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by eric wilson (subliminalmsgr) / robert taliana (RAmst23) - Dec 15, 2002
System of a Down - Steal This Album! Review #1 - Eric Wilson System of a Down's Steal this Album! is a collection of songs recorded during the band's previous two sessions, for their self-titled and for Toxicity. Even though the songs themselves are not new, I'll treat this album like any other new release. I wasn't expecting anything too innovative from this album because these are "leftover" songs, but I was happily surprised with the little bit of freshness that the album does provide. Fans of System of a Down's self-titled album may be greatly disappointed, for Steal this Album! is much more comparable to Toxicity than the self-titled. The only song off the self-titled that would fit in with the sound of Steal this Album! is Spiders. As in Toxicity, the heaviness, and in some cases, emotion, of the self-titled is missing. That's not to say that Steal this Album! is not a great album—it is. It's just great in softer ways. The first track, Chic ‘N' Stu is one of my favorites. Its attack on commercialism and advertising is framed light-heartedly by pizza and vegetables. Most of the other songs are more serious, again making them more comparable to Toxicity. Other highlights are Bubbles, Mr. Jack (a progression from Spiders), and Roulette, an acoustic (yes, I said acoustic) track without any trace of screaming; oh well, it works. Overall, this is a great album; Toxicity fans will love it, and while "old-school" System of a Down fans may be disappointed, they will still have to admit that it is more great music by System of a Down. That said, go out and steal this album! Review #2 - Robert Taliana If you have no friggin' idea who System of a Down is, chances are you will not want to pick up Steal This Album! However, if you fall asleep each night with Toxicity under your pillow, wrapped up in your System of a Down blanket on top of your System of a Down sheets this album is for you. Steal This Album! contains songs that didn't quite make the Toxicity and older pieces from the time long ago know as 1995. This doesn't mean that these songs don't deserve to be released and cherished by the general public. From top to bottom Serj and pals have the same psychedelic/heavy-metal blend which made their previous album so ground-breaking and brilliant. Steal This Album! is laden with great songs from already radio hits Innervision and I-E-A-I-A-I-O to Boom! and Ego Brain. Strong political lyrics from Serj accompanied by a talented rhythm section and fun guitar riffs make this new album a good buy. But, is it better than Toxicity? While Steal This Album! is innovative and just plain sounds good, it's not up to the level that Toxicity set a year ago. Toxicity has better songs from top to bottom and seems to have a better flow to it than Steal This Album!. Maybe because System's new album features a mix of B-sides and older writings leaves it a little choppy, but the CD just seems to have been put together for the fans to hear new stuff. However, this would fit right into tune with what System of a Down loves to do, which is to do things differently then the rest of the known music industry. Love System? Buy this album. Love Metal/Craziness/Fun? Buy this album. Want the best CD System of a Down has to offer? Buy Toxicity. |