NOTES: 1) Tool's first new music since 1996's Aenima, though the band released a DVD/Live CD box set titled Salival last Christmas. Singer Maynard James Keenan also put out an album in 2000 with his other band, A Perfect Circle.
2) As with past Tool releases, the CD's packaging is brilliant. Featuring a see-through slip case with production notes and song titles (much like an X-ray sheet), the CD comes with no liner notes but offers up instead cool, transparent-flap artwork that shows layers of the human form -- right down to the inner soul.
3) Lateralus is a marathon 78:58 in length. Wow!
POINTED REMARKS
After years of delays, label battles, and title changes, the new Tool album is finally here.
Laced with the trademark Tool sound -- gritty guitars, disturbing lyrics, and Maynard James Keenan's versatile vocals -- Tool's latest offering finds the band making a "lateral" move and expanding their aggressive drive. Keenan has said he wanted the album to be very personal for the band, hence the "us" in the title. So the title isn't as mysterious as some might have thought.
In an interview with Keenan last year for A Perfect Circle's album, Keenan described Tool's then work-in-progress by saying: "You can probably expect a little more of the same that was found on 'Aenima', as well as some time signatures that require a calculator. It'll be close to something like this: Rush over Pi = Tool." Turns out he wasn't kidding.
With the solid opening number "Grudge" leading the charge, "Lateralus" unfolds into an expansive and unreal world of aggression and complexity. While Keenan's scream isn't as heavy (though "Ticks & Leeches" does build to a deafening roar), his vocal style is more mature and fluid, molding itself to the diversity offered here.
Danny Carey has to got to be one of the best drummers out there right now. His work here is incredible, as his pounding rhythm leads each track down its charted (or is that uncharted?) course. Guitarist Adam Jones shows off the distinctive heavy hypnotic riffs on songs like "Schism" and the title track, while numbers like "Mantra," "Triad" and "Parabola" see him adding more colours to the Tool tapestry.
Has it been worth the wait? Yes. "Lateralus" isn't half-assed or forced together. It is clear that Tool stayed focused during the recording process, working hard to make each song stand out, yet finding some congruent factor to link them together. "Lateralus" also seems more spiritual.
Much like the unique and unmatched sounds of 1996's "Aemina", "Lateralus" will no doubt have bands new and old continuing to borrow/steal from them, though it is doubtful any of them will ever be able to match the magical message that Tool releases through their music.
RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)
SIMILARITIES: Tool. No one else sounds like Tool, and even they've expanded their sound. Traces of A Perfect Circle's vocal styles are apparent, though.
BEST TRACK(S): The haunting tone of first single "Schism" with its taut bass line, or the thundering drive of back-to-back crunchers "Parabola" and "Ticks & Leeches." The experimental "Triad" also delivers the goods.
WORST TRACK: While solid, the lengthy "Reflection" does drag a bit and become repetitive.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Tool has always been a band that breaks new boundaries with each release. Anyone who thinks Radiohead's "KID A" was a challenge may want to give this disc a spin. "Lateralus" will have you scratching your head well into the summer as you try to figure out what it's all about.
1. The Grudge
2. Eon Blue Apocalypse
3. The Patient
4. Mantra
5. Schism
6. Parabol
7. Parabola
8. Ticks & Leeches
9. Lateralis
10. Disposition
11. Reflection
12. Triad
13. Faaip De Oiad
TOTAL TIME: 78:58
