Reviews (page 5 of 9)
This album could be pretty annoying in large doses but as a one-shot it can't help but get you pumped up. Lyrics are incredible and the energy is off the charts. Can't handle more than one listen in a row though.
I’m surprised that this album is on the list and not Toxicity. That was the album that really broke the band in to the mainstream.
Oh wow this is going to be fun, haven't listened to System since high school. I always loved Serj's voice in contrast to the heavy metal instrumentals, and their goofy ass lyrics as well as the political stuff they get into. I also remember being so proud of my little trivia tidbit that Serj was an opera singer before SOAD, hence his ridiculous ability to switch up vocal styles. Turns out I still dig it, you can tell they really MEAN their political stances, it's not angsty teenagers this is a lived experience. The music bangs, it's loud, it's angry, and it kicks ass. Also, the squirrely dude isn't singing much on this one which is a plus, let Serj handle the vocals.
Love this, but I can’t go to 5. It’s a hell of a first record and set a standard for 15 years of metal, but not quite as complete as Toxicity or Mezmerize/Hypnotize.
Probably the most famous contemporary Heavy Metal band. And certainty the most underrated when it comes to sheer talent, musicianship and songwriting. This albums is produced so well, has a timeless aspect to it, and the signature dynamics and vocals of the band really make them stand out. A bit too long of an album, and lacking in big singles, but a great album nevertheless!
Good and highly unique/creative album. Very much liked the "up and down" between hard metal and softer parts
Fun. I was more used to their later work, so it is great to hear an earlier album.
meh not for me but I can see why someone would like it
I've never been a huge SOAD fan, more casual, but there are some tracks I really enjoy here.
I love this album - I'm listening to it on vinyl today, which should give you an idea! Within four opening tracks, you have Suite Pee, Sugar and Suggestions, three wildly different tracks showcasing the crazed mix of styles SOAD can deliver - often within the same song. This is an alb for anyone who has ever thought metal is a one note genre. You're wrong. Serj Tankian's lack of inhibition when it comes to his vocals is a delight, moving from traditional metal growls and screams, to opera, to ridiculous comedy squeaks is a pure joy. And yet, while making such a fun album, they also manage to raise serious political issues. I genuinely cannot think of another artist who has done more to raise awareness and recognition of the Armenian genocide by Turkey a century ago, and made genuine, brilliant progress.
I'm not sure why I can explain why I like System of a Down. Or why I still like them? I had this album back in '98. But I have only listened to SoaD in scattered bits in the last decade. Would I still feel the same way at 41 as I did at 18? Turns out the answer is yes. And there are definitely things I listened to in the late 90s that I no longer feel the same affinity for. But surprisingly SoaD is not one of them. I still really like the wild and weird variety with which Serj Tankian uses his voice. Sometimes it's lovely, sometimes it's guttural and gritty and ugly. And he shifts so effortlessly between those extremes. I think I'm gonna be the outlier in the group here, hellyeah. No spread of every score 1-5 here, I may be the only one with a positive review. But I can't quite give it a 5. A few more on the level of "Spiders" might've gotten it there. I liked "Toxicity" even more than this one back in the day. I'll have to revisit that and see if it can earn a 5.
I remember System of a Down from when I was in middle school and high school. I was not allowed to listen to them. I was extremely pleasantly surprised to find a very interesting album with interesting melodies and guitar lines. It kept my attention the whole time and this is a genre I never listen to by choice.
Track 01 - 4/5 Track 02 - 3.5/5 Track 03 - 4.25/5 Track 04 - 3.5/5 Track 05 - 4.25/5 Track 06 - 3/5 Track 07 - 3.25/5 Track 08 - 3.75/5 Track 09 - 3.5/5 Track 10 - 4/5 Track 11 - 3.25/5 Track 12 - 3/5 Track 13 - 3.25/5 Overall: 4/5 Album Art: 3.5/5
Good album, somewhat heavy
System Of A Down had their sound basically fully formed on this album, in time to lead as kings of the nu metal scene. They have this sense of dynamism and groove that is so rare in this space. Tankian's voice soars on Spiders. Soil and War? both have powerful lyrics. Mind I am not too fond of.
Great album
bara ágætt
Really thrashy
some nice songs but the rest eh
Better than expected, the vocals are good and you can see the talent very clearly; however I get overwhelmed easily by the sound
I want to give all metal albums a five, but have to be reasonable. I like very specific SOAD songs, and respect what they did for alt and nu metal, but this isn't a 5 album. A 4.5 sure, but not 5. || Mostly I'm impressed with their willingness to bring attention to issues that we are STILL grappling with today, 21 years later (Church sex abuse, armenian genocide denial, endless war). It's bummer how relevant this still is, but mad respect for them being so unapologetic.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs:
Super heavy
great album
This is exactly what I remember SOAD being. I guess I appreciate it a little more now.
I've heard Toxicity before and didn't like it. Chop Suey is one of the most annoying popular rock/metal songs in existence. Serj Tankian's singing grates on me, and I was in the middle of my "man, FUCK nu-metal" phase when they really blew up anyway. I may have heard a song or two from this around 98-99, I definitely knew OF them before Toxicity came out, but it's likely they were just lost among the rest of these bands. I wasn't exactly starving for nu-metal in 1998. Ok, this is way more "standard late 90s nu-metal" than Toxicity. I had assumed it would be full of Armenian-style melody/wailing - instead it sounds like a mix of Korn, Incubus and... Static-X? In hindsight it makes a lot more sense for a debut album to sound more like established bands. There's still a BIT of vocal silliness going on, but it's far more tolerable. Overall, this is pushing a 5 - the only thing holding it back is a few tracks using that cliche " subdued drum/bass/vocal verse, heavy unhinged chorus" formula that really didn't do the genre any favours. 3.5? 4?
I like it but I like other SOAD albums more
Hard hitting album. Thought provoking. Still good and enjoyed listening 23 years later.
edgy angry sardonic high school energy. reminds me of high school
Es hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Die Originalität der Band zeigt sich jedoch am besten in den Liedern, die die I liked it very much. However, the band's originality is best seen in the songs that cross the line between genres, both in the ethnic realm, especially the syncopated Middle Eastern metal fusion, but also the foreign musical accents , in the pop realm, like the bombastic power ballad Spiders. (8/10) Favorite Tracks: Spiders, Suggestions
- Funky and energetic. A more musical RATM. - Great vocal delivery, lots of time for it. - Would have loved to hear more of the bassist and drummer
Listening to this now is way more fun than it was all those years ago. Not sure if this is because I've listened to so much dreck between now and then that I appreciate it more, or (more likely) I'm just enjoying the comfort of familiarity.
have listened to b4
Nostalgic and Politically charged, but damn, I was getting anxiety listening to his screaming. That's the point though, right? To make you feel something.
