Tool

It's also good for me (being a drummer) that they are essentially a drummer's band...not very complex harmonically, but consistently interesting rhythmically.

(You could actually take this as proof that Ned and I are the same person, as I also heart NIN and Radiohead. Just don't mention Moby.)

Excuse me, thought I was Sauron there for a second. Can you tell I've played the new LOTR trailer about ten different times now, if not more?

bnw : Dude, that's fearless. All that's missing is David Gray and Gorillaz (neither of which I have anything against, BTW).

I think Freakytrigger and ILM are boss, but I do agree with some of the complaints levelled at them. First off, I'm sorry, but the contributors to Freakytrigger need to get editors or do it themselves. They're halfway towards becoming that clown of an online reviewer who spends the first three pages of every review elaborating on his new car, european vacation, favorite brand of hot dog, or WHATEVER, which ruminations are somehow tied to the review itself, no matter how tenously. If you've read this guy you know what I'm talking about, you can't forget it. Because the ramblings are certainly interesting to read, but they don't really make for a great review -- this guy is a born blogger, and he doesn't even know it.

My second complaint can be levelled at Freakytrigger and ILM both; it's fun and interesting to come up with all these musical theories and maxims and conondrums and arguments; but it's all too easy to build theory upon theory and start actually excepting it all as reality, if you know what I mean. We have to keep it grounded in reality, methinks. Sometimes the exegisis here gets a bit too thick.

SELF-INVOLVED. I think that's the optimum word that describes the annoying elements of ILM and Freakytrigger. Collectively, we give our musical hypotheses an awful lot of credence.

Hmm, this isn't even tangentially related to the topic. Well, Tool is boss, prog rock rules, rock on. *devil horns*

"Hey, we're not Green Day, so it'll be more than three minutes long."
-Maynard Announcing the last song of their concert

Actually I borrowed the last Tool CD from my friend, who is a fan, because Marcello wrote about it and Jess mentioned it in his last year's Top 20. It's OK, though I was a bit disappointed - some nice guitar sounds and sometimes a good feeling for suspense, but as a whole it's quite...predictable, mainly rhythmically. It is funny how people who like them (my friends at least) always emphasise that they are "the new King Crimson" (like it was a good thing), denying they are metal band (as it was a bad thing per se), even if extraodrinary one.

I was quite into Undertow though for a while, and the vids for Prison Sex and Sober were brilliant - a nightmare vision of Trapdoor (minus Willie Rushton). But by Aenima I was bored - for me, the album has 2 or 3 good tracks and the rest of it’s a pain in the ass. The loss of Paul d’Amour after Undertow was clearly a blow - the bass sound that was so vital to the Tool mystique after that point seems more like caricature or mimicry.

I never bothered with Lateralus, so I’m probably not best qualified to pass judgement but for what it’s worth, I’d say stick with the early stuff I reckon. It’s dark, powerful, driven and intense. And Tool are clearly accomplished musicians and la la la atmosphere – I like the time switches they casually drop (hello Flood). The tracks Hush and Cold and Ugly off Opiate are both excellent, as is Undertow off the same-titled album, and I quite like 4º.

Oh, and Danny Carey is one of the best drummers on the scene - the Sober fill before the start of the first verse sets that in stone; performed with the largest sticks on the market, the world’s strongest man hits the snare then goes to the toms, back to the snare then rolls round off the toms in what sounds like just under a nanosecond before seamlessly sweeping back in with those flapping rides. Or as a drummer friend of mine puts it: "Rotates the moon twice, while pulling off wrist gymnastics comparable only to a frenzied swarm of onanists intent on breaking all records set by any other living thing." It’s the stuff of legends.

Just been listening to Aenima on repeat all day, holy cow does it hold up well!

Aenima was really genius and so above and unlike anything else they did, except 'Sober' was a flash of what was to come. Sadly, they have gone the way of The Doors in critical circles, as a band that you are not allowed to take seriously because that would be ridiculously uncool, but I still love Aenima.

I can't think of ANY other album that does the whole 'serious song->arresting novelty number->serious song' thing so WELL! Moreover, the 'arresting novelty numbers' actually stand up to repeat listens. The album as a whole flows beautifully; after the (incredibly strong) opening triptych, the 'main' songs alternate with intermissions, none of which come across as at all gratuitous, and the best of which ('Die Eier Von Satan', '-Ions') delight and scare the living crap out of me respectively. There aren't any weak links, and the album doesn't drop off in quality towards the end (if anything, it improves, at least with 'Aenema', the best song on the album AFAIK). It's awesome! Fuck the 'consensus'.

I agree. I kill your fucking consensus!

the cookie recipe in Die Eier von Satan isnt all that. you need to heat the butter first and dissolve the hash in it. apart from that, great album.

The Bill Hicks luv on Aenima and Quay-like videos were what first got my attention when I was 14 or so, but unlike a lot of the crap I listened to back then I still feel pretty affectionate towards Tool. Not really tempted to buy back the albums I sold a long time ago, but hearing them on the radio is always a pleasant surprise.

I've tried to like Tool, but they just sound like an emo Pink Floyd to me.

I do respect their taste in opening bands, however.

Sadly, they have gone the way of The Doors in critical circles, as a band that you are not allowed to take seriously because that would be ridiculously uncool

I don't think this is true at all! I think maybe people acknowledge the absurdity that runs through their music, which is a different (and good) thing

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-tool-album-expected-early-in-2014-20130716

I'll believe it when the album's out.

Gonna be one epic 78 minute song.

Gonna be one epic 78 minute song.

Or just seem that way.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BODY4NzMyMzAzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODE5MzQ1MQ@@._V1._SX640_SY427_.jpg
Epic grapes.