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System Of A Down Kick Out The Jams On Hypnotize

Second half of Mesmerize/ Hypnotize double dose features the band's first instrumental.

The second half of System of a Down's Mezmerize/Hypnotize will feature the band's first instrumental ... and make sure you call it that.

When bassist Shavo Odadjian referred to "Hezze" as a jam recently, singer/guitarist Daron Malakian quickly corrected him.

"It's not a jam," he said.

"It's a song, but it's a jam because it's without vocals, that's why I say that," Odadjian argued.

"It's an instrumental," Malakian insisted. "You know how anal I am about that word. [I hate] when people call classical music 'songs.' They are not songs. You've got to sing for a song. Music is instrumentals. It's important to me. It's not a jam either, because jams are improvised."

"Hezze" has been one of Malakian's favorite tracks since the Mezmerize/Hypnotize sessions wrapped late last year.

"I just think it's cool to have an instrumental," he said in December. "Not enough people put instrumentals on their albums anymore."

The four-minute track is based on Middle Eastern music but also includes rock and disco elements.

"What we do is just all over," Daron said. "What [singer Serj Tankian] is playing on the keyboard sounds like the [Disneyland] Main Street Electrical Parade. I like it because we have never done anything like that before."

Because "Hezze" is so atypical of System, the band is considering releasing it differently.

"We haven't figured out how we are going to present that yet, but it's going to come on a separate thing," Malakian said. "I think we might put it on a separate disc."

Aside from that, Hypnotize is sequenced and ready, just awaiting a release date. "I'm really anxious for people to hear it," the guitarist said.

As System's next single and follow-up to "Question!," the band will most likely release Hypnotize's title track.

"I just wrote the song sitting in my car waiting for my girlfriend," Malakian said. "That's about it, man. You will know what I mean when you hear the song."

Although the band has been playing Hypnotize's "Kill Rock 'n' Roll" since the spring (see [article id="1507049"]"System Of A Down 'Kill Rock 'N' Roll' With Volta In SoCal"[/article]), it's not likely to be a single.

"That's just a really catchy song, and I don't know if we want to release such a catchy song," Odadjian said. "I'd rather kinda push people's brains. I'd hate being known as the band that is recognized for that song. So I don't know. ... It's weird with our songs because it's like the weirdest song that you would never think could be a single becomes a single."

Shavo did say the fourth single would come from Hypnotize, and then for the fifth, the band will likely return to Mezmerize.

"That's how I wanna do it because no one's ever done that," he said. "Just like no one's ever released a double record in two separate parts at two different times."

In other System news, Tankian recently remixed Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya" for an upcoming video game.

For more on System of a Down's double album, Mezmerize/Hypnotize, check out the feature [article id="1497057"]"Doubleheader."[/article]

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