Love the bits of Arminian style mixed in with the metal.
Energetic! But not out of control. This will pump you up. Love the drums in the mix. While I prefer Toxicity, this is still a great album of the era. Fav track: Spiders
Loved the album but a lot of explicit content
Enjoyed this a lot actually, holds up well sonically and some obviously bold choices made throughout. Only major critique would be the slightly on-the-nose edginess - just borders slightly on the cringe side for me. But still great music overall. Really enjoyed the live tracks at the end of the Spotify edition.
A bit too energetic for me, but I enjoyed listrening to it in the background.
Great debut! I could never get into SoaD before but listening to this really clicked with me!
Pretty decent nu metal
First time listening: 11/13 songs liked Damn....this album goes HARD. Not a lot of their more melodic works I'm used to, but it makes for a great listen. One song saved
Before listening to this, I was only familiar with Toxicity. I would never typically say I like metal but I've always found System of a Down's music to be more interesting that would I would generally think of as metal music. And I love a bit of politics - System of a Down do that better than anyone else. This is a generally good album, but I would say it has less stand out songs than Toxicity does. For a debut album I think it's extremely cohesive. I particularly enjoyed the latter part of the album (from Peephole onwards)
Not my favorite album of SOAD, but still a great album, it's quite different from all of their future releases. It is punkier and Thrashier than rest of their catalog. But i still enjoyed re listening to it, with better focus on lyrics.
I was first introduced to System of a Down by a friend in HS who put this album on in his truck while we drove to lunch. I hadn't really heard anything like it at the time. Skull crushing metal mixed with Serj's unique vocals. This album ruled then and it rules now.
Suite-Pee is probably the right ringtone I've been looking for...Insane first three tracks (Suite-Pee, Know, Sugar) I like the way the next few songs have a acousticy intros/riffs and then go full metal bomb...Overall brilliant album!
SOADia on jonkin verran tullut kuunteltua, mutta en tätä ekaa bändin nimeä kantavaa levyä ole kokonaisuutena kuullut. Ainoastaan singlenä julkaistut Sugar ja Spiders oli liveseteistä tuttuja. Vasta seuraavalla Toxicity-levyllä ollut Aerials taisi olla ekoja biisejä, mitkä ainakaan kuulin SOADilta. Ensimmäinen levy on näin jälkikäteen kuunnteltuna vahva lupaus siitä, mitä SOADin tuotannolta saattoi tulevaisuudessa odottaa. Jotenkin päällimmäisenä SOADin musiikista tulee mieleen nerokas hulluus ja omalaatuisuus (muusta MASSAsta erottaututuminen). Nelkun levy.
takes me back to high school
i love SOAD, but this album has always been a bit too quirky to be 5*
I didn't expect to like this but really enjoyed it. Such a fun album! The strong musical theatre vibes were a surprise. It reminds me of a marginally heavier Jesus Christ Superstar (which is very much a good thing).
Cañero, como no se podía esperar de otra manera. Revolucionarios
System of a Down is one of my favorite metal bands, I fell in love with them back during Toxicity. I wasn't as into their early albums as their later ones but after sitting down with this one, I appreciate it a lot. I didn't hear the back up singer maybe at all on this album which means maybe he worked his way into doing songs. Serg is just as incredible here as it is on his later albums. He has such a distinct and unique voice and while their later albums were more overtly political, this felt like them just trying to get some jams out and I love that. Standouts for me were Know and Spiders but I listened to this puppy straight through. Also, iconic album cover. I always saw this at Movie Trading Company but knew I could never buy it because it had a parental advisory label on it...those were the days...
7/10, what happened to nu metal since then?
Derbes brett - 4
Heavier than expected, been out of metal for loong time. Would def relisten
první půlka šlape, Know, Sugar
Love system 3.7
Serj has such a dope voice. Know, sugar, spiders stand out bangers
AHHHHHHHHHHHJJJJJJJJEJJDJDJEJEJIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Ensikosketus tähän levyyn. Jostain syystä jäänyt tutustumatta vaikka uudempia soad-levyjä on tullut kuunneltua paljonkin. Tutunkuuloista menoa kyllä. Ehkä vähän raskaampaa ja räyhäkkäämpää kuin myöhemmillä levyillä. Kokonaisuus toimii hyvin, vaikkei mikään yksittäinen biisi jäänyt mieleen erityisemmin.
Need to be active for this one
badass
This was good fun.
One of my favorite
Been a fan of SOAD for a while so I'm biased. Feel like this album gets lumped into nu metal a lot, but I feel like it contains a lot more thrash and hardcore influence. Unhinged. Really great, high energy stuff. Favorite tracks: "Know", "Soil", "War?"
Pretty good. Serj Tankian is a very theatrical singer, but it didn't annoy me.
Loud, angry, and more than a little cheesy (though I think that's the hindsight view). Still, brilliant in the sense that something shines continually. I can't help but be won over.
OK
Not my really my thing but I guess I can see the appeal and there are some really affecting songs here
Very hard and unrelenting in a way that lacks the melodic charm of Toxicity or Mesmerise/Hypnotise.
Not my jam but I can see why people are into it.
Takes talent to sound like this! Very interesting and I liked it better than I thought I would actually.
My favourite of the “modern” metal albums on this list so far. Although that’s not a high bar. It’s pushing on 4 stars for me.
Really not my typical style of music at all but this was a fun listen.
Suite-Pee 3.3 Know 3 Sugar 3.5 Suggestions 3.3 Spiders 3.4 Ddevil 3 Soil 3.3 War? 3.1 Mind 3 Peephole 3 CUBErt 2.9 Darts 3 P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers) 3.2 Score: 3.153846154
74
Ok
Yeah not your garden variety metal nor hard rock but something in between
Day948 - there’s something kinda playful about it even though the lyrics read like they’re serious
Probably a little more than I could take, but very well done
Gets scary with some of the vocal fry but it's got good pacing with good change ups in tempo. 3/5
A melange of propulsive guitars and questionable vocal technique. I could see listening to this while working out.
