LATERALUS

"Lateralus" is a great album if...and "IF" you've never heard mid-period Rush, heavy metal-King Crimson, Voivod, Dream Theatre or Anekdoten. If there is one thing that Tool have going for them, it's a special knack of the unexpected - especially bursts of thunderous volume - on trackas like "The Grudge", "Schism" and "Reflection". When I listen to this album, I keep reaching for the aforementioned. What they're doing on "Lateralus" is certainly experimental in the grand scheme of pedestrianism(is this a word?), but somehow, I feel like I've heard it all before. Tool is definitely a modern contender and a jumping point for many new listeners who refer to them as "prog". Tool's "Lateralus" could be THE great album to introduce the new to the old. If you run into a tool fan, recommend the other bands I'd mentioned at the beginning of this review. The rest will follow.

As an aside, I just saw Tool live at Copps Colosseum in Hamilton, ON. on June 24, 2007. Be prepared for something very similar to a '90s King Crimson concert. They were far more experimental than the material available on "Lateralus". If I could describe them, I'd say: "Tool was like Meddle-era Pink Floyd wearing a Ramones t-shirt". A lot of keyboards. That's all, folks! :-)