ÆNIMA

I can recall quite vividly jamming to "46 & 2" and "Eulogy" in my fraternity house basement at Temple University after classes with a few of my more musically inclined brothers. When we weren't attempting Erotomania, that is ;-)

The album grew on me, as I had heard of Tool, but had never heard Tool in high school (I came of musical age in the early and mid-1990's). I knew about their interesting music videos when MTV was still Music Television, but those are days long past, as I'm sure most here would agree. I just never took the music seriously until I applied the musically critical ear to it during my stint in the music college. And that ear, after years of Rush, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard and Steve Vai, had been pretty well developed.

Regardless of all that hooey, the atmospherics, execution and production on this album are absolutely flawless. From the opening pounding of Stinkfist, to the extended metallic explorations of Euology, Pushit, and Third Eye, this album is a trip from start to finish. The joke tracks, as previously mentioned here, are good for a laugh the first few times through, but are skippable as you learn the rhythm of the track listing.

A bad ass drum 7/8 drum solo in 46 & 2, extended song structure and fantastic dynamics in in Eulogy, H, Jimmy, AEnima, and Pushit, heavy and meaningful guitar riffing throughout the album (drop-D tuning has never been utilized with such versatility throughout an album), and a truly blistering listening experience simultaneously embracing and rejecting the "selling out" of hard rock in "Hooker with a Penis," this album kicks you around for the full 70+ minutes until you either finish it or submit part way through to it's overall awesomeness.

Plus, there are few better vocalists in hard rock than Maynard James Keenan. Seriously.

Sends me right back to 1999, and thrashing in the basement after class with several of the enlightened. Fans of Dream Theater, Metallica, Rush, Alice in Chains, grunge and all veins of grunge, post-grunge, prog metal and metal should love this. See how dark, clean, introspective hard rock is supposed to be done.

Highly recommended.

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