I'd always heard people talking about this as being a cut above the standard nu-metal band, and I actually get why! Instead of the sophomoric "fun" of someone like Limp Bizkit, this one really comes off more like Jello Biafra decided he wanted to have a metal band this time around. Not my thing (I've never been big on the Dead Kennedys), but at least I don't feel like it's a total insult to my sensibilities.
ainda prefiro o toxicity e acho que ele que devia estar na lista, mas esse também é legal.
Holds up pretty good. Serj's voice can still sound very grating but the riffs and rhythm are still quite good. Hadn't listened to this in years, probably won't ever again, but it was certainly tolerable.
Not bad, but those lyrics are a bit violent.
It's metal, yo. Famous metal, too. I understand why this made the list, but am a little skeptical as to how Toxicity did not. The guitarwork excels more in the higher register, when it's more melodic and "blistering". The lower register, with its deafening distortion, can get a little stale. Only four minutes into the record, during Know, I was already beginning to tire. The singing, though, is very strong. Tankian knows how to enunciate and convey emotion without sounding like a caveman. He frequently switches back and forth between a dead roar and a smoother, undoubtedly Cobain-inspired timbre. And for the most part, it works! Although Suite-Pee sets up rapid switch-ups of tempo and melody, Sugar is the track that starts to blend it excellently with something resembling radio-friendliness. You can see the mainstream appeal (for lack of a better term). The track Suggestions stands out, too, for being one of the more theatrical of the crowd. Crazed falsetto mixed in with the standard heavy metal screaming. Plus a nice arpeggio sort of line in the guitar part. And Spiders doesn't let up at all – three incredible songs in a row – with its rhythm section/vocal combo providing a sort of alt, or even grunge, rock homage. Later on, you can't tell me Mind doesn't remind you of something off Nirvana's debut record, Bleach. Big Cheese, or Negative Creep, or whatever. Pretty cool. DDevil, War?, and Soil (to an extent) lose that touch of more classic rock that made the earlier tracks so compelling. The latter two tracks improve drastically in their second halves when they break into an instrumental that plays much more nicely on the ears. I feel maybe I'm missing the point of a violently anti-establishment genre whose focus centred almost invariably on the lyrics. Most of the remaining songs on side 2 of the record are solid in some way or another, excluding the hilariously unlistenable duo CUBErt/Darts. While I appreciate the polka-esque theatrics in the vocal and percussion parts, I would rather have an entire song or two committing fully to them instead of bouncing back and forth between that and scathing, breakneck metal lines that call for the death of humanity. 3/5 Key tracks: Sugar, Suggestions, Spiders
They really rock but the singer gets annoying, so cheesy
A little too intense for a Sunday morning, but might revisit in a different mood. 3.5
And the gold isn’t exactly what I found here. Honestly, I was very in the middle about this album. Going in, I’d heard stuff off most of the other SOAD albums, and I actually do enjoy some of there other stuff like Aerials or Sad Statue for example. This album didn’t really connect with me as much. Maybe because it was a lot of aggressive songs with Serj Tankian inter-splicing screaming and weird voices, but I didn’t really feel like this album was as good as what they would do later. Some songs did stand out, with songs like Spiders and P.L.U.C.K, two of my standouts, showing their ability to create atmosphere and Serj’s impressive, operatic voice, but other songs just kind of chugged along, like Suite-Pee and Sugar. Other songs like Suggestions, with its interesting acoustic guitar part, and War? which is a heavier song that actually works, both being standouts, show the talent that that will come to bloom on their later works, but on this one, it doesn’t work as well. Not bad, but not great either, I’ll be taking suggestions for a better album.
Fun metal romp. Solid songs and nothing but loud!
A mixed bag for me - liked some, didn’t like others. I like some of their other albums more.
Didn’t hate it, but not really my style. A bit too heavy on the difficult to understand screaming vocals. I did like Spiders though.
I almost gave this a 4 just because I like SOAD so much, but looking at the album on its own, it’s pretty meh. Definitely a case of right artist, wrong album. You can hear everything that would eventually make them great, but it still feels like they’re figuring out how to put all the chaos together. There’s plenty of energy, weird time changes, heavy riffs, and Serj doing things with his voice that nobody else was doing. The problem is that a lot of the songs start blending into the same frantic mess after a while. It’s raw, but not always in a way that makes the songs better. “Sugar” and “War?” are both bangers and easily the highlights for me. Those songs sound much closer to the band they were about to become. Toxicity is where they really start to shine, with stronger songs, better pacing, and a much clearer identity. I still enjoyed parts of this because I’m already a fan but I can't in good conscience rate this any higher.
I pretty much like everything about this except for the vocals. I know that this singer's style is kind of a signature of the band, but that's the main reason I never really got into them. It takes a rock band that could sound really cool and just makes them sound silly.
Metallica crossed with Dead Kennedys but not as good as it should be. Loud, hard but a bit repetitive. 3 stars.
Hard not to like SOAD. I'd argue Toxicity is better though
I like System of A Down in little bits but all together this was a lot. But I do appreciate their lyrics, creativity and depth. Just wish we had a little more singing and a little less screaming.
interesting. it has it's moments. they get a low 3 for being a bit more creative than most death metal thrash bands.
This isn't my genre, at all, but I found this a little more palatable than most hard metal. It wasn't constant Cookie Monster growls and had some surprising variety and creativity. Definitely a one and done listen, but I've heard MUCH worse.
My first System of a Down! I went in kind of blind, because I was much more familiar with Toxicity and Mesmerize/Hypnotize than I was their debut album. I was surprised to find I didn't enjoy it as much as I assumed I would- it was much more Nu Metal forward and less hard rock and melodic than later albums. Not bad, but I didnt enjoy it as much as Toxicity.
Slightly more interesting than Slipknot but without the hooks of RATM. Will still round up from a 2.5*.
actually kinda good
I didnt particularly care for it. The singer sounds silly sometimes with either kiddy voices or devil screams, which is daft and off putting but its an ok album I guess musically.
angry chaotic heavy honestly dont know what to feel about this very mixed feelings
I think it was a fun listen and I would come back to this again. 7/10
faves: Spiders—reminds me of that insects song from Papa Roach
Super unique, heavy as anything at the time. Political, and interesting.
Bueno
Their style is chaotic and it works well for them. Going back and forth between metal breaks and almost orchestral music and singing. Did get a little repetitive, but was still good overall. 3/5 Might listen again
a very...adrenaline filled album. I have listened to "Toxicity" but this felt rawer and more unpolished. Apart form a few questionable lyrics, it is good, managing to combine some melodic lines with nu-metal instrumentation.
