LATERALUS

I will make a bold statement here. This album is overrated. I'm not saying it isn't good, but it isn't the amazing perfection that most make it out to be. I suppose it's a matter of taste, but there are some flaws in it. James Maynard Keenan is a great song writer, extremely intelligent man. However, it seems taht he got so caught up in trying to make his songs clever he forgot to make it as enjoyable as past releases by the band.

There are some great songs on this album. For example, take "Parabola", a brilliant hard rock tune which, although clever, manages not to get caught up in over-indulgence. "Lateralus" is also a magnificent song, working around mathmatics, however, eventually this album reaches a point where it just bores you. It's like a maths class, but better by a bit. The songs float past eachother and seemingly blend in, which I'm not sure if that'[s a positive or negative. Ah, well.

All in all, good, but not a classic, not by a long shot. Tool are still a great band though, and they always will be.