Publication: Cadence (Brookline High School Paper, Mass.)
Date: October 14, 1996
Transcribed by porternet@prodigy.com ( DAVID PORTER MILLER)
I've been meaning to post this for a week. It's a short (and thus somewhat constrained) review of nima I did for my school paper, Cadence (Brookline High School, Mass.) - and yes, I do mean MY school paper, for I am Chief Editor. The review was written on the Friday after the album came out - so I had had it for three full days - and the paper was distributed on the following Monday. Anyway, here goes... TOOL - NIMA (Zoo) TOOL's follow-up to 1993's outstanding Undertow uses the bands talents in songwriting and expression to their fullest, while intentionally straying somewhat from their previous album and song's formulas so as to make the disc quite different. TOOL's strengths lie in the power and dynamic versatility of singer Maynard James Keenan's voice, as well as in writing lengthy songs while retaining musical urgency and employing unexpected twists so that the listener is never bored. Here, all these talents are exploited to their fullest in the nine songs, which range from four-and-a-half to just under fourteen minutes. On Undertow, every track was a standout; here, certain songs do noticeably stand out over others. "Stinkfist" continues to explore TOOL's pet theme of sexuality and power, though the images of sodomy are not quite as graphic as on Undertow single "Prison Sex." "Eulogy" tells of a self-appointed would-be martyr, while "Hooker With A Penis" is a very sarcastic tirade against the kind of music fan who thinks that everyone else in the world is a poseur except him. Closing song "Third Eye" discusses awareness, and has a jagged ending passage that sounds exactly like Ministry. On the experimental side, the disc includes numerous short segue tracks ranging from a baby crying to a cheesy organ piece (called "Intermission") to a full industrial onslaught with lyrics in German. These segues seem to ruin the intensity that would be built in a one- song-after-another format, as they appear every other track between tracks 4 and 14, and one wonders if they are just trying to set apart the disappointingly undistinguished mid-album songs. Don't get me wrong, though. The album is, overall, just as incredible as its predecessor and could easily be the best album of the year. And the "animated" artwork is nifty too.