Customer Reviews
Steal This Album - By: Spider Monkey, 05 Oct 2007 
Although less coherent than their other albums dues to it's 'unplanned' & outtakes nature, this is still a powerful album from an outstanding band. You still get the raw riffs & lyrics, all packagedin SOAD unique style. I love this album, as I do all their music, & would say it is worth it for 'Boom' alone, just listen to the lyrics on it & be blown away. An intelligent, rockin' band, with a lot to sayin as fun a way as possible. Highly recommended.
This is definitely not a collection of outtakes - By: Martin Newman, 04 Sep 2007 Firstly, what a fantastic marketing ploy! Advertise this album as a collection of outtakes that weren't good enough for Toxicity. My expectations of this album weren't great when I bought it based on the marketing speal. But boy when I got it was I surprised. Firstly the songs chop & changein style which to me is fantastic as you never know what to expect. How could this be marketed as outtakes, some of the tracks are classic SOAD. You have something for all SOAD fans here, you have 'Chic & Stu' for the fans of the whacky & lyrically obscure SOAD, you have 'Boom', for the fans of chantin the 'War' tradition. The music is steepedin the bands unique sound from their Armenian roots, probably more than any of their other albums. For me the last three tracks are just awesome & inspiring, Serj's vocals are what do it for me on the these tracks, his trademark chanting & Armenian-inspired vocal work is the best he has donein my opinion, Especially the finale of 'Streamline'.
What you have here is a collection of superb songs, the style changes constantly which makes keeps it fresh & interesting & makes it the most varied album SOAD have done.
B-sides, though some are amazing - By: adz101, 21 Apr 2007 I've now had this album for 6 months & have had mixed feelings over it, just like the mixed reviews that have come before mine.
I thought of this album as a "didn't make it" album from the day I bought it, no lyrics book & a cheap-ass front cover. This album really did feel like a B-side album way before I found out the truth (it sort of was).
But don't be mistaken, this has some awesome tracks on it; notably, & one of S.O.A.D's best ever tracks "Innervision" & "Nuguns" showing a mix of their Armenian past.
if your a mew System fan, check out toxicity first, & this last, you'll like it better. £5 at most places is a Steal for this, though some tracks are a letdown.
jumbled up affair of songs that are good and bad - By: sean paul mccann, 05 Jun 2006 
i have never bought into lead singer serj tankians statement that this is system of a downs third album proper,never,this is a collection of songs spanning over 6 years so its hardly like they wrote these songs for what would become steal this album,because it is a collection of outtakes & such like it could never better the self titled debut & the stunning toxicity,but that aint the complaint here,what we have are some songs that could easily grace the afformentioned albums & some that just dont work & sound woeful.
If this was systems debut for instance it wouldnt have been so bad,granted we wouldnt have fainted upon hearing it but if we are to include this as a third album then its shoddy to say the least.I know that some fans love it & one fellow reviewer has gone as far to say this is the greatest album soad have released but for me,its too wacky for its own good,the album opens with chic n stu which is average to say the least,poorly thought out lyrics give way to lazy riffing & the songs fades away like the cold,maybe it appears that i am being too hard on this collection of songs,i dont hate this album by any means,songs like nu guns,the sublime mr jack which is great live,highway song are great,and i do mean that,one cant help feel a sadnessin this that soad released it & tried to convince us that this is what they wanted us to hear all along,one must question the motives,i do,do you?
Original quircky masterpiece - By: Some Bloke, 12 May 2006 They're not doing it to appear original or eccentric, these guys genuinely are doing their own thing & doing it well.
This is more punk influenced that their other albums, it's a lesser-known collection of session recordings & discarded album tracks. Short tracks with an explosive guitar & less polished vocals than 'Toxicity', & a great variety of tempos & moods fill this album. There's slow & touching like 'Streamline' & 'Mr Jack', & there's the high energy outbursts - like 'F**k the system' & 'Chic 'n Stu'. Then there's the category defying stuff, of which there's plenty.
Each track is different, & there's plenty to keep your attention, I didn't tire of it. What I like is that the band seem to get an idea & it seems to happen, rather than writing to a traditional rock n roll pattern. A definaite part of the evolution of this great band.
