Publication: Kerrang!
Date: April, 2001
Transcribed by
Matthew Coleman (matt@myoptika.co.uk)
Matthew Coleman (matt@myoptika.co.uk)
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