It's not bad, not my favourite genre. Too many screams and music is too fast sometimes. However, the melodies are creative, not repetitive. 2,5/5.
Solid album. I don't think it's their best one but is still fun to listen to.
A bit much and a bit of fun
Mostly not my jam but it does have its charms. Two and a half, so rounded up to three.
Not as much of a connection with this as with later work. But the beginnings of what I like are there: distinctive vocals and some hard rock.
Not nearly as good as Toxicity
No fui fan pero sé que es bueno
Solid 3.5 stars, you can really hear the sounds that went on to become iconic SOAD.
I enjoy metal whenever I'm in the mood for it.
Ok, not my music but i can appreciate the quality. Decent melody, great vocals, great drumming and real energy.
DNF but it’s got some goodies in it. Lunch with Stacy, bumped into Max
3.5
The elements of what would solidify later are there- silly songs like DDevil, with Tankian’s pitchy and goofy delivery- as well as more serious efforts like “know” or “suggestion”. The blueprint is here, they showed up fully formed, but it’s hard to shake the idea that they didn’t just steal some of Jonathan Davis’ 1995 equipment and play some coal chamber and sepultura knockoffs. Perhaps the lack of self seriousness engendered a new audience to their particular corner of nu metal. I just don’t really get why this is the album on the list.
No entirely my taste
We can you, there is no need to scream.
Vabbè do 3 stelle perché loro sono una band fondamentale per il nu metal, anche se avrei scelto un altro album
alright, not bad
3 solid
I am still not a fan of System of a Down, but I "get it" a bit more, now. I still think it is too close to nu-metal and a bit adolescent, but I do understand that a lot of their style came from their Armenian roots, and they really did have a lot of musicianship and were at least trying to do something new and different from other post-grunge and nu-metal acts. I'd give it a 3.5, but I can't push it up to 4 stars. I'd be interested in listening to more of their albums, though, just to see if they matured into something I connect with more.
3.0
Not for me, but not bad.
Got to admit it was more entertaining than I was expecting. Will likely never listen again but actually quite nice to have something a bit different from the usual stuff on here. Now for something a bit calmer!
An enjoyable listen with plenty of energy and variety. A bit too shouty and nu metal in places but better than others.
For this style of music, this is very good.
System of a Down Impresssive, relentless but became a bit 'one trick pony' by the time I reached half way. I just guess this isn't meant for me. Maybe 3 or 4 decades ago I might have felt different... 😂 Best Track - Soil Worst track - P.L.U.C.K. 5/10 but with a bonus half point as the singer reminded me of Jello Biafra = 5.5/10
Better than I thought it would be but not something I’d listen to again on my own.
No está mal, pero le he escuchado mejores a la banda. Además me pareció muy largo y algo repetitivo.
3/5. Solid album, not necessarily my thing but I hear their influence on other modern bands.
Другие альбомы мощнее
Kind of cool.
I give this a 3.5. This is just a touch of how awesome SOAD is, Toxicity is their masterpiece.
My typa shit
Intense! Plenty of vocal fry. Could be good for a workout but I didn't get much from the album by way of meaning.
Tror faktisk aldrig jeg har hørt den her, den var fed! -- stor 3er
Being their first studio album, it's pretty good, but not that good
I've heard Sugar from it before. For some reason I always forget SOAD is a good band and then I listen to them and I'm like oh yeah this is really good. If more nu metal albums was like this then it'd be a good genre 3/5
2/3
Good drums. Good guitar. That goddamn voice is atrocious. I dislike it, but I don't hate it. I'll give it another shot later.
For a debut album it's really solid. They do get better with time but there's an intensity and energy to this that's kind of undeniable. It hit perfectly when I was a teenager and it's kind of kooky, but it's interesting and unique and pretty skilfully done. There's a lot of feeling here.
It’s pretty ok. Wouldn’t listen again
헤비메탈… 잘 모르겠지만 신선하기 들리기는 한다.
Having a little whiplash going from Billy Joel to System of a Down. Definitely woke me up this morning. System of a Down has a sound that is unmistakably unique to them. If their vocals were in a crowded room, they would look like Big Bird. I think I actually liked the live versions better. You can kind of feel the energy a bit more.
System of a Down is always a very sometimes band for me and this was no exception. It was fine, sure, but I wasn't over the moon about it.
I think I liked this. Not something I will reach for regularly but SOAD deserves to be on the list for sure.
I missed this at the time (and since). The younger me would probably have liked it more than the older but there's some interesting stuff going on.
not sure why the decision to use the deluxe instead of the normal album was made, but i assumed it was a mistake so i didnt listen to the live songs sorry. this was a fun listen for the most part, some songs more memorable than others (suite-pee rly sticks in ur head). i think i'd appreciate the lyrics a bit more if i managed to make them out at all. i've got a headache so i'm rly not receptive to nu metal rn sorry mightve bumped up the score on a diff day
A good one for Friday the 13th. Actually, the second Friday the 13th this year. Actually actually, the second Friday the 13th back to back in a row. My first exposure to this album was when I was a kid, and a dude on my basketball team had a shirt with this scary red hand on it with the lone word: System. I had no idea what this meant. Not being very hip to the scream scene, or very cool at all, being this good little Catholic School boy, I didn’t get into System of a Down until Toxicity, when they were all over the radio. To this day, I don’t think often on System, but when I do, it’s with a fondness that I don’t recall most other screamy rock bands of the era with. I recall being at a company Christmas party a few years ago and telling one guy that System was a guilty pleasure of mine. Of course he shook his head and called me an idiot. Oh well. If we were to go only off of this album, the debut, he’d be right. But I don’t know if my lackluster reaction to this was because the music isn’t quite as developed as Toxicity, or whether I’ve simply heard Toxicity enough that the recognition causes pleasure. I know when to headbang. I know when to screech ‘they’re trying to build a prison!’ I don’t know the ropes on the self titled album. So, I’ll leave this as a middling three, with optimism that I could learn to love it more over time. The result from listening to this ultimately though, was that I immediately had to listen to Toxicity after. That gives it an immediate underrating in my eyes.
This seems to have been recorded before they developed their brand of comical quirkiness to a level that went too far. As a result it feels more palatable to my ears. It rocks pretty hard, has some interesting turns and most songs are pretty short which is very beneficial. Still sometimes feels like a piss-take though and flies a little too close to that no-go Nu zone. I think I have found my metal comfort zones to be Heavy, Death, some Black, some Prog and some Avant Garde, but OMG not Nu. SOAD aren’t my thing, but I didn’t hate this anywhere near as much as thought I might. I’m sure they create hoping to provoke extreme reactions but I call meh.
