This is System at their strangest.As the world began to open up in 2021, so did some of its dance floors and parties, and electronic artists arrived ready to map these spaces with sounds that pushed and challenged listeners to break free.

Even then, everything is overshadowed by Serj’s Dadaist lyrics: “Do we all learn defeat, from the whores with bad feet? Beat the meat, treat the feet, to the sweet milky seat”. The track is filled with juxtaposition, cutting directly from the thick walls of distorted guitar that support Serj’s manic screeching, to the whisper-rap in unison with Dolmayan’s bell cymbal and the wah-soaked disco of the chorus. It’s hard to imagine Serj Tankian writing Vicinity Of Obscenity without the pre-meditated intention of creating one of the strangest things ever put on record. Above this intentional (possibly metaphorical) mess, Serj looks at multiple personality disorder via an unexpected British accent, leaving the finished product somewhere between comedic and creepy. The dissonances are unrelenting, as are Dolmayan’s late-on-the-beat drum patterns and Shavo Odadjian’s deceptively syncopated bassline. The first thing we hear is unsettling tritone, but no attempt to make things any less disconcerting follows. That might have something to do with how truly unhinged it is. Johnny is a SOAD obscurity, buried on the b-side of the Chop Suey! single release. As its title might imply, Bounce doesn’t exactly sit still, hopping from the energy of the chorus into an atmospheric freak-out of a bridge and back again without taking a breath- it’s impressive that one of the band’s most eccentric tracks has become such a staple of their live shows. In this particular scenario, however, Serj sings the word “pogo” 95 times, which has to be some kind of record. It leaves us in tranquil, almost soulful territory, filled with Serj’s giddy vocalisations and John Dolmayan’s funky off-beat hi-hats.Īn instrumental version of Bounce, with its drop C tuning and tearing low fretwork, would have all the intensity of a Slayer track.

Amidst the politically charged chaos of the rest of the track, a falsetto-laden chorus is the last thing we expect. are filled with Daron Malakian’s refusal to fully lull us into the security of straightforward metal, as he sandwiches the body of the intro between a gruff grunt and that now-trademark warble of “why do we always send the poor?”. The opening seconds of Mezmerize’s B.Y.O.B. Best music streaming services: how do Spotify, TIDAL, Apple Music and others compare?.The best Metallica merch 2020: amazing gifts for the Metallica fan in your life.The best smart speakers: find the right voice-assisted speaker for you.

Mind system of a down album