Il Divo by Il Divo	Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album May 30 – June 5, 2005	Succeeded by Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas

[1] ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3rxm

[2] ttp://www.popmatters.com/review/systemofadown-hypnotize/

[metacritic-3] [1]

[AMG-4] Loftus, Johnny. "Mezmerize: System of a Down". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-30.

[5] Sinclair, Tom (May 16, 2005). "Mezmerize Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-11-30.

[6] Arnold, Chuck (2005-06-27). "Picks and Pans Review: System of a Down (Mezmerize)". People. Retrieved 2013-08-25.

[7] Byrom, Cory D. (2005-11-21). "System of a Down: Mezmerize / Hypnotize". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

[8] Begrand, Adrien (2005-05-25). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". PopMatters. Retrieved 2009-11-30.

[9] "CG: system of a down". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22.

[10] Fricke, David (2005-06-02). "System of a Down: Mezmerize". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

[11] Pemberton, Rollie (2005-07-22). "System Of A Down: Mezmerize". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-30.

[12] System Of A Down Mezmerizes Music Fans Worldwide

[13] [2]

[14] Moss, Corey (2007). "System of a Down: Doubleheader". MTV. Retrieved 2015-01-07.

[A_Scar_Is_Born-15] Epstein, Dan (July 2008). Guitar World Interview with Daron Malakian: "A Scar Is Born". Guitar World.

[16] ustralian-charts.com

[17] tparade.ch

[18] Finnish charts

[19] rts.org.nz

[20] Polish charts

[AustriaSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-21] "Austrian album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter System of a Down in the field Interpret. Enter Mezmerize in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen

[AustraliaSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-22] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.

[BelgiumSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-23] "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2007". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.

[BrazilSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-24] "Brazilian album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.

[BrazilSystem_of_a_DownSystem_of_a_DownalbumCertRef-25] "Brazilian album certifications – System of a Down – System of a Down" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.

[CanadaSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-26] "Canadian album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Music Canada.

[FinlandSystem_Of_A_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-27] The first web page presents the sales figures, the second presents the certification limits:

"System Of A Down" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

"Kultalevyjen myöntämisrajat" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

[28] "System Of A Down" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

[29] "Kultalevyjen myöntämisrajat" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

[FranceSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-28] "French album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.

[29] "Les Albums Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved October 13, 2012.

[GermanySystem_Of_A_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-30] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (System Of A Down; 'Mezmerize')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[IrelandSystem_Of_A_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-31] "Irish album certifications – System Of A Down – Mezmerize". Irish Recorded Music Association.

[New_ZealandSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-32] "New Zealand album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.

[SwitzerlandSystem_Of_A_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-33] "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (System Of A Down; 'Mezmerize')". Hung Medien.

[United_StatesSystem_of_a_DownMezmerizealbumCertRef-34] "American album certifications – System of a Down – Mezmerize". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100 ^[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A− ^[5]
Kerrang!
People	^[6]
Pitchfork Media	7.1/10^[7]
PopMatters	9/10^[8]
Robert Christgau	^[9]
Rolling Stone	^[10]
Stylus	B− ^[11]

Mezmerize (album)

Contents

Background[edit]

Soundtrack appearances[edit]

Track listing[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart positions[edit]

Sales and certifications[edit]

References[edit]

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