Publication: UNPOP.com
Date: June, 2001
Transcribed by
John Kieran (thenapalm@home.com)
John Kieran (thenapalm@home.com)
page: title: Tool CD Review author: Alex Machurov Like food, sleep, even sex, music to many of us is a primal need -- the sustenance that allows for us to live our daily lives in peace, harmony, and mental health. For those lucky few, it is the nurturer of our emotions and, without it, we find ourselves scratching at the inner hollowness, much like an amputee would scratch at a stump. But for the majority of those on this earth, music is simply a form of entertainment, to be appreciated occasionally when one wills to. Then there are the most unfortunate among us, those for whom music is nothing but background filler. These, I pity. To me, music is nothing less than an earthly necessity. Like food, I live on it and starve without it. And occasionally, I am blessed with a feast of magnificent proportions -- a smorgasbord of caviar, fine champagne, and all the finest delicacies imaginable. In 1994, I got a sampling of all these rich tastes when I first listened to Tool’s Undertow. I was hooked. Then, 1996 brought the band’s first true epic feast in the form of Aenima, a masterful example of musical grandeur and ambition. It was a sonic wakeup call to the world of both heavy metal and alternative rock. Five years later, after what seemed like an almost unbearable silence caused by the band’s legal problems, Tool has returned with what is easily the most beautiful, and equally chilling, releases of the year. Lateralus is Tool at its best, blending what would seem like virtually ill-fitting puzzle pieces of Heavy Metal, Goth, Prog, Hardcore, Alternative, and Space Rock into one, stunningly gorgeous album. Seventy- nine minutes of brilliance have managed to instantaneously wipe out five anxious years of longing for new Tool material. Like the aforementioned feast, Lateralus is best appreciated when consumed slowly, relishing each and every bite as if it were your last. Each song must be dismantled and studied with an attentive ear. And after careful scrutiny, we come away with a few conclusions. First, on Lateralus, Maynard’s voice is considerably pushed back into the mix, allowing the dazzling musicianship of the remaining three members to act as the music’s catalyst. But by no means is Maynard’s pitch-perfect vox hidden. Instead, his saccharine voice becomes yet another instrument. Secondly, it has become apparent that drummer Danny Carey can not tolerate any lulls in his percussive play nor has he ever met a drum fill that he hasn’t liked. But, while so many other Metal drummers have destroyed their craft by sticking in complex fills where they don’t belong, every one of his beats seems to fit perfectly within the arrangements of the songs. On Lateralus, Carey has introduced tribal and Middle Eastern polyrhythms to an already relentless frenetic style. Lastly, 1994’s Undertow sprung up on a musical landscape dominated by the anger and angst of Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, and Nirvana and, thus, fit in with the style of their contemporaries. Today, many of these bands have succumbed to the fickleness of their audiences while Tool have let their music evolve with the times. No, you won’t hear any similarities to N’Sync or O-Town, but on Lateralus you will hear a deeper, more mature understanding of the message that the band hopes to send with their songs. As each album gets more and more sinister, so does it get more beautiful. Tool is no longer satisfied delivering power-packed alterna- metal anthems. Instead, their songs are longer, more complex, and densely textured -- more like movements rather than standard rock fare. Maynard’s vocals push the envelope from horrific shrieking to syrupy sweet emotions. Lateralus opens with one of their most massive songs to date. The eight and a half minute “The Grudge” packs an odd musical measure on top of staccato riffs and rolling basslines. And throughout all this, Maynard makes his presence known with such lyrics as “Wear your grudge like a crown / Desperate to control / Unable to Forgive / And we’re sinking deeper.” Time measures shift, guitars chords collapse, and by the end of the song you’ll be banging along on the inside roof of your car. “The Patient”, “Schism”, and “Lateralis” each begins with Maynard’s crystalline vocals and slowly build to powerful climaxes. “Ticks & Leeches” is driven by an awe-inspiring octopus-like drum intro but quickly deteriorates into a Korn- esque evil diatribe. Here, Maynard seems almost out of place and momentarily begs the question of whether the band’s given into the current disease commonly referred to as Nü Metal (“rap-metal”). But this misstep is quickly made to be forgotten by “Disposition”, “Reflection”, and “Triad”, three separate movements which were originally meant to make up one, twenty plus minute song. Instead, the piece was divided into three hypnotic tracks punctuated by Arabian percussions and Maynard’s ethereal vocals. The standout tracks on Lateralus, however, are undeniably “Parabol” / “Parabola”. Here, Tool have reached their musical apex with this ying-yang pair. Where “Parabol” is a calmly introspective introduction complete with Maynard’s evocative and floaty vocals, “Parabola” explodes with a catchy, powerful riff and driving drum track. “Parabola” is by far the album’s most accessible and glamorous song. Maynard’s harmonies are infectious and you will be humming along to the chorus for days on end. The seventy-nine minutes of Lateralus will surely leave the listener exhausted and emotionally drained. Knowing Tool, this reaction is exactly what the band had hoped to accomplish with Lateralus. Once you’re done with this feast, you might have to simply sit back and take a few deep breathes. Then spring right back up and start all over again. by Alex Machurov
Posted to t.d.n: 06/30/01 23:51:00