The Beatles were four guys from humble beginnings who found each other and rose to stardom on the strength of their ability to write music that moved people. The personalities in the band formed a complete unit, but also provided the required drama for songwriting angst: there was the outgoing peace activist, the shy thinker, the quiet but talented enabler, and the almost-on-the-outside, admitted part-time player. Added to the mix was a studio engineer genius who did as much for the sound of the records as any member of the band. And, of course, there was an artist who dropped into the mix and pushed tensions past the breaking point.

System of a Down are four guys from humble but varied backgrounds, more "global" in scope than the Beatles, in keeping with modern culture. The band rose to stardom by crafting music that broke out of its "metal" boundaries, connecting with a huge variety of people. The personalities in SOAD mimic those of the Beatles, but in a somewhat rearranged order. Daron Malakian is the shy thinker. As guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, bassist and co-producer, he is a self-proclaimed shut-in who doesn't leave the house for weeks on end, focusing solely on music. Day in and day out, he does nothing but smoke pot and play. Serj Tankian is the outgoing peace activist who helps organize groups around the country against the war in Iraq and speaks out both in his music and on various stages around the world. John Dolmayan serves as the talented enabler, playing drums behind some of the most hectic, unstable and just plain fast music being created today. And lastly, there's Shavo Odadjian, who didn't play bass on 80 percent of the new album, but who plays live and produces the band's videos. And behind the scenes is Rick Rubin, the producing genius who's been crafting SOAD's sound since its first album.

All of these talents and tensions have gone into the mix to create an epiphany of music: Mesmerize (American/Columbia), SOAD's third full album release (not counting 2002's Steal This Album, which had little production and contained more outtakes), showcases unparalleled production and songwriting. Over two years in the making, Mesmerize is part one of a two-disc set; the second half, titled Hypnotize, ships in the fall. Aside from the incredible tone and richness of both heavy and clean parts and the amazing mix by Andy Wallace, there are a slew of crazy techniques that put the album one step above most other releases and hearken back to the strategies and innovations George Martin created with the Beatles-"stereo" recordings, backwards masking and other Beatles trademarks-only updated for today's high-tech studios.

Malakian records clean guitar on a Gibson double neck, with the pickups switched on the neck he isn't using, and mikes the whole thing like an acoustic to get an eerie strumming behind other more conventional guitar tracks. He covered the walls of the sound booth with acoustic guitars (strings muted) and miked the room instead of the amp to create a "buzz" behind most of the heavy parts on the record. The vocals are layered three, four and sometimes five tracks deep, with harmonies and variances throughout. Malakian even doubles his wild screaming near the end of "BYOB."

But it's the songs themselves, crafted and honed to perfection, that bring these two bands into the same elite category. While most bands evolve over the course of their careers, few bands reach such song-writing and recording mastery as The Beatles. Like The Beatles, SOAD's growth can be tracked from their first album's strong but uneven songs through Mesmerize's top-to-bottom power. While The Beatles began with simpler songs like "Love Me Do," they progressed through albums to Help and onto legendary status with tracks like "Day Tripper," "Eleanor Rigby" and "Hey Jude." SOAD began with the drug-addled "Sugar" and the quieter "Spiders," both of which found radio success, but they progressed into the near perfection of 2001's Toxicity. Songs like "Deer Dance," "Prison Song" and the huge hit "Chop Suey!" all reveal the careful attention to nuance combined with outright thrash abandon that marked the album as a milestone. Mesmerize continues this arc with songs like "Cigaro," "Question!" and "Lost in Hollywood." Serious songs where each note is placed for a reason and every harmony finds it place. But what makes Mesmerize, and the band, so good is that while they're thrashing about, switching time signatures and making political statements, they're not above having fun.

"Hey man, look at me rockin out, I'm on the radio/ Hey man, look at me rockin out, I'm on the video with Danny and Lisa/ They take me away from the strangest places/ sweet Danny and Lisa" are the only words in the song "Radio/Video," which has an awesome 1980s "Wooooooooo" near the end. They also liken television to violent pornography and claim that Tony Danza cuts in line.

When you hear "I am the Walrus" or "The Ballad of John and Yoko," you know that whatever was going on in the band members' lives, music brought out the best in them and offered some happiness. It's the same with SOAD's "BYOB" or "Old School Hollywood." Music unites the band and provides a release. You can hear it.

Now if we can only stop some Hollywood tartlet from "The OC" or "One Tree Hill" from swooping in and breaking up the band....