Music Review by Bill Rendall

Lateralus - Tool

Progressive rock isn't dead. It just got heavier. Tool use humour to avoid the pitfalls of pretentiousness that some other arty bands have fallen into. They have been influenced by the philosophy of the notorious comedian Bill Hicks.

The cover art of Ænima, the album that established Tool, features a portrait of Hicks and an excerpt from his comedy routine can be heard at the beginning of the drug influenced 'Third Eye.'

Tool aren't afraid of stirring people up. The song 'Ænema', inspired by one of Hicks' comedy routines, is a scathing attack on Los Angeles and also includes a swipe at L. Ron Hubbard.

Some of the content of Ænima is of questionable taste. For example, 'Hooker With a Penis' is too gross for me. It's a shame that Tool stoop to the level of their stupid critics on this song. However, there is around an hour of great music on Ænima so it is a worthy album.

After Ænima was released Tool were involved in lengthy legal battles with their record company and their manager. This resulted in a long delay before releasing their next album. When Lateralus finally arrived it proved to be well worth the wait.

Lateralus is nearly 78 minutes long, which is about the maximum capacity of the CD format. I was worried when I first heard 'The Grudge', the opening track of Lateralus, as the vocals are sometimes disturbingly close to rap. I am relieved that this is a brief aberration and Tool have not succumbed to rap metal.

'The Grudge' is followed by a short and quiet instrumental. Then comes 'The Patient' which is my favourite Tool song. Soft and heavy passages alternate for maximum drama. After a wild ride 'The Patient' winds down with a quiet return to the opening riff.

'Schism' and 'Parabola' come close to being mainstream rock. However, 'Schism' is in an unusual time signature, as is much of the album. 'Parabola' and 'Parabol' are really one song split in two. 'Parabol' ends with a quiet version of the chorus of 'Parabola' and 'Parabola' ends with the opening riff of 'Parabol.'

Some of the vocals on 'Ticks and Leaches' are too close to rap for my liking and this is the track I like least on the album. It is followed by the title track which is a welcome return to form.

'Disposition' signals a change of musical style. Up to this point the music is very challenging. From this point on Tool allow you to relax your brain. 'Disposition' is a simple tune with simple lyrics repeated as a mantra. It has a hypnotic and meditative feel with quiet backing instrumentation such as tablas.

Drums segue into 'Reflection' which meanders along for over eleven minutes. This track doesn't have Tool's usual variation in dynamics and timing but does have some interesting sounds. It would have been a great way to finish the album and I often stop the album here.

'Reflection' is followed by a long instrumental called 'Triad.' I tend to find long instrumental tracks boring and 'Triad' is no exception. In places the guitar sound reminds me of Robert Fripp's work with King Crimson. The album ends with a collage which is only likely to appeal to dedicated fans.

The standard of musical skill displayed on Lateralus is very high. In particular the drummer, Danny Carey, is amazing. He plays complex polyrhythms instead of emphasising the traditional rock backbeat. The drums are spread widely over the stereo spectrum which makes them sound larger than life.

There are many long tracks on Lateralus but they are not structured in the traditional heavy metal fashion of playing fast and flashy guitar solos on top of repetitive riffs. Tool create complex structures with changing patterns and time signatures. Adam Jones plays inventive guitar fills without falling into metal clichés.

Lateralus is an album that slowly snuck up on me. Initially I didn't like it as much as Ænima but the more I listen to it the more I like it. The production of Lateralus is more polished and commercial in sound than Tool's earlier albums. However, the deviation from traditional rock rhythms makes the music less accessible. Lateralus is an album for musicians and fans of the band. I recommend it as Tool's finest work but it requires repeated intensive listening to fully appreciate how good it is.