Hypnotize (album)
Hypnotize is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released on November 22, 2005, six months after the release of its companion album Mezmerize. Mezmerize and Hypnotize both debuted at number #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making the band one of the few to achieve this with two albums in the same year.
Hypnotize is the band's most recent studio album as of 2020.
Reception
Hypnotize received generally positive reviews. Hypnotize opened at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 320,000 copies the first week. The album debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 47,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA on December 13, 2005. Since its release, Hypnotize has sold 8 million copies worldwide.Entertainment Weekly - "hey're flaunting a heretofore underexplored sensitive side, offsetting their trademark stampeding riffology with flashes of delicate lyricism." - Grade: B+
Rolling Stone - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "Hell immediately runneth over on Malakian's scoured-staccato guitars and Dolmayan's furious hammering."
Spin - Ranked #20 in Spins "40 Best Albums of 2005".
Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 - "System succeed through their skill at wielding complex, progressive heaviness in a pop context."
Track listing
All lyrics written by Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian, except where noted. All music written by Malakian, except where noted.The album was initially going to start with a Middle Eastern style instrumental track entitled "Hezze", which Malakian stated was one of his favorite songs on the record prior to its release. It was dropped at the last minute because the group wanted to open the album with a heavy song, and because the band felt it was incongruous with the other songs on the album. However, during live performances of "Mr. Jack", Malakian would yell "Yalla hezze" after the first chorus. A funk/jazzy guitar instrumental, is then played after.
The Charade, originally titled "Charades", a song written and eventually released by Tankian in 2010, was being considered to appear on Mezmerize or Hypnotize, as footage of the band rehearsing it exists on YouTube. The reasons it wasn't featured on neither Mezmerize nor Hypnotize remain unknown.
DualDisc edition — DVD side
- Entire album in enhanced stereo
- The Recording of Mezmerize / Hypnotize
- "B.Y.O.B." and "Question!" videos
Personnel
- Serj Tankian – vocals, keyboards
- Daron Malakian – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
- Shavo Odadjian – bass
- John Dolmayan – drums
- Attack: Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian
- Dreaming: Tankian and Malakian
- Kill Rock 'n Roll: Tankian and Malakian
- Hypnotize: Tankian and Malakian
- Stealing Society: Tankian and Malakian
- Tentative: Tankian, Malakian
- U-Fig: Tankian Malakian
- Holy Mountains: Tankian, Malakian
- Vicinity of Obscenity: Tankian
- She's Like Heroin: Malakian, Tankian
- Lonely Day: Malakian, Tankian
- Soldier Side: Tankian and Malakian
- Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian
- Mixed by Andy Wallace
- Engineered by David Schiffman
- Editing by Jason Lader and Dana Neilsen
- Assistant engineer: Phillip Broussard
- All artwork by Vartan Malakian
- Design: System of a Down and Brandy Flower
- String arrangement: Serj Tankian and Marc Mann
- Worldwide representation: Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group
- Mix Pro Tools engineer: John O'Mahony
- Mix assistant engineers: Steve Sisco & Joe Peluso
- Album production coordinator: Lindsay Chase / Braden Asher
- Recording location: The Mansion in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, CA and Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, CA
- Mixed at Soundtrack Studios, New York, NY And Enterprise Studios, Los Angeles, CA
- Mastered by Vlado Meller at Sony Music Studios, New York, NY
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
| 2005 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
| 2005 | UK Albums Chart | 11 |
| 2005 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 3 |
| 2005 | Canadian Albums Chart | 1 |
| 2005 | New Zealand Top Albums Chart | 1 |
| 2005 | Polish Albums Chart | 16 |