Tool (band)

Tool is an American progressive metal band from Los Angeles, California.  Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan.  Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour.  Tool has won three Grammy Awards, performed worldwide tours, and produced albums topping the charts in several countries. Opiate (1992) "Sweet" See also: "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe right|thumb|Seems like I'm slipping into a dream within a dream. Sweating, and breathingAnd staring, and thinkingSinking deeperAnd it's almost like I'm swimming I'm trying to remember when, but it makes me dizzy Seems like I've been here beforeSeems so familiarSeems like I'm slippingInto a dream within a dream And I'm sweating, and breathingStaring, thinkingSinking deeperAnd it's almost like I'm swimming It's the way you whisperDrag me underTakes me home "Hush" Fuck you! People tell me what to sayWhat to think and what to play "Part of Me" I know you well, you are part of meI know you better than I know myself You are just a part of me "Cold and Ugly" (live) Trembling at the thought of feeling Wide awake and keeping distance from my soul I am scared like you "Jerk-Off" (live) If consequences dictateMy course of action, I shouldI should play God and justShoot you myself "Opiate" right|thumb|Choices always were a problem for you. right|thumb|My gods will become me.  When he speaks, he speaks through me.  He has needs like I do; we both want to rape you. Choices always were a problem for you What you need is someone strong to guide you…like me If you want to get your soul to heaven, trust in me Just do everything I tell you to do Deaf and blind and dumb and born to followWhat you need is someone strong to guide you My gods willBecome meWhen he speaksHe speaks through meHe has needsLike I doWe both wantTo rape you "The Gaping Lotus Experience" (hidden track) right|thumb|I had a friend once.  He took some acid.  Now he thinks he's a fire engine. I had a friend once,He took some acidNow he thinks he's a fire engine. Undertow (1993) "Intolerance" right|thumb|I don't want to be hostile, I don't want to be dismal, but I don't want to rot in an apathetic existence, either. I don't want to be hostileI don't want to be dismalBut I don't want to rot in anApathetic existence, either "Prison Sex" You know it hurt meBut I'm breathing so I guess I'm still aliveEven if signs seem to tell me otherwise Do unto others what has been done to you This is a variant on the Golden Rule "Sober" right|thumb|Why can't we not be sober?  I just want to start this over.  Why can't we sleep forever?  I just want to start this over. There's a shadow just behind meShrouding every step I takeMaking every promise emptyPointing every finger at me Jesus, won't you fucking whistleSomething but the past and done? I am just a worthless liarI am just an imbecileI will only complicate youTrust in me and fall as wellI will find a centre in youI will chew it up and leaveI will work to elevate youJust enough to bring you down Why can't we not be sober?I just want to start this overWhy can't we sleep forever?I just want to start this over I want what I want "Bottom" (feat. Henry Rollins) right|thumb|I'm naked and fearless.  And my fear is naked! My compassion is broken now So smell my soul is burning If I let you, you would make me destroy myself.  In order to survive you, I must first survive myself.  And I can sink no further.  And I cannot forgive you.  There's no choice but to confront you, to engage you, to erase you.  I've gone to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain.  I will use my mistakes against you; there's no other choice.  Shameless, now.  Nameless, now.  I'm nothing, now.  I'm no one, now.  But my soul must be iron 'cause my fear is naked.  I'm naked and fearless.  And my fear is naked! These lines constitute Henry Rollins's spoken-word portion of the song; Maynard resumes singing while Rollins is speaking the last three words. Dead inside! "Swamp Song" right|thumb|You're dancing in quicksand. You're dancing in quicksand "Undertow" Twice as clear as heavenTwice as loud as reason How could I let this bring me back to my knees? I'm helpless and I'm awake "4°" Free yourself from yourself "Flood" All I knewAll I believedCrumbling imagesNo longer comfort me Thought I was highThought I was freeThought I was thereDivine destiny "Disgustipated" right|thumb|Let the rabbits wear glasses! And the angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots!" Let the rabbits wear glasses! This is necessaryThis is necessaryLife feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on… "If God is our father," you thought, "then Satan must be our cousin."  Why didn't anybody else understand these important things? Ænima (1996) "Stinkfist" right|thumb|Constant over stimulation numbs me. Constant over stimulation numbs meBut I would not want you any other way I said, "I don't want it.  I just need it."To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive." I'll keep diggingUntil I feel something. "Eulogy" right|thumb|Not all martyrs see divinity. Not all martyrs see divinity "Forty Six & 2" right|thumb|Hoping I can clear the way by stepping through my shadow, coming out the other side. I've been wallowing in my own confused and insecure delusions I've been wallowing in my own chaotic, insecure delusions I wanna feel the change consume me Hoping I can clear the wayBy stepping through my shadowComing out the other sideStep into the shadow "Hooker with a Penis" I sold out long before you ever even heard my name All you read and wear and see or hear on TV is a product begging for your fat-ass dirty dollar Shut up and buy my new record send more money fuck you, buddy "Jimmy" What was it like to seeThe face of your own stabilitySuddenly look away,Leaving you with the dead and hopeless? Dreams are fadingCarry my ancient soulCarry me into the light "Die Eier von Satan" Bei zweihundert grad für fünfzehn minuten backen und keine eier "Pushit" right|thumb|Saw the gap again today. Saw the gap again today Take care not to make me enterIf I do, we both may disappear What is this but my reflection?Who am I to judge or strike you down? Yeah, I'm slipping back into the gap againI'm alive when you are touching meAlive when you are shoving me downBut I'd trade it allFor just a littlePeace of mind If when I say I might fade like a sigh if I stayYou minimise my movement, anywayI must persuade you another way There's no love in fear I'm staring down the hole again "Ænema" Some say the end is nearSome say we'll see armageddon soonI certainly hope we will One great big festering neon distractionI've a suggestion to keep you all occupied:Learn to swim Learn to swim. 