LATERALUS

This is a real masterpiece, and the first and more important point is that Tool brought progressive in the new millenium; Lateralus is the milestone number one. Every time I listen to it, I discover something new, and others come to my attention when I play it with guitar or bass, or when I try to sing. I don't play drums, but I think I'd go mad if I try to reproduce Danny's patterns.

1. The grudge. This track make definitively understand how things will work. More than 8 minutes of musical insanities, in which Maynard is able to hold a scream for 27 second (!!),and I won't describe all things they do. There are as many riffs as variants, soft and heavy sections. The turbulent end seems never to come but it sudden take your breathe away!

2. Eon blue apocalypse. A bridge, with a very nice guitar work.

3. The patient. Very interesting song, divided into 2 parts. The first is more silent, intimistic, while the second is explosive, that slowly rises with an outrageous chords progression. Maynard is great, and Adam uses an awesome amp mixed sound, both in clean and distorted situations.

4. Mantra. Another bridge, in which we can hear Maynard's mice thru synth work...I have no words...

5. Schism: one of the best songs ever, in my opinion. How many bands have ever built an entire song with that riff??? Maybe a solo, a micro-bridge, but that fantastic ta-ta-ta-ta-ta--ta-ta has never been the main one. Moreover, it's 11\8 on verses and 12\8 on choruses...Details make superior a band, don't they? And the second part is even more surprising, with the slow riff and the furious conclusion. Lyrics are in one word, poetry. "There was a time when the pieces fit\ but I watched fall away" or "cold silence has\a tendency to\ atrophy any\ sense of compassion\\between supposed brothers\lovers" speak for themselves. Great!

6. Parabol. More than an intro, with a wonderful guitar and Maynard who sings like a neverborn and immortal storyteller.

7. Parabola. "Thwirling down with this familiar Parabol"...Another perfect song. Danny is simply brilliant, while Justin makes hear himself with his distorted and powerful sound. This track has everything: the first hard riff, starting with increasing distortion, the brigde with voices harmonization, chorus with sudden stop and, the second time, bass arpeggio. Then the syncopated tempo section and the raising end. "WE'RE ALL ETERNAL ALL THIS PAIN IS AN ILLUSION!!!"

8. Ticks and Leeches. The heaviest song: Danny starts with one of the greatest drum solos ever, followed by all the others with an aggressive and smashing sound. They were really in anger at that moment, don't you think? The song continues with the usual alternate of parts and I think there's nothing better that this song to shout to someone "CAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!!!"

9. Lateralus. The song that completes everything: built around the notorious Fibonacci's sequence, words have a peculiar metric in every line of verses, in which syllables follow the sequence 1(black)-1(then)-2(white are)-3(all I see)-5(in my infancy)-8(red and yellow that came to be), and then back 5(reaching out to me)-3 (let's me see). in the second verse it's even more complicated, cause syllables go up to 13, then down to 1 and rise back. The spiral drawn on the album artwork exatcly represents this serie. Amazing! The song continues just like a labyrinth, with the powerful chorus ending with bass and exploding again.

10.Disposition. When does a band can be considered mature? when it can write a song in which a wall of amps is not necessary; that's disposition, in which Maynard sings just a few lines, while others create a perfect musical picture, Hiptnotyzing and moving.

11. Reflection. This is not my favourite song, but I appreciate it as well.

12. Triad. Very strange song, I can define it progressive. The band here shows all its qualities, as a kind of manifesto, in which all members give the best of themselves: to be listened carefully!

13. Faaip de oiad. The secret track is also the eeriest. It seems to me a radio clip in which someone is worried about an alien attack.

In the end, I can say that it's impossible to consider Tool a not prog oriented band. Which gives prog? Experimentation, of course! And they keep on create brand new songs from 1990 and I opine they will never get the attention they really deserve. RIDE THE SPIRAL!!!