This was a decent album, was hoping more from it, but also I was distracted and listened to it in bits and pieces.
At certain points I was hearing Gord Downie… crazy
In some ways I'm at a loss to know what to say about this album. It is not a style of music I like, mainly the thrash metal aspects, but it's also "all over the place" enough to acknowledge it as deserving to be on this list. I had never listened to SOAD before so I didn't know what to expect aside from assuming they were part of nu-metal. That assumption was wrong, as they're almost every other kind of metal aside from that. Musically I enjoyed most of the album, and the vocals were at times also enjoyable, as well as grating, irritating, funny as hell, and just about everything in between. Overall I can't say I enjoyed the record as much as I respected what they were doing. The song Sugar cracked me up, and Suggestions and Spiders were actually kinda easier to listen to.
Never managed to like most metal, so it's a bit hard to judge. Definitely way more interesting than a lot of other well-known metal i've heard. Can't listen to the whole album for extended periods of time, sadly, since it morphs into a very annoying background noise after a few minutes. Highlight: Sugar
Really good album. Fast and slow pace, great lyrics. A 3,7
his voice just is too much for me
really truly surprised myself by kind of liking this?? lyrics are incomprehensible; i think at one point he was talking about skin cancer?? i feel like i couldn’t take the vocals seriously until “Spiders” and then it clicked really. not sure if there’s a better album that captures the culture at time of release. man these guys fuckin rock??
I always liked the parts of this that reminded me of bands like Dead Kennedys and Crucifucks, but then I remember that I can just listen to those bands instead and avoid the shitty nu-metal elements. Not awful.
Metal híbrido con un montón de influencias, lo que se agradece para el que no es fan del metal como yo. De este debut las más conocidas son Sugar y Spiders. Su mejor álbum tal vez sea Toxicity pero aquí ya está todo.
Awesome cover art. Solid album. Probably the only SoaD album I haven’t heard before.
Chaos but also hell yeah
Not sure why, but I kind of liked this. 3 stars or C+.
That’s not as bad as I feared it might be. At times there was some listenable music and understandable lyrics emerging. Rated as a 3 as better than Elvis but worse than Skunk Anansie 🤣
3.4 2x amazing debut album but i prefer the follow up (Toxicity)
These guys have always been unusual. The mix of wacky vocals and changing time signatures with Nu Metal vibes is always entertaining. The vocal sylings do grate on me after a while, so I had never listened to an entire album of theirs before. It was a good listen.
Both hard rocking and melodic at times. Reminded me a little bit of Killing Joke
This is definitely not the System Of A Down album I would have chosen for this list. Toxicity is infinitely better. I prefer System Of A Down’s music when it’s more melodic and less nu metal screaming. “Spiders” is the best track on the album, but nothing is terrible. This is more of a 2.5 for me, but I’m rounding up because I do think System Of A Down is a good band, this just isn’t their best.
It okay
A bit too anarchic for me, though I can see the vision. Lots of good guitar work and the drums are next level. Sometimes the vocals lose me in their ridiculousness but I am always brought back. Perhaps this just needs a second take when I’m feeling a bit more like V for Vendetta-ing society. 6.5/10
O álbum é bom, porém nada de muito impressionante. Gosto muito desta banda porém este disco como um todo é muito parecido.
System of a Down is an awesome album, but I definitely have to be in the mood for it, which I'm not really in right now. Ask me a few years ago when I craved this kind of angry music and I would've given it a 4 or a 5. But especially now, when I'm trying to improve my mood, this album's just too angry. Nothing wrong with that, though, just it's not for me right now. That being said, the playing is awesome, absolutely adrenaline packed, and fits Serj's style perfectly. On the topic of Serj, he's one of the more political singers that I actually like, what he says is true, but is also packed in with enough crazy and bizarre lyrics that it never gets tedious (looking at you, Zack de la Rocha.) I love the batshit insanity of them all, and "Sugar" is a good representation of that. Favorite Song: "Sugar"
Very creative and original sound. Not my thing but good on ‘em.
I can see it's influence and enjoyed parts of the album but it outstayed its welcome for me.
It’s a good album, I loved it growing up, but don’t see why it’s on the list.
Listening Notes Surprised the debut is in and not Toxicity Still fucking awesome Standout Tracks "Suite-Pee", "Sugar", "DDevil", "Peephole", "P.L.U.C.K." First time? No Will it go into your rotation? Always down for the System
In addition to not being a huge metalhead, I wasn't looking forward to this because my sister owned *Toxicity* around the time it came out and little ten-year-old me was *not* a fan. Any time I've heard them in the wild over the last 25 years or so has not convinced me to reassess them. But man, even though it's still not *totally* my bag from a stylistic standpoint, I think there is a **lot** of cool shit here. Although I always recognized Tankian's absurd vocal talent, I've never subjectively cared for his voice much, but this record kind of made me a believer. It seems like he is to metal what McCartney is to pop/rock or Biggie and Kendrick are to hip-hop; his ability to shift between tones and styles is extremely impressive and, more often than not, surprisingly tasteful. I'm still not huge on his more operatic approach ("Spiders" is the only main culprit on this record), and again, the overall genre he's working in only does *so* much for me, but I'm walking away with much more appreciation for him than I ever would have anticipated. I just find this to be a lot more interesting than certain other sub-genres of metal. Tankian's socially conscious poetry is a hell of a lot more appealing to me than overplayed Satanic tropes and the Dungeons and Dragons on Broadway shit that a lot of metal culls from. The band decisively executes some pretty brutal riffage, but rather than relying on superfluous double kick-drum fills or eye-rolling pinch harmonic wankery, they rely on...*gasp!*...dynamics and...*GASP!*...genuinely interesting musicality. They are so clearly better than most other "nu-metal" bands of the time in every way. If I'm being honest with myself, I have to cap my subjective enjoyment of this at a high 3 stars for now, but I genuinely think this may grow on me yet. 3/5
6/10 - ожидал большего :(
One of the interesting things about this list is that it forces me to listen to and reconsider all the Nu Metal bands I'd just sort of lumped together and dismissed in my 20s. Some, like Limp Bizkit, definitely deserved my scorn; but others, like System of a Down, have proven they have more merit. There's definitely talent on display here, the sings ability to switch from sub-woofer crumbling growls to Carnival barker yodeling is impressive. They might not be my thing, but I can see how someone else might love them.
