page: 11
 title: Tool's New Album - track by track
author: 
Tool have treated Kerrang! to a full airing of ‘Lateralus’, their 
long-awaited third full-length album. Due for release on May 14 
through Music For Nations, the follow-up to 1996’s ‘Aenima’ (sic) 
album is perhaps the most hotly-anticipated rock album of the last 
five years.

The Grudge (8.34)

Starts with a barrage of tribal drumming. As with all previous Tool 
records, the production here is superb, but the band have never 
sounded this massive before. Maynard James Keenan is on rare form, 
bellowing a refrain of ‘sinking deeper’ over the offbeat, staccato 
riffs that twist and turn for several minutes. The song ends with an 
unnerving and genuinely psychedelic breakdown, before the whole thing 
descends into cacophony.

Eon Blue Apocalypse (1.05)

A moment of calm before the second track proper, this consists of 
little more than some reverb-drenched and sombre-sounding guitar 
picking. Quite eerie.

The Patient (7.14)

Guitarist Adam Jones picks out a delicate, watery-sounding riff, as 
Keenan sings gently beneath a cloak of thick reverb and distortion. 
As the riff builds Keenan’s vocals become clearer; the singer’s 
tremulous voice intoning ‘still here...giving blood...giving faith’. 
After a brief and mellow mid-section, the song explodes once again 
into a vast, chugging riff and the album’s first real chorus. The 
guitars sound absolutely huge, as they do throughout the album.

Mantra (1.12)

One minute of what sounds like swirling, FX-laden Islamic chanting.

Schism (6.43)

The track that Tool will be sending out to radio stations in the US 
is by no means a catchy three-minute single. The song begins with a 
truly inspired bass riff from Justin Chancellor, and then builds and 
builds, getting progressively heavier until the chorus appears. A 
hypnotic mid-section follows, and builds into a crushing and 
straightforward riff, some staggering drumming from Carey and a 
pained chant of ‘I know the pieces fit!’ from Keenan. Bewildering 
stuff.

Parabol (3.04)

Muted and sombre chords give way to some ethereal, floaty vocals. A 
droning didgeridoo appears in the background, and a distinctly trippy 
atmosphere develops...

Parabola (6.02)

...before a driving, up-tempo riff kicks in, with more tribal-
sounding drums from Carey and some more stunning vocal harmonies from 
Keenan. This is by far the catchiest track on ‘Lateralus’. After some 
staggering interplay between bass and drums, the song ends with a 
massive, doom metal riff which sounds like Soundgarden’s ‘4th Of 
July’, only fatter and scarier.

Ticks & Leeches (8.07)

The longest track so far begins with yet another awe-inspiring drum 
intro and a shredding, Arabian-flavoured riff. The song then breaks 
down into another gradual build-up of complex riffs and aggressive 
vocals, with Keenan spitting ‘Is this what you wanted? Is this what 
you had in mind? Is this what you’re getting?’. An astonishing track 
and one of the album’s finest.

Lateralus (9.22)

A simple guitar melody leads into some bass-heavy, throbbing effects 
before a gradual build into more incredible drumming from Carey and a 
bizarrely complex guitar riff. The guitars fall away to leave Keenan 
whispering melodies across the rock-solid drumming, with Jones being 
extra generous with his use of Wah-wah, distortion and feedback. This 
song is like Led Zeppelin on steroids – only heavier!

This Position (sic) (4.46)

The mellowest track on ‘Lateralus’, this serves more as an intro to 
what follows than a stand-alone song. A subtle bass intro, with 
layers of reverb and delay, is accompanied by bongo playing from 
Carey. A delicate melody floats above the vaguely Eastern-sounding 
atmospherics.

Reflection (11.08)

The album’s longest track immediately stands out as the most ‘out 
there’ thing Tool have recorded to date. A powerful intro from the 
rhythm section leads into a riotous wall of effects and distorted 
vocals. After a series of intricate, punishing riffs, feedback and 
earth-shattering bass bring ‘Reflection’ to a stunning climax, which 
leads into...

Triad (6.37)

...yet more suffocating noise. An ugly and distorted guitar solo 
howls above some FX-laden drums and more trippy atmospherics. The 
song fades, with Jones’ guitar on Wah-wah overload.

Faaip De Oiad (2.39)

The album’s ‘hidden’ track is essentially two-and-a-half minutes of 
electronic distortion and the distant sound of drummer Danny Carey 
going ballistic. A suitably mind-bending end to a phenomenally 
original and intense album.

Tool will play on the main stage at the Kerrang!-sponsored Ozzfest at 
The National Bowl, Milton Keynes on May 26.

Posted to t.d.n: 04/25/01 16:00:49