When first considering reviewing this album, I came to the conclusion that it was damn near impossible. How does one give a fair and balanced review of the album he's been waiting for since it was first announced? Simple, listen with an open mind. The review could easily be one sentence: Buy this album. After all, would I be promoting an album that I hated? Not likely. So to give you a fair review of this album I took some notes the very first time I heard each song, and then compared those notes with my thoughts on the second, third, and now tenth listen to the album. So without further ado, I present my review of Elect the Dead.
The album starts off with the most conventional, but still unique sounding song, Empty Walls. Out of all the songs on the album, this song sets itself apart by being the most generic, but also the most memorable. While the rest of the songs on Elect the Dead focus more on piano and acoustic guitar, this song features some old fashioned rock while sneaking in just a bit of keyboard to lure us into the rest of the album.
Empty Walls is followed by the message pummeling song The Unthinking Majority. This song is an in-your-face message that unfortunately doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. The song itself is stellar, but unfortunately it would fit better on a System album. The song is too harsh to start the album with, but at the same time it doesn't fit in the middle of the album where the real creative juices begin to flow. Overall I'm glad the song is in the album, I just wish it flowed into the album a bit better.
The next few tracks, Money and Feed Us start to give us a taste of what to expect from the album. They are both fantastic and formulaic songs. When I say they are formulaic, I don't mean it as an insult, simply as a way of describing the songs on Elect the Dead. Like most System of a Down albums, Elect the Dead features many songs that have mellow verses and frantic catchy choruses with the occasional oddball to throw us off. This is by no means a bad thing, in fact I encourage it. Many people think this popular formula for creating songs has run it's course, but I must argue that point. For the past decade there has always been a System album in my CD player, iPod, or car, and to be honest, I love the songs just as much as the day I first heard them.
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Although Elect the Dead features a VERY wide variety of sounds sometimes the songs introductions become a pain to pick out. Many of the songs start off with a solo piano or acoustic guitar. This is a very nice change from your typical rock song, unfortunately some songs introductions sound a bit too similar. For example, Sky is Over and Honking Antelope both share the exact same opening note. But don't worry, after the intro of each song, they are all clearly and obviously different songs.
The track Saving Us starts off with a simple but welcomed acoustic intro. The song vocally reminds me of the track Terminal Beauty which Serj recorded vocals on for Rita Mitsouko last year. This song is the simplest song in terms of lyrics, but it's pummeling breakdown and fantastic backing vocals make it a great song anyhow.
One of the best aspects of Elect the Dead is Serj's ability to show off his wide vocal range from song to song by backing up his own vocals. The majority of the songs on the album feature Serj harmonizing with himself, and occasionally he utilizes his voice for background noise or musical flow.
The song of the album without any doubt would most certainly be Sky is Over. This song is most competent song musically and lyrically. This song features tons of instruments and vocals without sounding cluttered. The song flows beautifully, and seldom slows down until it's ending. This song features a fantastic portion of piano that might remind some people of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The chorus is catchy as all hell, and is introduced slightly different each time it's sung. This is the masterpiece of the album, hands down. It's a shame it clocks in at a little under three minutes, but at least it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
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The track Baby fits into the same category as Money and Feed Us. Not a bad track by any means, but formulaic it is. Honking Antelope is a mysterious track to me. It features some wonderful piano, memorable and deep lyrics, but there's something about it that I can't put my finger on. Lets just say the song puts you into a trance. When I hear this song my mind opens up and I let it flow through me. It's a beautifully memorable track without trying to be catchy. The song fits, and that's all that matters.
Lie Lie Lie cannot be described with words alone. This song will be stuck in your head for decades, and you'll find yourself sitting at work muttering 'lie lie lie lie lie lie lie' under your breath. The scattered high pitched screams in the song had me laughing out loud the first few times I heard them. Even now I smile when I hear them. The song is absurd, but it works. This is the Vicinity of Obscenity of Elect the Dead and I love it lots and lots.
Now before I say anything about Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, I need to point out that half of you are going to love this track and the other half of you are going to be scared and possibly put off by it. For those of you that have heard Serart, this song shouldn't be a massive shock. The best way to describe this track is Marylin Manson started to remix an African rain chant, and half way through the remix he handed it off to Danny Elfman who put his spin on it and finally gave it to Serj to record vocals over it. In other words, this is a seriously messed up, but really fantastic track. It's experimental, but at the same time it's musically stable.
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Beethoven's C*nt boats the most impressive use of strings on the album and competes for head honcho in lyrics as well. This is perhaps the most epic sounding track on the album. It starts off with a bang, and turns into what sounds like an opera converted into the rock realm with some tricks up it's sleeves. The song ends once, and then ends again with a fitting piano piece that leads perfectly into the final track, Elect the Dead.
If there is one negative thing I can say about the final track, it's that it doesn't seem very musically confident of itself. The song could have been just Serj on the piano, and it would have been beautiful. Instead we get Serj on the piano with scattered guitar notes and bells in the background. The song isn't any less powerful with these background instruments, but it isn't any more powerful either. What really makes this track stand out is the feeling and passion in the vocals. This is a very personal song and it stands out as such. Instead of striving for vocal perfection, Serj allows his voice to wander and strain occasionally. Perfectionism was sacrificed at the expense of passion, and that to me takes some major balls, and in the end makes this track a perfect ending to the album and an instant classic in my book.
So is this album perfect? No. Is it worth buying? At least three copies. This album has a very unique sound that sets it apart from System. It's experimental, and for the most part, it works. I personally enjoy every single track on the album, and I'm sure most of you will do the same. Serj is one of the best artists today, and this album is just more proof of that statement. This may not be the album to make us all say 'System of a who?', but it's damn close.
