Publication: Plugged In
Date: July, 2001
Transcribed by
Jarred (jpb6220@yahoo.com)
Jarred (jpb6220@yahoo.com)
page: title: Lateralus Review author: Bob somethingorother [The original text is available at: http://www.family.org/pplace/pi/music/A0016858.html] Artist: Tool Album: Lateralus [cd image] Genre: Alternative metal Chart Action: Album debuted at number 1, selling more than 550,000 copies in its first week. Reviewed By: Bob Waliszewski Pro-Social Content: As if inspired by Matthew 18:21-22, "The Grudge" urges listeners to forgive others. A love?s embrace brings joy on Parabol." "Schism" seeks to bolster a relationship through improved communication. Hunting for purpose in life, lead singer Maynard James Keenan acknowledges a bigger picture ("Lateralus") and wants to crucify his ego ("Reflection"). Patience, perseverance and hope for a better day buoy "The Patient." Three tracks are entirely instrumental. Objectionable Content: Curious theology finds the band longing to "swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be human" ("Lateralus"). A mild profanity disrupts the paranoid ramblings of "Faaip de Oiad." Angry at human parasites, a man berates them on "Ticks and Leeches" (once using the f-word) and hopes they suffer for the pain they?ve caused. Summary/Advisory: The music remains foreboding, but Tool?s lyrics have brightened considerably since 1996?s Ænima . Of course, "Ticks and Leeches" leaves a nasty scar (so much for not holding a grudge) and while it?s not reflected in the band?s lyrics, their oft-reported fascination with the occult may color otherwise innocuous searches for meaning in life. Nevertheless, Lateralus]marks a dramatic improvement for the act that has Ticketmaster using a stopwatch to see how long it takes them to sell out concerts (three minutes in Atlanta; sixty seconds in New York). Pray that, in the musicians? search for truth, God sharpens Tool.
Posted to t.d.n: 08/07/01 04:37:11