Publication: CD Now
Date: March, 2001
Transcribed by
Stu (stuniversal@hotmail.com)
Stu (stuniversal@hotmail.com)
page: title: First Impression: Tool Challenges Listeners On Forthcoming Latera author: Don Kaye The biggest hurdle in assessing the long-awaited new album from Tool - - the band's first in five years -- is digesting it all at one sitting. At 79 minutes and three seconds, Lateralus is overwhelming in scope and, at times, perhaps a little self-indulgent. But it's also a demanding, dense, and ultimately epic album that will challenge fans old and new, the media, and the rock industry at large to rein in their rampant attention deficit disorder and re-evaluate their definitions of modern rock. Sounding like nothing else out there, Lateralus is clearly the work of an older, wiser, and more reflective band for sure, but still bearing the trademarks that have made Tool one of the most popular heavy rock acts of the last 10 years. Like Radiohead (to whom this band could arguably be considered the hard rock counterpart), Tool has made an album that's undeniably the band's own, yet adds layers of subtlety, texture, and meaning that move the band's sound forward into complex new territory. Starting with the precision drumming of Danny Carey (this is possibly the most percussion-driven heavy album since Sepultura's Roots), opening number "The Grudge" winds its way through peaks and valleys of emotion and energy, never standing still for very long, catapulting from introspection to confrontation in the blink of an eye. Many of the band's songs follow a similar pattern, lulling the listener with initially hypnotic arrangements that burst into explosive, jarring moments of rage. A fine line of tension runs through the first half of the album, culminating in its fastest, heaviest tracks, "Parabola" and "Ticks and Leeches," both of which come the closest to the raw aggression of the band's earlier albums. But even within those songs, there are brooding, quieter moments that set the tone for the album's even moodier second half. Singer Maynard James Keenan has clearly been influenced by his stint in A Perfect Circle: His vocals here display an even greater range of melody than on previous Tool records, and he runs an emotional gamut that extends beyond anger and cynicism to more sensitive areas. Guitarist Adam Jones provides a constant barrage of serpentine riffs, while the aforementioned Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor ride the material's labyrinthine arrangements with ease and power. Eastern and even aboriginal strains run through the album, although there's nary a hint of the electronic overload that many current hard rock albums are drenched in. With most of its songs over six minutes in length (the title track reaches nine, while "Reflection" weighs in at over 11), there are moments when Lateralus drags or when the often repetitive arrangements seem self-consciously arty. But is that the band's fault, or that of the hit-driven, music-by-marketing-team culture the band finds itself in? In typical fashion, Lateralus doesn't offer any easy answers. As Keenan screams on "Ticks and Leeches" -- an apt enough description for the music business -- "Is this what you wanted? / Is this what you had in mind? / 'Cause this is what you're getting." Lateralus is due May 15 on Volcano Records. The band will tour Europe from May 15 through June 29, hitting most of the continent's major festivals. Here is the complete track listing for Lateralus 1. "The Grudge" (8:34) 2. "Eon Blue Apocalypse" (1:05) 3. "The Patient" (7:14) 4. "Mantra" (1:12) 5. "Schism" (6:43) (first single) 6. "Parabol" (3:04) 7. "Parabola" (6:02) 8. "Ticks and Leeches" (8:07) 9. "Lateralus" (9:22) 10. "Disposition" (4:46) 11. "Reflection" (11:08) 12. "Triad" (6:37) 13. "Faaip De Oiad" (hidden track) (2:39)
Posted to t.d.n: 03/23/01 00:44:17