[CENTER] [/CENTER]
October 23rd is here, and I can honestly tell you to Elect the Dead with no regrets and no second thoughts.
The album starts off with the most conventional, but still unique sounding song, Empty Walls. Out of all the songs on the album, this song sets itself apart by being the most generic, but also the most memorable. While the rest of the songs on Elect the Dead focus more on piano and acoustic guitar, this song features some old fashioned rock while sneaking in just a bit of keyboard to lure us into the rest of the album.
Empty Walls is followed by the message pummeling song The Unthinking Majority. This song is an in-your-face message that unfortunately doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. The song itself is stellar, but unfortunately it would fit better on a System album. The song is too harsh to start the album with, but at the same time it doesn't fit in the middle of the album where the real creative juices begin to flow. Overall I'm glad the song is in the album, I just wish it flowed into the album a bit better.
The next few tracks, Money and Feed Us start to give us a taste of what to expect from the album. They are both fantastic and formulaic songs. When I say they are formulaic, I don't mean it as an insult, simply as a way of describing the songs on Elect the Dead. Like most System of a Down albums, Elect the Dead features many songs that have mellow verses and frantic catchy choruses with the occasional oddball to throw us off. This is by no means a bad thing, in fact I encourage it. Many people think this popular formula for creating songs has run it's course, but I must argue that point. For the past decade there has always been a System album in my CD player, iPod, or car, and to be honest, I love the songs just as much as the day I first heard them.
[CENTER] [/CENTER]
Although Elect the Dead features a VERY wide variety of sounds sometimes the songs introductions become a pain to pick out. Many of the songs start off with a solo piano or acoustic guitar. This is a very nice change from your typical rock song, unfortunately some songs introductions sound a bit too similar. For example, Sky is Over and Honking Antelope both share the exact same opening note. But don't worry, after the intro of each song, they are all clearly and obviously different songs.
The track Saving Us starts off with a simple but welcomed acoustic intro. The song vocally reminds me of the track Terminal Beauty which Serj recorded vocals on for Rita Mitsouko last year. This song is the simplest song in terms of lyrics, but it's pummeling breakdown and fantastic backing vocals make it a great song anyhow.
One of the best aspects of Elect the Dead is Serj's ability to show off his wide vocal range from song to song by backing up his own vocals. The majority of the songs on the album feature Serj harmonizing with himself, and occasionally he utilizes his voice for background noise or musical flow.
The song of the album without any doubt would most certainly be Sky is Over. This song is most competent song musically and lyrically. This song features tons of instruments and vocals without sounding cluttered. The song flows beautifully, and seldom slows down until it's ending. This song features a fantastic portion of piano that might remind some people of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The chorus is catchy as all hell, and is introduced slightly different each time it's sung. This is the masterpiece of the album, hands down. It's a shame it clocks in at a little under three minutes, but at least it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
[CENTER] [/CENTER]
The track Baby fits into the same category as Money and Feed Us. Not a bad track by any means, but formulaic it is. Honking Antelope is a mysterious track to me. It features some wonderful piano, memorable and deep lyrics, but there's something about it that I can't put my finger on. Lets just say the song puts you into a trance. When I hear this song my mind opens up and I let it flow through me. It's a beautifully memorable track without trying to be catchy. The song fits, and that's all that matters.
Lie Lie Lie cannot be described with words alone. This song will be stuck in your head for decades, and you'll find yourself sitting at work muttering 'lie lie lie lie lie lie lie' under your breath. The scattered high pitched screams in the song had me laughing out loud the first few times I heard them. Even now I smile when I hear them. The song is absurd, but it works. This is the Vicinity of Obscenity of Elect the Dead and I love it lots and lots.
Now before I say anything about Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, I need to point out that half of you are going to love this track and the other half of you are going to be scared and possibly put off by it. For those of you that have heard Serart, this song shouldn't be a massive shock. The best way to describe this track is Marylin Manson started to remix an African rain chant, and half way through the remix he handed it off to Danny Elfman who put his spin on it and finally gave it to Serj to record vocals over it. In other words, this is a seriously messed up, but really fantastic track. It's experimental, but at the same time it's musically stable.
[CENTER] [/CENTER]
Beethoven's C*nt boats the most impressive use of strings on the album and competes for head honcho in lyrics as well. This is perhaps the most epic sounding track on the album. It starts off with a bang, and turns into what sounds like an opera converted into the rock realm with some tricks up it's sleeves. The song ends once, and then ends again with a fitting piano piece that leads perfectly into the final track, Elect the Dead.
If there is one negative thing I can say about the final track, it's that it doesn't seem very musically confident of itself. The song could have been just Serj on the piano, and it would have been beautiful. Instead we get Serj on the piano with scattered guitar notes and bells in the background. The song isn't any less powerful with these background instruments, but it isn't any more powerful either. What really makes this track stand out is the feeling and passion in the vocals. This is a very personal song and it stands out as such. Instead of striving for vocal perfection, Serj allows his voice to wander and strain occasionally. Perfectionism was sacrificed at the expense of passion, and that to me takes some major balls, and in the end makes this track a perfect ending to the album and an instant classic in my book.
So is this album perfect? No. Is it worth buying? At least three copies. This album has a very unique sound that sets it apart from System. It's experimental, and for the most part, it works. I personally enjoy every single track on the album, and I'm sure most of you will do the same. Serj is one of the best artists today, and this album is just more proof of that statement. This may not be the album to make us all say 'System of a who?', but it's damn close.
[CENTER] [/CENTER]
October 23rd is here, and I can honestly tell you to Elect the Dead with no regrets and no second thoughts.
Think while it's still legal.