LATERALUS

So, as I said in my previous Tool review for Aenima, Tool are a "small doses band" for me. I have great appreciation for their talent & skills, but they aren't my preferred style of prog. But let's see if this one changes my opinion.

Track 1 - The Grudge

We begin with a cool odd-metered riff. At 1:15 we hit some big chords after a few lines of lyrics. At 1:45 we begin a verse, as the dynamic level lowers a bit. At 2:35 there's nothing but cymbals, then the band kicks in heavily on a vocal part. There are some cool drum fills from the highly respected Danny Carey. There is a guitar feature at around 5:30 from Adam Jones. Justin Chancellor has a nice bass riff around 6:30. Maynard lets out a big scream just ahead of the 7-minute mark that lasts almost 30 seconds, impressive, I suppose. Nice drum fills as the song ends. From a technical standpoint, it's a cool track, but it doesn't do much for me.

Track 2 - Eon Blue Apocalypse

This seems to be a brief interlude between longer tracks. There is a tremolo picked note on the guitar that fades in for 40 seconds, then there are some middle eastern-type patterns played for about 20 seconds?that's it.

Track 3 - The Patient

This begins with some palm muted clean guitar parts mixed with some wah-wah bits. The singing begins quietly at around 1:05. An odd meter riff begins slowly building as we get to the 2-minute mark. Power chords explode at 2:20. The vocal harmonies aren't bad before 3 minutes. Nice drum fills around 3:40 Things get super quiet at about 4:30. Then kick back in a few seconds later. The guitar is louder than the vocal in the mix at around 5:30. Things are really loud around 6:30, before dropping down to almost nothing for the last several seconds.

Track 4 - Mantra

Another brief in-between track. I believe something sinister is hiding in an underground cave. That's what it sounds like to me anyway.

Track 5 - Schism

Tool's best-known track. It begins with an awesome bass line from Chancellor. Jones & Carey join in before Maynard begins singing. The track is built on variations of the riff. Things get suddenly heavier at around 2:20 but goes back to the main riff. There is a quieter guitar part with delays that begins around 3:40. This part continues until 5:10 or so with vocals on top. We end with the riff and "I Know the Pieces Fit!" repeatedly except for the drum fills at the end. If I was forced to choose a favorite Tool track, it'd be this one (unless something dethrones it on the remainder of the album).

Track 6 - Parabol

Another short one, but not as short, at 3:04. We begin with some low-pitched guitar notes, and Maynard mumble- singing underneath. The bass joins along with cymbal rolls at about 0:50. Lots of long sustained sounds in this one. I haven't understood a single word. It ends by nearly fading out, before a volume swell takes us to?

Track 7 - Parabola

After some power chords, tribal drumming and vocals take over. The choruses open up the sound. When Jones takes a solo around 1:40, It appears as though there are little to no overdubs, as only bass & drums accompany it. A loud heavy vocal section comes next. Things have chilled again by 3 minutes in. I would not be surprised to find out that this was recorded "live in the studio" or at least mostly so. The guitar tone at 4:45 is so overdriven & fuzzy it lacks definition. It seems to be fading out with that along with some Bass & Drum accents. There are a few clean notes during the last few seconds.

Track 8 - Ticks & Leeches

We begin with a drum groove that is soon joined by bass. Next the guitar fades in and goes into a lead pattern. Things go into a double kick-drum pattern, before Maynard enters with a scream. I like the groove, but not crazy about the vocals, a bit too screamy for my taste. I REALLY like the rhythm that starts at around 3:00. Things get quiet with soft guitar strums following that. Wind sound effects join in eventually and then the bass and subtle drums. At around 5:50 everything pauses for a few seconds then kicks in heavily. Maynard is screaming his head off incessantly. Cool drum part at around 7 minutes in. I liked the music; the vocals gave me anxiety.

Track 9 - Lateralus

I am familiar with this one as well. I love the shifting meters in the riff. (apparently it uses the Fibonacci sequence as a road map) . Awesome drum part at 1:45, I love the way the toms are panned. I actually like Maynard's vocals on this one so far; he's singing, not screaming or grunting. This one reminds me a bit of Disturbed in approach. Nice guitar solo at 4:20. Everything but bass drops out just before the 5-minute mark. Soft guitar joins in, and a crescendo begins as Maynard starts singing. The drum part adds to the slow build. Cool groove shift around 7:20. This one is up there with Schism as far as Tool songs I like. The vocals were more enjoyable in this one, even though it was still plenty aggressive.

Track 10 - Disposition

This one begins rather calmly, with bass and clean guitar harmonics. The vocals are so soft and low in the mix that they are barely audible. Carey is playing soft percussion to give a hint of the groove, possibly tabla drums. A relatively short, quiet interlude between the 2 longest tracks.

Track 11 - Reflection

This is the longest song on the album at 11:08 We begin with a drum groove, joined by bass. Once again there is cool stereo panning on the toms. Then wait, what's this? Synth? It comes in at around 45 seconds. They are building a nice soundscape here as the song continues to develop through the first few minutes. Seriously, the synth adds a nice touch. It reminds me of the synth sound at the beginning of Tom Sawyer by Rush (an Oberheim? Synth experts help me out). The vocals start softly at 3:45, with an effect on them. The guitar part gets more rhythmic. They are being very restrained as we pass the halfway point. Things seem to be building more as we approach 7 minutes. A guitar solo begins at around 7:40 with sustained notes. This track is almost trance inducing. Things get heavier with power chords at around 9:20. They bring things back down for the final minute. This is a standout track on the album. I am starting to enjoy Tool a bit more here.

Track 12 - Triad

I believe that this one is meant to be a collage of various Tool tracks. We begin with wind sound effects, and a rhythm fades in. The drumming is tribal in its approach. Jones is playing sustained notes that degenerate into feedback. The bass, drums and guitar sync up on a rhythmic riff at around 3 minutes in. Things quiet down at around 4:20. If there are ideas from previous Tool tracks here, I am missing them, due to lack of knowledge on the topic. But as an instrumental, it worked for me/

Track 13 - Faaip De Oiad

Electronic buzzing and sound effects kick this off with a Carey drum part WAY in the background. I believe this is supposed to be a radio transmission from area 51 discussing aliens or extra dimensional beings. This sounds like it should be in a Sci-fi/horror movie. I could have lived without that track closing the album.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I liked it more than Aenima which I just found to be OK. Some of this album was still more aggressive than I prefer for my taste, but there are 3 standout tracks that I especially enjoyed? Schism, Lateralus & Reflection. I gave Aenima 3.5 stars. I think I'll give this one 4 stars. Still not one of my all-time favorite bands, but it was quite good at times.