System of a Down -- System of a Down

6/10

After 2001's Toxicity, I went all in on System of a Down, purchasing that and every subsequent album they released...all, uh, three subsequent albums. For some reason, I never felt the urge to go back and check out the band's 1998 debut, though. When I realized I was shortly to reach "Sy" in my alphabetical "Every Album I Own" reviews series, I decided to look for a copy of the band's self-titled first disc, and found a used copy for three dollars. I can now say with much confidence that System of a Down's first album is my least favorite of their five releases.
System gained attention, or at least mine, for breaking the mold of early 00's hard rock, as they easily swatted away any nu-metal descriptors. The band's brilliantly idiosyncratic harmonies, incorporation of traditional Armenian melodies and instrumentation, and unique rhythms put them ahead of much of their competition. Unfortunately, System of a Down's debut features little of these things. Guitarist, Daron Malakian, who'd essentially become the band's co-vocalist moving forward, does little singing here, let alone harmonizing. "Suggestions" features a small bit of Armenian melody in the intro, but that's nearly it. John Dolmayan does bring some original vibes with his drumbeats, but again, not to the degree he would just one album later. What's left is a lot of aggression, and sole vocalist, Serj Tankian, crazily barking out some pretty silly lyrics that more often than not seem to flow toward vulgarity out of laziness or a sheer lack of creativity.
In other words, this is clearly a debut album, featuring a talented band still figuring things out. There's enough weirdness and infectious rhythm to ensure System of a Down isn't a total loss, and overall, this would be solid work for an average band, but System of a Down isn't.
That said...there're still some really good songs here, like "Spiders," a sort of proto-version of what the band's 00's iteration had in store.


1998 American Recordings/Columbia Records
1. Suite-Pee 2:31
2. Know 2:56
3. Sugar 2:33
4. Suggestions 2:44
5. Spiders 3:35
6. DDevil 1:43
7. Soil 3:25
8. War? 2:40
9. Mind 6:16
10. Peephole 4:06
11. CUBErt 1:50v 12. Darts 2:42
13. P.L.U.C.K." (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers) 3:33