I think this is a case where the list curators felt the need to include an album by a band and knew they were only going to include one. They included the wrong one. I'm not a nu-metal fan but will admit to the appeal of SOAD. This album is decent but the correct album to include on this list was Toxicity. It would have been 5 stars from me but didn't make the list.
Look, I get why people like this but it's not for me. All a bit adolescent and irritating. That aside, you can't stop me getting my teenage dirtbag on to Spiders.
Energetic. A little stuck being "not metal but still metal." Great relief from corporate music. A lot of enticing forays into different genres. Growing on me.
It’s a good, heavy album. A bit chaotic for my taste, but still pretty decent.
I had only listened to SOAD's most popular songs and was pretty surprised by the quality of the deepcuts on this record, although I'm not a big fan of the genre.
Not bad….not great
Good metal album and very different sounding than most from that time period.
not their best but a really solid collection of songs
To heavy
I’m not entirely sure how these guys fit into Nu Metal. To my ear they sound like Tool with a sense of humor. It’s heavy and weird and I generally liked it.
3/5 - Metal guitar tone and angry vocals counts for something with me, especially if it's not entirely generic. I have no nostalgic connection with this, but it isn't bad. I won't listen again, but I totally get it if this is your band.
Surprised to find I liked this a lot. Knew many of the songs and disc 2 with the love versions was cool
I feel like things really come together with the next album. Some good stuff here but overall uneven.
Good riffs
You need to be in the right mood for this, but when you are, it’s slams.
3,5 estrelas
I really should like this band more than I do, given all the various elements of their sound and their political prerogative, but I just find the singer obnoxious. “Spiders” is kind of a cool track though. “P.L.U.C.K.” is okay too.
Again, metal is not so bad! “War” stood out to me as a good one. I think I’d probably pick “Sugar” and “Spider” as other archetypical metal songs. One of these could even enter the rotation. They’re good songs, they bring you in rather than repelling you with the aggressive sound. 1001 really helped me understand metal. It’s rare that it’ll be my vibe but I can appreciate it and totally get why it speaks to others. High 3.
Not my kind of music but still good
C'est leur premier album on sent l'énergie mais c'est pas parfait ça se sent
Very shouty - young emo me would have loved this. Not so much now
Fun listen. Not as many standout tracks as some of their later releases but solid. Not really a crowd pleaser album but I dig the heavy stuff on occasion as long as there is melody and the singer isn’t screaming 100% of the time. Solid.
Man, were the 90s a bad decade for Metal.... This is even one of the better albums of the genre from that decade, but it's still all over the place, with songs ranging from quite good to "WTF is this?!?" Oh, well ... 3/5
I wouldn't say I'm a big System of a Down fan, and I'm certainly not immersed in their discography, but I do like their singles. When I got this album and saw Toxicity didn't make the list, I thought I must be in for a treat. After listening, however, all I can wonder is... why not Toxicity? This is perfectly serviceable alt-metal from a band that I don't think had quite hit their stride. Solid 3.
🥇spiders 🥈peephole 🥉ddevil HM: suite-pee, sugar, cubert
More fun than I expected. RYM: N Saved a song: N
I actually enjoyed this more than expected, but one or two songs would have done me. A whole album was a bit much
Huh. Was this sort of a proto-RaTM? Four Armenian thrashers going for broke on angry political circus music, with a crazy innovative guitarist and a hyper-earnest singer with a tendency towards weird vocal tics, like a cross between Maynard Keenan and Jello Biafra. More interesting than appealing, as far as I'm concerned, and frankly kind of irritating after about 15 minutes, but I have to respect the power, energy, and technical musicianship on vivid display here. Juvenile yet mature, somehow.
Heres the thing, this has all the elements of music that I truly love. Its melodic where it needs to be, gutteral where it needs to be, ever changing progressive structures and yet..... Ill just say it, the vocals kill this for me. 2.75 just because I wouldnt ever jump up to turn it off but I also would never play it purposely, its good just not something that makes me really WANT to listen to it.
Suite-Pee // Sugar //
Ok. Ok. Ok? Ok. I remember SOAD, at least the hits, and not hating it and not exactly digging it. That's where I came out on this. I can get down with the sorta thrashy, sorta funky, sorta Korny instrumentation. The charms of Serj's weird vocals are not lost on me, although it does get to be a bit much over time. My struggle with it is how much it just sounds like a parody of nu metal/death metal at the end of so many songs where it just sort of sounds like he's Cookie Monstering out words that just sound like "DIIIIIIIEEEEE." I mean, if that's your thing, cool, but whatever. Great album cover for a woke Armenian metal band though (complementary).
Stylistically all over the map, yet somehow repetitive. I think this was their debut, never really listened to them. Bet they're killer live. Not sure they're more interesting than, say, Tool or Rage Against the Machine, or whomever they're lumped in with timeline and genre-wise.
Alternative Metal - but still metal.
music is fine but the voice is grating
Solid and catchy. Has a musicality to it that many of their peers do not have.
Like a series of right crosses to the face, this album leaves a mark. I like some of their later stuff more, but a very solid start to their career.
fine
Enjoyed more than anticipated but still a little too angry for me
SOAD is one of the few nu metal groups that I think has aged well, though this debut album doesn't showcase their talents as much as Toxicity.
Kind of OK. But not a metal fan basically
2.5 just too heavy for me but enjoyed it in parts
Spiders...top
When theatre kids do nu metal.
The all aggressive debut of SOAD has everything, piercing screams, political lyrics, heavy sound and calm moments. It encompasses everything that SOAD is and a look into their future music. A little unpolished but still amazing.
Highlights: Suite-Pee, Soil. In a nutshell: scream if you're with me. Fast drums. Juicy bass lines. Quiet-loud-quiet format at times. Thrashy. Serj's vocals took a while to get used to. He changes up his approach: throaty, high pitched, screamo, unintelligible, whispering. It's a little different to their contemporaries Korn and Rage Against The Machine. It's better than Limp Bizkit, that's for damn sure. Overall: 5/10
Didn’t really fit my music taste. Hard rock and metal aren’t my favorite. 5/10 for me.
