Review by Daniel for System of a Down - Steal This Album! (2002)

When I first made the decision to fill in the gaps in my understanding of Californian alternative metallers System of a Down’s widely respected back catalogue a couple of months ago, I think I subconsciously expected each release to sound drastically different from each of the other four. I mean, I’d found SOTD’s two strongest album’s (2001’s “Toxicity” & 2005’s “Mezmerize”) to sound so fresh & original when I first encountered them with the band’s quirky, avant-garde edge not sounding much like anyone else at the time so it was the obvious assumption given how wacky & infectious some of their musical excursions tend to be. It never occurred to me that SOTD could fall into some kind of comfortable groove that would see each album sounding relatively similar but that seems to be the way the chips have fallen to an extent. Don’t get me wrong, they’re such a talented bunch of musicians that they’ve never really come close to releasing anything subpar but neither have the three remaining albums lived up to the expectations set by my first SOTD experiences.

Anyway, that being said, 2002’s “Steal This Album!” record is the last of System of a Down’s five full-lengths that I’ve chosen to explore & it could be forgiven for sounding relatively similar to 2001’s “Toxicity” given the circumstances around the release. The material included on “Steal This Album!” is essentially a bunch of leftovers from the “Toxicity” sessions that originally saw the light of day through unofficial means when rough demo versions of the songs hit the internet under the “Toxicity II” title. This apparently disappointed the band enough to see them quickly engaging producer Rick Rubin to produce an official release that includes a full sixteen tracks that the band have always maintained are of a similar quality to “Toxicity” but didn’t quite fit the concept for that album. Given that information, it’s really pretty impressive that SOAD have delivered a record that can stand on its own two feet alongside the band’s other full-lengths.

Unsurprisingly, “Steal This Album!” sounds a little less cohesive than the System of a Down's stronger records & the inclusion of a full sixteen tracks seems a touch ambitious in all honesty. A little trimming wouldn’t have gone astray here & could have led to a more consistent product in my opinion. The tracklisting starts off brilliantly with two of the best & most memorable songs on the record before continuing at a reasonable level of quality for the remainder of the A side. Things start to get a bit shaky from track nine though with three or four filler songs being tossed out in relatively quick succession before things are rapidly resurrected at the end with the other two best inclusions closing out the album. I tend to get a touch lost during weaker material like “36”, “Pictures”, F**k The System” & “Ego Brain” to tell you the truth so it takes me looking at the album holistically for me to get an accurate gauge on my feelings.

I’d suggest that “Steal This Album!” is a slightly less intense record than some of System of a Down’s other works with full throttle opener “Chic ‘n’ Stu” being the obvious banger. There are a few more stripped back numbers included  (like the excellent acoustic number “Roulette”) & it’s easy to see how those particular songs may not have fit into “Toxicity” as a creative statement, despite still being strong material. The band sound as tight & talented as ever here so, even though I’d suggest that this is the least impressive of System of a Down’s five albums, it’s not far behind the self-titled & “Hypnotize” in terms of general quality & easily keeps the Faith No More’s & Dir en Grey’s of the alternative metal world on their toes.