LATERALUS

I am proud to say that I was raised on good music. My father, a prog and hard rock/metal head from the 70's, weened my teet on Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Rush, Iron Maiden...you get the idea. Upon my rediscovery of Prog Music, I found this band called Tool, who became one of my favorite bands. I get that a lot of people don't like them; Tool is like that. Love em or hate em. I happen to love them, especially their masterpiece of twisting time signatures, excellent musicianship and haunting and though provoking lyrics. The Grudge opens off the song well, and is fairly archetypal of the album to come. Danny Carey, as usual, steals the show on this song, particularly with the instrumental breakdown at the end of the song. Pure brilliance. The rest of the album continues with the same formula, culminating in the album's tour de force: Lateralus. One of my favorite songs, it hasn't gotten old yet, and continues to amaze with its complexity and strength. Musicianship wise, Danny Carey and Maynard James Keenan take the cake. Maynard's vocals tread the line from whispered vocal poetry to the shrieks on Ticks and Leeches to the 20 second plus vocal scream in the Grudge. Danny Carey has certainly earned his place among the pantheon of great prog drummers: Neil Peart, Carl Palmer, Phil Collins, Bill Bruford etc. His adept ability at hand and feet coordination are superb, and really lay a complex and heavy rhythmic base for Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor to layer over. While Adam Jones is certainly not a virtuoso guitar player, Tool's music, a rhythmic prog, doesn't require it. Instead, Jones and Chancellor lock into a solid groove with the music, reinforcing Tool's sound in their own way. 10 Stars. Check this album out! If you like King Crimson, The Mars Volta and even the heavier aspects of alternative music and other metal, Tool should interest you.

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