I'm usually not a huge fan of metal music generally. I enjoy some Black Sabbath and Metallica's more radio-friendly material, but my listening usually stops too far beyond the transition from hard rock to metal. Too often, I find newer metal music especially loses any semblance of melody, with the distorted power chord riffs and growling vocals becoming unlistenable after a while. So I wasn't expecting much from this nu-metal album created by a band with one of the clunkiest names I've seen yet. To System of a Down's credit, there are points they execute what they are trying to do here pretty well. Lead singer Serj Tankian is clearly capable even if I don't personally go for the growling and screeching vocals that are far too prevalent in metal these days. The rest of the band are talented as well, with some interesting drumming and guitar-work. And the band does a nice job of incorporating variety both between and within songs. Sugar is one example of a success from this album, with theatrical verses laid over a rolling bass line and punctuated by sparse guitar work. Peephole is another standout to me, with polka-inflected verses leading into heavy guitar riffs in the chorus. The lyrics of the album initially intrigued me, began to get a bit one-note as the album went on. Common themes are religion (it's the "opiate of the masses" and can make people do bad stuff), drugs are bad (just say no kids!), and mind control (think for yourself!). Sometimes this is done well; Suite-Pee was effective lyrically, and Spiders had an interesting premise. But while the lyrics tackle topics not approached by many other bands, they don't show any sort of nuance. Too often, they just serve as a way to facilitate screeching and roaring and growling. The number of times something is encouraged to "DIE!!!!!!!" is a bit absurd. There's a chance I could've found this edgy and cool if I had found this album as a 14-year-old, but to me now it just comes off a bit goofy. Similarly, though the album has its fair share of musical bright spots, it doesn't break far enough from the metal stereotypes for me. Besides the guitar solos in Soil and lyrics of War?, the sequence of Soil, War?, and Mind musically embodies much of what I dislike about metal. The result for me is a pretty mixed bag. I can certainly see how this was a breath of fresh air when it was first released and I'd probably enjoy it if I were a bit more hardcore. But for the softie that inhabits the real-world right now, the high points on this album don't improve the listening experience enough to bring me back.
A solid album of its type, but I am not the market for it.
Good listen.
Absolutely in-your-face crazy (complimentary) Impossible to not have fun while listening to this. I am only docking points because 1) you have to be in a certain mood to listen to this and 2) it’s not as good as Toxicity (but that’s hard to beat)
This really benefited from a second listen. I feel like it's a bit samey but I enjoyed it, especially the back half. I think Toxicity is a way better album but this is a solid effort.
An interesting one. The singer is unique and when he is doing his thing, the music is very good and challenging in a good way. The lyrics are smart, but this is all surrounded by these almost cliche trash breaks and hooks. Ultimately not for me but a good listen.
Good stuff
Not sure what to say , genre not my thing but can recognise that the band are probably good at what they do and the record was well produced and balanced .
I'd never sat down and listened to this entire album. I knew the singles. It's interesting, and more raw than their later material. I kind of prefer the slightly more refined sound of their later stuff. This isn't bad, and I'm glad this site made me sit down with it, but I don't think I need to revisit it.
Decent. Never been a big SOAD fan but this enjoyable. Serj's vocals are really good as well as the riffs. Favorite song: Sugar.
3/5 First of all, I’m not really a metal fan and I haven’t listened to a lot of metal. So this is a first. Lyrically, I was quite surprised. I like the themes of the songs a lot. They’re very political (ex.: Suggetions, War?, Mind) yet also very personal (ex.: Soil). One line in Mind really stuck with me. ‘Free thinkers are dangerous’ which was more spoken than actually sung kinda hit for me. Especially now we are constantly living in two camps. Famous example the continuous battle between ‘right and left’. Instrumentals are great. I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed the guitars. The way Serj sings throws me off a lot of the times but it’s also very unique so I kinda appreciate it, I just don’t enjoy it. It was something new. I will def have to relisten to this to appreciate it to its full potential but this is it for now. Favorites: ‘Sugar’, ‘Spiders’ and ‘Mind’
Не такой мощный, как следующие альбомы, но, все же супер сильный дебют. Есть одна шикарная песня, есть парочку попроще. Тройка - только потому что следующие намного сильнее, а так можно и четверку было бы ставить
3.4 I'm torn on this. I was obsessed with this album pmbriefly as a teenager. But what I loved about it then I find cringy now, for example the random, erratic pause followed by a screamed statement seemingly unrelated to anything. There are good tracks on here, Sugar highlighting the album, PLUCK setting the groundwork for Toxicity, War just being good in general. And the album did seem a fresh take in a new direction for the genre. However, I think the list creator has made a mistake, and it's the inverse of the one I had for Korn the other day, in which he went for their breakout album (Follow) over their debut (self titled) - there the debut captured the true magic of the band before they effectively sold out just a few years later, whereas for SOAD I think the debut is too rough, too unsure of its approach, whereas their breakout, Toxicity, ironed out all the deficiencies, and despite not being as original as their debut, arguably should be heard by everyone before they die.
so intense, great running music though
Really liked a couple of songs - We will not be lovers and The stolen girl
Good old System. Happy to listen every time.
Thought I would hate it but turned out ok. Had more punk sound than I expected
this is insane music, and I used to love it way more than I do today! Some fun songs, but holy smokes this energy is too angry for me just right now
It's a bit like listening to someone with multiple personalities, and about 20% of them have a perfectly acceptable voice and the other 80% are just not my thing. I like the heaviness of the album, which occasionally turns into circus music with no warning, but just can't get on board completely with the vocals, especially the growling, so... it's fine I guess. 3/5
I liked this a lot more than I anticipated. Really good guitar work here.
Aggressive, but not my style of aggression. Drums sound intense!
Man I still love spiders but the rest of the album is so dated. The further I go down this list the more I realize how crappy some of these albums were recorded. I also find the lyrics feel a lot less tongue in cheek and more just bitter and angry then when I listened to this in my teens. The musicianship is superb, but it's just a bit one note and unhinged. Probably one of the best of the genre though...
The vocals are very talented, the instrumentals are wonderfully-sounding, but the overall vibe is a little bit too harsh, compared to what I normally enjoy listening to. I am giving it three stars because it does sound alright but it is too intense for my liking. I do like a couple of System of a Down sounds, but this album was not it, unfortunately.
This is becoming a mantra - didn't hate it, didn't love it. I like several of the songs from SoaD's later albums, but wasn't familiar with the debut. Musically I liked it, but there was too much of the "loud growl" vocals. Always comes off as someone trying too hard to say "look how INSANE I am!" If those had been kept to a minimum, I might be willing to give it another listen and see if the rest grows on me.
Eigentlich ganz fett.
