Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian, Hypnotize maintains System of a Down's reputation as full-spectrum agitators who adeptly channel righteous rage into compelling, provocative and relevant rock. The band's fifth studio album was originally released on November 22, 2005, six months after its companion album Mezmerize.

Both albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making the band one of the few to achieve this with two albums in the same year. The songs are more complex, more progressive, more unorthodox and more experimental than ever, while retaining the idiosyncratic, ironic and schizophrenic qualities that make System of a Down so distinctive.