In the scope of the history of the earth, five years isn't a long time. It's a mere millisecond in the hundreds of millions of years that this planet has existed. In the music industry, however, 5 years is a millenium. And when you're Tool, five years should have been way too long to stay in the hearts and minds of hard rock fans everywhere. Music fans have a strong tendency to forget and then, forget some more. No one cares what you did five years ago. That is why it's all the more impressive that Tool was able to remain in the spotlight even after 5 years in between albums.

They headlined the last Lollapalooza tour in 1997, and then, the next summer, they headlined the Ozzfest, going on right before the man himself, Ozzy Osbourne did. They went through a prolonged court battle with their record label that delayed them even getting into the studio to record the follow up to 1996's brilliant Aenima. The band released a live DVD/CD box set, which was moderately successful. Then there was lead singer Maynard James Keenan's side project, A Perfect Circle. That band went platinum and toured successfully while the finishing touches were put on the new Tool record. And then, finally, FINALLY, after 5 years, in May of 2001, Tool released their third full length album, Lateralus. The question of course was "was it worth the wait?" The answer is undoubtedly and unanimously a "yes."

This album scared the hell out of me. No, not in a bad way, but more in a "jesus, how the hell do I even BEGIN to write a review on something like this?" Yes, that's why I've waited so long to write this review. I'm still not ready but I'm gonna give it my best shot anyways. Hey, it was this or renting Glitter and ripping it to shreds.

To describe Tool in a paragraph or two is just about impossible. They are, for the most part, a progressive metal band. The four members, Maynard (vocals), Danny Carey (drums), Adam Jones (guitar), and Justin Chancellor (bass) are extremely talented musicians, and as a unit, they are incredibly tight, to the point where if I'm in a band like Slipknot, I just throw my hands up and give up because I can never be that good. (Well, actually, Slipknot couldn't ever be as good as Disturbed or even Beavis Band, but I digress.)

Most important about Tool's music is that while they are much different in their musical style than most of the popular bands in metal, they aren't above having a halfway decent hook in a lot of their songs. To me, at least, progressive rock and metal bands are about substance more than style, and this detracts from the music. Having a vocalist like Maynard, who has a unique and yet, wonderful, voice gives Tool that extra bit of I dunno, likability, if that's even a word.

Not surprisingly, Tool's lyrics are dark in nature, but another thing I've always liked about them, and about this album, is the hopeful kind of spin Maynard gives some of them in his delivery. It's that kind of dichotomy that not only drew me to Tool, but to A Perfect Circle as well.

The album opens with The Grudge, which to most would be kind of abstract in nature, but upon closer inspection, it seems to be a shot across the bow of their record company:

Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity
calculate what we will or will not tolerate
desparate to control all and everything...

Musically, it's reminiscent of a lot of the material on Aenima. A pounding tom tom drum beat, thick guitar chords, and pounding bass, providing the backdrop for Keenan's rather p*ssed off yowl. Metal hasn't tasted this good in years.

suck and suck
suckin up all you can, suckin up all you can suck
workin up under my patience like a little tick
fat little parasite

That's just a sample of Ticks and Leeches, a song that is a screamfest for Maynard, and a complete anthem in the vein of previous Tool anthems like Stinkfist or even Sober. If this isn't another direct shot at their record label, I don't know what is.

Schism was the first song released to radio, and it immediately began garnering heavy, almost incessant airplay that continues even now, nearly a year after it's release. The bass line is quick and sounds complicated (then again I'm a drummer, what do I know?), and drummer Carey sounds like he's ready to explode at times. The band succeeds in building up the tension to it's breaking point until it's unleashed in a terrific ending.

The title track, Lateralus, is much more accessible commercially. While it has many of the classic Tool traits (epic length, difficult time changes, even jarring at times), it does move along quickly and the band doesn't let things wander too far from it's base. This is important for any kind of "progressive" band, as sometimes they tend to let jams wander into oblivion.

And then there's The Patient. At times, Tool comes up with an impossibly good hook. This is one of those times.

if there were no rewards to reap,
no loving embrace to see me through
this tedious path I've chosen here
I certainly would've walked away by now

Throughout the album, the band sounds tight and focused. Almost too focused at times, especially on the back to back Parabol and Parabola, which just never seem to end. But those two songs are about the only thing wrong with this album.

As a conclusion, Tool is certainly not for everyone. Their songs frequently hit the 7 or 8 minute mark, their time changes don't lend to air drums or air guitar at all, and their lyrics are deep, thoughtful, and very much provocative. At times this album can be jarring for even a large Tool fan like myself. It's just under 80 minutes long, which is about twice the length of your average rock CD. However, if you want to hear 4 brilliant musicians make some brilliant hard rock/metal music, there's no better place to look right now. And hey, look at the bright side: you'll never see Tool rapping with Ja Rule, a la Metallica.




Recommended: Yes