Right, Iāve calmed down enough to actually write this up. I feel that I may have thrown my toys out of the pram a bit yesterday, but watching all the people who would make this an interesting thread come in vote and say they were muting the thread while the pile up kept going was pretty hard to watch, especially on a band that are as good as Tool was.
I said was, because of the last 2 albums but Iāll get to that in a bit.
(Iāve written this without reading the thread so I might repeat other posters)
I first heard of Tool back in the early 90ās when Raw Power on ITV showed the video for Sober and it blew my mind. Everything about it was so dark and intense and that was only half the song because the wankers only showed half the video!
It was everything I was looking for in music at the time and the really creepy stop motion animation in the video really made the song stand out from the grunge also rans.
But as much as I loved the singles, the album didnāt really click with me.
In 96 they released Ćnima and they found their sound and I just fell in love with it. I love bass lead alternative music and here the rhythm section is driving the songs. The guitar is adding more atmosphere that most acts can manage. In fact it is pretty amazing that they are only a 3 piece, itās such a massive sound. Maynard gets a lot of shit but he has (had) an incredible voice and I would rather listen to him than your typical rock singer.
The song Ćnima is a fantastic song about how much Maynard hates L.A. and itās a lot of fun hearing him singing gleefully that the people of L.A should learn to swim before the next earthquake.
The highlight of the album for me is the 13 minute closer Third Eye. One of the few songs that actually deserves itās run time with lyrics that Iāve always loved. Maynards delivery if āSo good to see you once again, I thought that you were hiding
And you thought that I had run away, Chasing the tail of dogmaā
Fuck. This is running far too long.
So I didnāt like Lateralus when it came out. It just felt more of the same but with more self indulgence. Tool had become TOOL.
To me the prog side of the band had lost the run of itself. Saying that, in 2001 I was out clubbing all the time and wasnāt in the place for moody metal.
Turns out I was wrong. Even though itās too long, the highs are amazing with Lateralus being the jewel in the albums crown. Yes, the syllables of the lyrics are based on the Fibonacci sequence. Yes itās ridiculous, but the song has some of my favourite lyrics ever.
āWith my feet upon the ground I lose myself
Between the sounds and open wide to suck it in
I feel it move across my skin
Iām reaching up and reaching out
Iām reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me
What ever will bewilder me
And following our will and wind we may just go where no oneās been
Weāll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no oneās beenā
But I donāt know, maybe people would prefer another love song?
Fuck. Ok wrap it up UR.
10,000 days isnāt great, it has few great songs but the lyrics to The Pot are pure cringe. Fear Inoculum would be amazing if every song on it was 5 minutes shorter. (At least!)
But yea. Tool are weird, they shouldnāt be anywhere as big as they are. The world needs more bands doing something different and being weird.
Did I say 5 because I fucking mean 5.
I need a lie down now.
Oh, saw them at Download ā18 and Iām not sure Iāve ever seen anything like it. It was just stunning and one of the best shows Iāve ever seen. The crowd were just kind of stunned when they finished and then went nuts.
