User: sanddude stole the words out of my mouth. "Off for 12 and under. Iffy for 13-14. On for 15+"

This album has every curse in the book, sexual references galore, violence. It's also absurdly well-written, with lyrics that are nothing short of visionary poetry and complex, sophisticated instrumental arrangements that draw from every genre you can think of. Mesmerize is funny, smart, beautifully executed and raises your IQ another few points with every listen. Having said that, it's also inappropriate for tweens and kids you can't take lyrics with a grain of salt. Some 12-year-olds will be able to handle it, while some 18-year-olds won't be able to get through the first track. You need to decide weather your child is precocious enough to deal with the music and understand its content to its full extent. If they are, then the album is a great listen that the parents will probably enjoy as well, given time; my dad was the one who got me into System of a Down.

Every child needs some SOAD in their life

its always got a good message behind the abrasive lyrics. its personaly my favorite band. for bad lyrics you can just buy a clean version.

The only real thing that bothers me is the language, but it doesn't swear as much as other bands. The CD is just amazing.

I absolutely adore this album, as with all System of a Down's albums. I have been listening to System since I was about eight years old, as with other "inappropriate" bands/singers. None have encouraged me to curse or do anything "bad". Heck, I'm a fourteen year old girl and I can't recall a time I have lied or cursed, even with listening to music such as this. I know some parents might find System's lyrics distasteful, but hey, from the schools I've been to (public and private), I see fifth graders using worse words and talking about worse things than System does. The music is mostly political, or trying to open the listeners mind to new ideas, or steer them away from the commercialism and lies we face in our world/society. Don't be turned off by B.Y.O.B, it is the only song that is that "extreme" that System made. Any drugs that are in the songs are referred to in negative perspective, describing how they might ruin your life or alter your view on reality. The songs that use the worst language are "Cigaro" and "B.Y.O.B" (C**k, S**t, and f**k), but most teens hear these words daily, and much more of it in rap and hip-hop. The song "Violent Pornography" is basically about how the media portrays society on TV, and showing that the filth you find on TV now a days can be compared to a violent pornography, so if you were thinking this song was about sex, it's not. Much of the lyrics will probably sound like nonsense, but in order to understand all of their songs, you have to decipher the lyrics, so their songs also pose a mental challenge for the listener (that is if they care to know the meaning). The music itself mixes genres, but generally is rock/metal. In my opinion, this isn't their best album, but like all of System's albums, the music is poetic, entrancing, inspirational, eye-opening, VERY unique, political, and better than the usual stuff you hear. System also mixes some crude but funny humor in some of the songs. To put simply, if you don't want your kid to hear the reality of the world we are now facing, such as the degradation of American society and government, or don't want them listening to metal or a few bad words that they normally hear anyway, don't let them listen to the album. If all that is okay with you (which it should be), then go ahead and let your kid listen. ~Volchitsa

Honestly in the entire album, there are only 7 different lines with swear words (although some are repeated) and they are: "Where the f**k are you?", "My c**k is much bigger than yours", "My s**t stinks much better than yours", "Everybody, everybody, everybody f**ks", "The kind of s**t you get on tv", "All you maggots smoking fags", and "All you bitches throw your hands in the air", so I don't think this is too bad. Most of the sex and violence is in the song "Violent Pornography" with a chorus that says, "It's a violent pornography, chokin' chicks and sodomy, the kind of s**t you get on your tv". However, there are positive messages, and this album doesn't have THAT bad of content - I've loved it since I was 10.

this cd rocks it should be go @ 11