Sure as five years out of the loop have only sharpened Weezer's attack, the same length of time spent lying fallow hasn't dulled Tool.

The band haven't undergone any radical changes since 1996's aenima album -- to the point that Lateralus feels a bit predictable on first listen. Spend a little more time with it though, and the trademark clashes of dive-bombing melody and mathematical rhythm start to reveal themselves in the disc's dense, dark 80-minutes. The group have put more emphasis on building those exchanges up to a complex and grandiose scale. In fact, the term "prog-metal," however derisive it may sound, has come to fit them like one of singer Maynard James Keenan's little stage leotards. And that's okay, because there isn't a shred of artistic compromise or commercial concern in their music.

His more flowery tendencies apparently satisfied by his role in another band, the successful A Perfect Circle, Keenan brings an intensity that is locked in with that of his bandmates.

The tight, bobbing-and-weaving guitar interplay of Schism and the soaring Parabola make them the most immediate tunes, while opener The Grudge substitutes a cathartic primal scream in place of a chorus.

Be forewarned: This one could keep you busy all summer. Heavy-duty stuff.

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