Tool - Lateralus
BMG - 2001
By Phil Whitehouse
/images/covers/tool_lateralus.jpg
A triumphant return for cult alternative/art metal band Tool this year, with their long-anticipated and much-hyped new album.
Things get to a blinding start with opening track 'The Grudge'. Displaying the band's usual level of fantastic production and their seemingly unparalleled creativity, Tool sound more massive than ever before. Tribal drumming beneath an ever-present, strong bass-line drive forward the growling guitar riffs, the whole thing topped by Maynard James Keenan's absolutely astonishing vocals.
The sound of the band is just as complex, melodic, bewildering and bewitching as it has ever been, and the album sounds somewhat more accessible to those unfamiliar to Tool than previous efforts. One can see A Perfect Circle's fans slipping easily into Lateralus' more malevolent but no less complicated soundscapes.
Album highlights include the truly inspired bass riff that begins the track which is to be released as a single, 'Schism', upon which the instruments are layered and the melody gradually becomes heavier before exploding into a punishing bout of bludgeoning drumming and huge guitar slashes. Another high point are the tracks 'Parabol' and 'Parabola'. The former serves as a kind of mellow introduction to the latter, which immediately explodes into a no-nonsense metal-fest.
Fans of Tool simply cannot afford to be without this album. It is a masterpiece crafted by one of the most talented, intelligent and creative bands on the scene today. If you're not a fan of Tool, and you're not sure whether to pick this up, I'd suggest you have a listen to Maynard's side project, A Perfect Circle. If you love them, then you'll love Lateralus.
BMG - 2001
By Phil Whitehouse
/images/covers/tool_lateralus.jpg
A triumphant return for cult alternative/art metal band Tool this year, with their long-anticipated and much-hyped new album.
Things get to a blinding start with opening track 'The Grudge'. Displaying the band's usual level of fantastic production and their seemingly unparalleled creativity, Tool sound more massive than ever before. Tribal drumming beneath an ever-present, strong bass-line drive forward the growling guitar riffs, the whole thing topped by Maynard James Keenan's absolutely astonishing vocals.
The sound of the band is just as complex, melodic, bewildering and bewitching as it has ever been, and the album sounds somewhat more accessible to those unfamiliar to Tool than previous efforts. One can see A Perfect Circle's fans slipping easily into Lateralus' more malevolent but no less complicated soundscapes.
Album highlights include the truly inspired bass riff that begins the track which is to be released as a single, 'Schism', upon which the instruments are layered and the melody gradually becomes heavier before exploding into a punishing bout of bludgeoning drumming and huge guitar slashes. Another high point are the tracks 'Parabol' and 'Parabola'. The former serves as a kind of mellow introduction to the latter, which immediately explodes into a no-nonsense metal-fest.
Fans of Tool simply cannot afford to be without this album. It is a masterpiece crafted by one of the most talented, intelligent and creative bands on the scene today. If you're not a fan of Tool, and you're not sure whether to pick this up, I'd suggest you have a listen to Maynard's side project, A Perfect Circle. If you love them, then you'll love Lateralus.
