Cannot get into Tool

Tool are awesome but i can understand why people cannot get into them, i started with Undertow and it took me a long while for it to click and each new release has taken awhile to click aswell. I am going to Brixton tomm. night to see them for the 6th time and i cant wait, the live shows are awesome.

Tried them, couldn't see anything really interesting, moved on.

Not prog at all in my view. However, certainly not offensive and unpleasant like a few of the newer prog bands. Perhaps being nearer 60 than 50 doesn't help!

What makes Tool progressive? - Unusual, often changing time signatures and polyrhythms (but that's not progressive at all )

I must admit I found Lateralus very hard to get into - I couldn't listen to the whole album in one go. However I then got 10,000 Days and loved that, then went back to Lateralus and that's growing on me now. There's certainly more to them than grunge but I find the heavy compression and low mixing of the vocals tends to disguise the melodies a bit. All I can suggest is - try 10,000 Days.

stonebeard wrote: Tool is all about sonic progress, to me. Personally, I think their putting the accent on an unconventional beat style of playing is alright, and they've certainly found their niche in their genre. I do think, however, that their music is often narrowly focused and immobile, so it gets boring. I think your term "grunge metal" is accurate for my taste, though it ignores their atmospheric side. I find a problem with Opeth too. To me, it sounds like they're just tying riffs together without any good reason to do so. And the riffs can be uninteresting, which is not good when the songs can be 10+ minutes long. The album I find has this problem most is Deliverance, then Still Life. I enjoy Ghost Reveries the most because I find it completely devoid of this annoyance. The songs are totally creative.

Ghost Reveries has been a groundbreaking listening experience for me. And what i would like to hear from bands like Tool, is much more melody lines instead of playing riffs in loop. I don't know why i get the impression that distorted electric guitar riffs alone sell records for young audience. What i am trying to find really hard from Tool is epic songs and themes but it must be well hidden.

Tool is all about sonic progress, to me. Personally, I think their putting the accent on an unconventional beat style of playing is alright, and they've certainly found their niche in their genre. I do think, however, that their music is often narrowly focused and immobile, so it gets boring. I think your term "grunge metal" is accurate for my taste, though it ignores their atmospheric side.

I find a problem with Opeth too. To me, it sounds like they're just tying riffs together without any good reason to do so. And the riffs can be uninteresting, which is not good when the songs can be 10+ minutes long. The album I find has this problem most is Deliverance, then Still Life. I enjoy Ghost Reveries the most because I find it completely devoid of this annoyance. The songs are totally creative.

OK, Easy...instructive input. .....OK, just ignore these aspects of the bands, and all will be hunky-dory.


Edited by stonebeard - August 21 2007 at 03:29

I have hard time understanding Tool as a prog band, because to me it sounds like grunge metal. Some of you say they are prog band because songs have different time signatures. Well sorry, but that alone doesn't make it prog for me. Let's take another band, Opeth. They have different time signatures and strong proggressive melodies and strong vocals that cover all range from beautiful lyrical parts to massive death metal growl. When i put Opeth album in my record player everything is moving and things develop in a very proggressive manner.

The problem with Tool and bands alike, and even Slipknot that is not labeled as prog but goes into same young fanboys bandwagon, is that making noise without any deep melody line becomes a purpose in itself. I don't find this proggressive. I find this extremely one dimensional and boring.

Am i getting old? This is not a bash thread against Tool, i just want to know what is it that you get and i don't get? Melody was always everything for me, even when i was 20 years younger than today, and if i can't find interesting melody i just can't force myself to keep listening that kind of band.

Right now i am once again trying to listen title song from album Lateralus. I hear nothing but echoes of Kurt Cobain, Pearl Jam, Slipknot and bands alike. Playing loud and silent makes no difference to me because i can't find any proggressive melody. I must be getting old? Remember what i said about Opeth.