-wow this album is LOUD and there is a lot going on -it is officially my first System Of A Down experience. it didn’t sound like how i expected it to, honestly. a lot quirkier and weirder -but damn it was cool as hell, especially in the first half. kinda fell off at the end but this one is worth listening to again i think. 3.5 -Favorites are Sugar, Suggestions, and P.L.U.C.K.
Bisschen zu 90er ungewaschener Skateboarder style "Suggestions" ist geil
It’s no mezmerize
What a cool way to start this project, I am more than familiar with System Of A Down’s body of work so this was awesome for my first album on here. I still prefer Hypnotize.
This is fine. I think I've heard it too much to really hear and evaluate it.
This is one of those albums that I don't consider "bad" but I am definitely not the target audience.
Talk about a contrast between yesterday's PJ Harvey ("Battle of England") and today's Armenian onslaught! In my eyes and ears, Serj Tankian and company win hands down, but that's just me, I suppose. I *do* wish our System of a Down selection had been their followup album "Toxicity", as it's even more of a sonic and lyrical attack (in a good way). But either way, this album has a few great System of a Down nuggets, from their classic "Sugar" (and a great video as well) to the relatively mellow "Spiders" (although I don't know what the video is all about), as well as the Mr. Bungle-esque "Peephole" and "P.L.U.C.K." Especially with Tankian's (often unintelligible) excoriating critiques of capitalism and society (and Turkey), there's a lot of affinity in my mind between them and Rage Against the Machine, and they were certainly a much more interesting alternative to most of the nu-metal bands that exploded in the late 90s and 2000s. It's often a bit frustrating with this project to see that the only inclusion of a band is with their debut album, which more often than not isn't as strong as later albums--my guess is that the editors aren't really fans of the band/artist, but perhaps worried that they'd get criticized for not including them at all. So I guess I'm glad they even included System of a Down, even if it would have been nicer to have chosen a different album.
I admire the indefatigable energy of this album, even as I wilt in its wake…
You can see how their style developed over the years starting from this album. Not a fan of the lyrics and some of the gibberish but the instrumentals are maybe better than those on Toxicity. 7/10
Bit too much for me
3.5 stars. Rowdy debut album that is a good take on nu metal. Not as good as the follow up Toxicity but Tarkanian's creativity and lyricism makes this a decent record. Standouts are "Suite-Pee" and "Sugar".
I had been only familiar with their later albums but this one has already the unique sound and is good as well. Nonetheless not an every-day-pick. 2,5
Heavy thrash punk. Great for skaters I would think. Historically relevant, but not my vibe.
My initial reaction was this is far too angry for my taste, but then I drank my pre workout drink and someone cut me up on the drive to the gym, and I started to get it. It's not Nu Metal, isn't too too roar-y, and I appreciate the song structures and variety. If I had been an angrier teenager I could totally imagine getting into this.
Loud, energetic and heavy. Musically interesting, but vocally not my style. Was worth a listen but isn't likely to pull me back. 3.
Suuugaaaaa
I like System of a down on occasion, it's a great album certainly, but I wouldn't listen to it every day
V/rv
High energy and fun all the way through…. I have def warmed up to the genre as I did enjoy yelling along at parts
Fun listen. Nothing special though. 3 stars.
i like SOAD but i dont want to give this more than a 3 because there are better albums out there. Spiders is such a very good song though
A good and interesting album. But what will follow, is better in my opinion.
Their early sound for sure. Forgot that classics like "Sugar" was from this album. Overall pretty good but not my fav of theirs.
Bit of a long album, but quite good. Gets a bit screamy in the last 5 ish songs for my liking. Solid 3.5; I'll round down.
ok
A glimmer of what's to come shines through at moments on this album. While I like the raw aggression of this version of SOAD, this album feels bloated despite being only 40 mins. Still good!
3 - Maybe one day I will really like this but just didnt as an angry teenager
Fine. Not as interesting as their most interesting tracks. I can see how a SOAD fan would like this a lot. Fave Tracks: Suite-Pee, Sugar, Peephole 3/5
Liked this more than expected but it was a lot of just loud noise at point. Still, listened to worse on this list
Has some moments here and there but not big on the vocal style and growling. Won’t be coming back to this one often if at all.
Nicht mein SoaD Lieblingsalbum, hat aber Spaß gemacht mal wieder reinzuhören
Pretty good first album, but I believe toxicity is way better.
Once again, our Mr. Dimery opts to feature an artist's debut album rather than a subsequent album with more definitive tracks. SOAD's second album, "Toxicity" has all their hits on it because it is their best album and is the only one that needs to be included on this list. There couldn't possibly be two SOAD albums on the list, right?
Toxicity is a better album.
I dig SOAD, not my preferred band but they rock. Motivating, got me super amped up
utilregnelige sangstrukturere, blender genre som trash metal, armenian folk, punk og alt metal. Det er sådan et political urgency album så det er har tekster som handler meget om krig, genocide og medie manipulation osv. Nu-metal var spændende, men de droppede det der med rap-rock clichéer og lavede intellektuel og artful rock. Too weird to copy og too intense to ignore
Fav: Sugar Least Fav: CUBErt If there’s one thing I took from this album it’s that I don’t know if I hate the vocals or not, but those guitars can shred that’s for sure
Pretty good, unique sound. Suite Pee and Cubert are great. Remember Louisa burning this for me and highlighting those tracks. Wasn't really in the mood for this one though.
Classic System of a Down. Nothing to write home about for me but it’s fun. I appreciate the odd rhythms and drum beats for sure and the unique vocal sound especially the falsettos. 3.5
Sure. 2.5.
Het geluid gaat in de volle aanval. Het is snel en hard. Gitaren en geschreeuw voeren de boventoon. De band lijkt enerzijds hier vol voor te gaan, maar zoekt anderzijds allerlei manieren om dit voldoende te breken. De nummers duren vaak niet heel lang en binnen de nummers wordt snel overgesprongen op relatieve rust en dan weer op het volledige leger van geluid. Ze houden graag een tel stilte voor of na een schreeuw. En af en toe zoeken ze een echte muzikale variatie (Soms hoeft dat echt niet, zoals de smurfenschreeuwzang in Suggestions). Eigenlijk weet de band heel goed wat ze doet. Het zou de band helpen als ze dit soort concepten net iets duidelijker doorvoeren. In de breaks nog veel meer rust en meer serieuze zang daarbij bijvoorbeeld. Dan krijg je zoiets als Chop Suey of Toxicity. Eigenlijk horen we via deze schijf nog slechts de potentie van de band.