page: 70
author: Maria Rhodes

"Tool's third album, AEnima,takes all of the angst and feverish rage of 
their first EP Opiate, mixes it with the polished quality of their second 
album, UNdertow, and bypasses the theatrical flourishes that bloated 
Undertow's sound. Several tracks on AEnima are worthy of clutching to 
your black little heart, especially the emphasis track "Stinkfist", which 
starts with an evil-sounding steel drum sound effect and showcases Adam 
Jones' driving, crunchy guitar rhythms. Also excellent is the title track 
"AEnima" [AEnema], which explores more dark corners than most are 
comfertable with. The music of AEnima is as dark and foreboding as Tool's 
previous works; chunky guitar licks stutter over complex drum and bass 
lines, evoking mental images of the annihilation of cities. In all, 
AEnima is a welcome blast of noise from a band that has been resting on 
its laurels for far too long."