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The Tool Page: An Article

Publication: Friday Extra - The Tampa Tribune

Date: October, 2001

Transcribed by
K[elly] (spiral.out@deadohisoky.net)


  page: 18
 title: Communication is the key to Tool’s power
author: Curtis Ross

Danny Carey admits his band Tool was worried. The Los 
Angeles prog-metal group had gone for five years between 
albums with only last year’s odds ‘n’ sods CD/video 
collection, "Salival," to appease the fans.


Trent Reznor’s commercial misfortune didn’t help.


"He made the best Nine Inch Nails album yet [1999’s "The 
Fragile"] but it was the worst selling one," Carey says from a 
tour stop in Boston. "It was kind of scary when we saw that 
happen. We were worried people would turn their backs."


Carey’s fears proved unfounded. "Lateralus," released in May 
and the first all-new Tool album since 1996’s "Ænima," went 
to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has already 
sold more than a million copies.


"People were hungry for an alternative to what was going on," 
Carey speculates.


Tool stuck to its progressive-metal guns, delivering an 
uncompromising 79-minute collection of pounding riffs, 
shifting time signatures and the cryptic lyrics and stunning 
vocals of Maynard James Keenan.


Keenan provided a bit of a trailer for "Lateralus" with last 
year’s eponymous "A Perfect Circle." The group featured 
Keenan and former Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel. The 
album spawned a rock radio hit, "Judith," and further delayed 
the completion of "Lateralus."


Carey says the extended touring imposed on A Perfect Circle 
gave him and the other members of Tool (bassist Justin 
Chancellor and guitarist Adam Jones) more time to work on 
arrangements.


For Keenan, the Circle experience "brought a lot of new 
inspiration to his singing," Carey says. "It kind of expanded 
his palette of ideas to choose from.


"All of us have side projects we work on," Carey says. "It’s 
great to have conversations with other people."


Communication is the key for Tool’s growth, Carey says.


"We’re better at communicating with each other," Carey 
says. "We share things on a deeper level. In terms of music 
it ends up with more emotional impact or emotional depth.


"If communication doesn’t keep growing, it falls apart," Carey 
says, admitting that with Tool, "at times it’s gotten close. 
We’ve been able to work through major differences. You gain 
strength by surviving catastrophe."


It’s also why Tool is able to avoid the one-dimensionality of 
much heavy rock. 


"I think again it comes down to communication," Carey 
says, "being willing to bare your souls with these mates of 
yours. But if it’s just a superficial rock’n’roll relationship, it’s a 
trap a lot of guys fall into.


"As long as we’re true to the chemistry and the music in 
ourselves," Carey says, "I don’t think we can go wrong."


Posted to t.d.n: 12/12/01 20:08:04