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CD
Reviews
Tool
Lateralus
(Volcano)
Reviewed
By
Tony LaGatta
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I
really wanted to write this review with a 'Tool
is getting better' slant, but I realized that saying
'getting better' would be somewhat misleading. Tool
is a band that has reached the pinnacle of their
technical abilities, so I think it's just a matter
of musical direction from here on. Each album by
Tool can be taken in it's own light, they are all
great, and this one is no exception. It has been
a five-year wait since the Grammy winning Aenima
- a long time to wait for a new release from a band,
but it is worth the wait in this case.
I
have always loved Tool, and after listening to Lateralus,
I always will. Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit was quoted
as saying something to the effect of 'they must
have sold their souls to the devil to be that good'.
Wes expressed something very poignant to both the
talent of this band, and the state of rock music
in this decade. Tool is no less than the equivalent
of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin in the 70's. I cannot
think of another band that can come close to such
a comparison. It is tough to find a band with both
longevity and creativity these days, especially
in the hard rock genre. Usually a great first album
is followed up with a weak sophomore effort, or
is just followed up with more of the same. With
this album, Tool solidifies their reputation as
arguably the most influential band of their genre
and generation.
I
would like to point to specific songs on Lateralus,
but that is difficult to do, because I would bore
you with redundancy-they are all great, and there
are only so many superlatives to go around. The
opening song, 'The Grudge' sets the tone for what
is to come-most Tool albums tend to be dark and
deal with fucked-up subject matter, but in a mature
kind of way; you really need to think to get the
full picture. What I really love about this effort
is how open the mix is, and the very effective use
of dynamic contrasts. By that I mean from loud to
soft. The quiet parts of this album are so dark
and moody that it gives me the creeps listening
to them. When the band is in full force, it is easy
to discern each instrument, and appreciate just
how talented a band Tool is.
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I often contemplate what makes a great musician or band,
and I have come to the conclusion that the ability to
make the music make you feel something is key. The playing
on Lateralus is so incredibly tight, I often find
myself shaking my head in disbelief. The effort on the
drums by Danny Carey is especially worthy of note - his
performance here is just mind blowing; drummers and percussionists
take note-get this CD. It is great to listen to a truly
talented drummer work with a group of musicians who can
deal with and make use of complex polyrhythms. This is
common in jazz, much less so in rock, and downright rare
these days with hard rock music. Tool has always been
a band well outside the box of typical hard rock/metal
bands, and this is one of the reasons. Maynard James Keenan's
vocals are spectacular, as always. He is a very expressive
singer, and that lends itself well to both the subject
matter and the tone of the music.
Lateralus
sounds great, as all records by Tool do. The packaging
and graphics are also some of the coolest I have ever
seen on a CD. The booklet is made of clear material, set
up kind of like one of those body part overlay sections
you find in biology books. I was surprised to see the
HDCD logo, which means 'High Definition Compact Disc',
and in laypersons terms that means "sounds very,
very good", which it does. To get the full effect
of HDCD, however, you need a CD player capable of decoding
HDCD, so I went to my local high end audio salon to listen
to this on a system that costs more than most folks houses.
By the third track, half of the sales force was in the
room to listen.
This
was a rather difficult review to write. Usually there
are some concrete guideposts to use-is it better than
the last effort and why? Is it just as good as the rest
of them? Is it not as good? If it is a first album, why
do you like it? How does it compare to similar music by
different bands? After many listens to this record, and
many attempts at writing about it, it became apparent
to me that I would have to write a story without a plot.
Here is the bottom line. So far, Lateralus would
be my personal nomination for album of the year in 2001,
and it's unlikely that will change between now and 2002.
If you like rock or metal, don't even think about skipping
this album; it is essential, and a classic of its time.
Anyone else should certainly try to listen to a sample
of this effort other than 'Schism' the current radio hit.
There is a whole lot more to this album than that song,
specifically 78 minutes and 56 seconds. Every one of them
is great, from start to finish.
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