Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

When it came to the end of year lists three albums dominated the countdowns. Marilyn Manson refocused himself with the Bowie tribute Mechanical Animals and garnered much of the public attention, Max Cavelera rose from the ashes of Sepultura to create Soulfly's self titled debut, and believe it or not the concensus choice for album of the year all the way from the softer mags to "the defender of faith" Metal Hammer was Monster Magnet's Powertrip.Obviously hindsight is twenty-twenty but the years truly ground breaking album was tragically over looked. Kerrang magazine respectably named this break out LP as the third best of the year, while Metal Hammer overlooked this LP all together, despite finding space for Metallica's cover collection Garage Inc.

So have you guessed it yet? 1998's entrant in the metal time line is:

So while music writers may have preoccupied themselves with retrospection and the heavy rock establishment waves and waves of young metal fans were being blown away by System Of A Down and their self titled debut. What makes System Of A Down a triumph is a central paradox at the album's core. When you listen to this record it feels like a big label debut, full of bluster and bombast. It has the sharp sense of purpose associated with Rick Rubin's production wizardry, yet at the time it feels totally chaotic, even schzofrenic. The result was a heavy weight debut that felt both major league in scope and independent in spirit. Much of the credit for System Of A Down's success lies with the band themselves; while the individual elements of the music may not be new, System managed to arrive fully formed with a signature sound that was so defiantly distinct.

All the trademarks were in place, the mad cap sychofrenia of Serj's vocals, the amusing interplay with Darol, the two note riffs and of course those pummelling bombastic guitar beat downs. Perhaps the biggest factor in this album success was their Armenian heritage, System sounded different and out there without actually being out there. With their references to war, genocide and the authoritarianism of Eastern Europe, they sounded like a band with genuine passion and something to say, even when they had nothing more than a juvenile joke on their minds. Of course System's greatest assets, and what ultimately makes their debut and instant classic is the sheer enjoyment it brings you. This is a fun album, and I mean it's really fun, it makes you want to mosh along to their pummelling grooves and even in it's bleakest moments it makes you smile. Of course it helps that it's stacked from first track to last with hits, fan favourites and live anthems. Whether it be live set staple "Suite-Pee", the frantic fury of "War?" (which would become a sprawling live epic), the monster riffage of "Know", or of course the utter all round genius of stand out single "Sugar", this self titled debut was destined to thrust SOAD to the front of the metal scene. All the elements that would make System one of metals elite were present in their rawest form, they would be smoothed over, expanded and turned into a world conquering formula on 2001's Toxicity, but you can never quite match the visceral thrill of hearing the young hungry System for the first time.