Welcome My Peeps!!!

Adjectives like "ambitious," "jagged," and "startling" have always defined System of a Down, and their third official full-length is no different. Prerelease, the band described Mezmerize as being the first part -- the first side -- of what's essentially a double album. The records' packaging would even slot together, making the eventual Mezmerize/Hypnotize whole. Appropriately then, there's an intro to System's first new material since 2001's brilliant Toxicity. On "Soldier Side" Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian harmonize as they do throughout the record, and Malakian's guitar has a mournful, Eastern air. But it's just a lull before "B.Y.O.B.," a thrash assault pierced with rabid and incredulous screams. "Why do they always send the poor?" Suddenly the gears switch, and the song stomps in crunchy half-time as its lyrics riff with a sick grin on cultural ignorance. The government's lying, System's saying, but "Blast off!/It's party time." The vocal exploration between Tankian and Malakian on Mezmerize is a thrill -- they spur each other on like a two-headed hardcore hero. Their intermingling voices make "Cigaro" more aggressive, frantic, operatic, and totally bananas; they'd be triumphant over the break in "Violent Pornography" if they weren't spitting out lines like "Choking chicks and sodomy." The fantastic "Pornography" is a rusty shiv of absurdity, another example of System's ability to effectively skewer society with little more than hyper guitar, blistering percussion, and weird turns of phrase. Their volatile mix of righteousness, wordiness, odd meters, and thrash has balanced System's activism since their self-titled debut, making them "unique heavy music" over the much more problematic "unique, heavily political music." And Mezmerize doesn't fail to be unique. "Old School Hollywood" essays the bizarre experience of a celebrity baseball game ("Tony Danza cuts in line!") over keyboard effects from "Beat It" and a brutally simplistic rhythm, "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song" is more twisted-tongue histrionics and explosive playing, and Tankian and Malakian's harmonies are the catalyst (again!) for making "Revenga" a truly feral epic. System of a Down -- what's another adjective for "awesome"? Electronic Arts and Digital Illusions CE (DICE) may have just finished launching Battlefield 2 on the PC side, but that isn't the last we'll hear from the series this year. The two companies are currently conducting beta tests for the console-side version of the massively multiplayer action game with Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. 1UP.com recently jumped online with the game to see how the simplified version of the runaway PC hit stacks up. Battlefield's never been about the solo experience, and it still isn't here, but DICE isn't ignoring usual player expectations with their console spin-off. Though Modern Combat obviously includes a full-featured multiplayer mode, there's also a single-player campaign with over 30 missions, emphasizing a more arcade-style of play (you actually receive point amounts based on enemy hit locations) as a basic introduction. What's really cool, though, is that you're encouraged to 'hot swap,' a new feature for switching between anyone currently in combat at the press of a button. Hardcore fans of the PC versions will likely be disappointed with Modern Combat, as it doesn't include many of the smaller details and complex options available in its PC counterparts. You won't be forming squads and assigning leaders here, nor is there anyone individual overseeing the battle from a Commander position. Many other features have been streamlined, but importantly, it still feels like a Battlefield game. Modern Combat takes the classic Battlefield-style gameplay and fuses it with a console action game mentality. Single heroism is possible, but team play is still needed to win the day. Essentially, this is a watered down version of its more complex older brother, but that's what makes the game interesting. Modern Combat is Battlefield made for anyone who can't (or doesn't want to) grapple with the associated learning curve. Here, you don't have to spend three hours practicing your aerial skills. Some pilots are better than others, sure, but whereas the PC games discouraged new players from hopping in the cockpit, Modern Combat's intuitive interface means anyone can pick up the basics in just a few moments of play. In that respect alone, Modern Combat separates itself from its PC brethren. It's certainly possible the new and improved interface will actually hook more players into checking out the wider array of options on the PC. DICE isn't skimping on multiplayer options, either. Though the current beta test only features a single desert map entitled 'BackStab,' a handful of land and air vehicles and two nations (United States and Middle East Coalition), it's more than enough to get the blood pumping. What's interesting about Modern Combat, though, is its emphasis on the individual players. Similar to Halo 2, the better you fight, more medals are awarded and your online persona moves up in rank. Accomplishing special tasks within the game, such as assisting a player with a kill, will garner more points than running around wildly.