System Of A Down – System Of A Down (1998)

February 9, 2020

There is an unique charm to the first System record. It is much rougher around the edges than the later offerings, and the vocals employ more shrieks and growls, akin more to metal than the unique brand of rock SOAD would go on to produce. You can almost smell the air and tell which year this was recorded in; the way alternative music was going around then… well let’s just say this record is symptomatic of that. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but there are indeed elements which have not aged all that well.

That being said there is a fantastic set of tracks here, exploring territory that System would never tread again. It was a stunning debut album.