RRR: System of a Down – Aerials

Yo, this be Reuben. Ayyy! It’s not grunge or the Chili Peppers. Nope, it’s metal! In particular, nu-metal goliaths System of a Down. I’ve loved the band for a long time, and despite their inconsistencies, they have made a lot of awesome songs, with Aerials being one of my personal favourites.

It stands as one of the strongest finishers to an album in history. And, it does this even when finishing Toxicity, one of the best and most influential albums of its time. I still wouldn’t call the record a masterpiece, as it has its selection of weaker moments, but with this track alongside the title track, Chop Suey! and Shimmy, it produced a lot of classics and remains memorable and, with Aerials in particular, really resonates with my younger years and gives a lot of memories, as well as a lot of adrenaline.

Now, I was meant to just talk about Aerials. It’s just an awesomely powerful song. Similar to Spiders from their first album, it’s a progressive piece carried by Serj Tankian’s melodies, with his voice in full force as the power chords and pounding drums bring the heavy. Sure, there’s a bit of nostalgia advantage for this track, but it is damn catchy. Any part of the song has been in and out of my head for the past five years or so. Variety, also, comes in spades in Aerials, with strings and varied guitar progressions being used to full effect. I think my only issue with it is that it isn’t quite long enough and it just, fizzles out (aside from the radio cut, which is what you’ve got). Even so, it’s what Spiders wishes it could’ve been, and an immensely memorable song.

Bringing redundant opinions for scrollers everywhere (and apologizing for his inactivity and warning that incoming exams might carry that on),

Reuben.