'Cause I'm praying for rain.I'm praying for tidal waves.I wanna see the ground give way.I wanna watch it all go down... "Third Eye" right|thumb|Today, a man on acid realised that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves.  Here's Tom with the weather. ~ Bill Hicks right|thumb|It's not a war on drugs, it's a war on personal freedom is what it is, okay?  Keep that in mind at all times, thank you. ~ Bill Hicks See, I think drugs have done some good things for us—I really do.  And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favour: go home tonight, take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your CDs and burn 'em.  'Cause, you know what?  The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years—real fuckin' high on drugs. Bill Hicks audio clip from "Drugs Have Done Good Things," Relentless (1992) Today, a young man on acid realised that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration—that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively.  There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves.  Here's Tom with the weather. Bill Hicks audio clip from Sane Man (1989) It's not a war on drugs, it's a war on personal freedom is what it is, okay?  Keep that in mind at all times, thank you. Bill Hicks audio clip A child's rhyme stuck in my headIt said that life is but a dreamI've spent so many years in questionTo find I've known this all along Black as holes within a memory I stick my hand into the shadow But the eyes seem so familiar Prying open my third eye Salival (2000) "Third Eye" (live) right|thumb|Think for yourself.  Question authority. ~ Timothy Leary Think for yourself.  Question authority. Timothy Leary audio clip taken from How to Operate Your Brain (1994), 11:15–11:18. Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorising fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities—the political, the religious, the educational authorities—who've attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality.  To think for yourself, you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself. Timothy Leary audio clip taken from How to Operate Your Brain (1994), 10:07–10:58. "Part of Me" (live) I know you well, you are a part of meI know you better than I know myself "Pushit" (live) right|thumb|What are you but my reflection? right|thumb|And I'm slipping back into the gap again.  I feel alive when you touch me.  I feel alive when you hold me…down.  Slipping back into—slipping back into you. So, we need you to find a comfortable space that's not only comfortable, but vulnerable.  I want you to shut your eyes and go there, and we'll meet you on the other side. Maynard's spoken-word introduction What are you but my reflection?Who am I to judge or strike you down? But you're pushingAnd I'm shoving youAnd you're pushing meAnd I'm shoving you And I'm slipping back into the gap againI feel alive when you touch meI feel alive when you hold me…downSlipping back intoSlipping back into you "You Lied" (live Peach cover) Painless hours of wasted motion The original Peach line was "Painless hours of endless motion" "Merkaba" (live) right|thumb|It's some kind of psychedelic experience. It's some kind of psychedelic experience Our body is light, we are immortalOur body is light, we are immortalOur body is love, we are eternalOur body is love, we are eternal Omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, without judgment "No Quarter" (Led Zeppelin cover) Locked in a place where no one goes The original Led Zeppelin line was "They choose the path where no one goes" "L.A.M.C." If you are calling from a secret spy phone, please press 5. "Maynard's Dick" (hidden track) right|thumb|There's a shyness found in reason.  Apprehensive influence swallow away. There's a shyness found in reasonApprehensive influence swallow away Lateralus (2001) "The Grudge" right|thumb|Desperate to control all and everything. Wear the grudge like a crown of negativityCalculate what we will or will not tolerateDesperate to control all and everythingUnable to forgive your scarlet lettermen Clutch it like a cornerstoneOtherwise it all comes down Hang on or be humbled again Defining, confining, sinking deeperControlling, defining, and we're sinking deeper Choose to let this go "The Patient" But I'm still right hereGiving blood, keeping faithAnd I'm still right here And if there were no rewards to reapNo loving embrace to see me throughThis tedious path I've chosen hereI certainly would've walked away by nowAnd I still may "Schism" right|thumb|I know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them fall away. right|thumb|Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion. I know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them fall away Disintegrating as it goes, testing our communicationThe light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us soWe cannot seem to reach an end, crippling our communicationI know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them tumble downNo fault, none to blame—it doesn't mean I don't desireTo point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple overTo bring the pieces back together, rediscover communicationThe poetry that comes from the squaring off betweenAnd the circling is worth it, finding beauty in the dissonanceThere was a time that the pieces fit, but I watched them fall away Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion "Parabol" So familiar and overwhelmingly warmThis one, this form I hold nowEmbracing you, this reality here We barely remember what came before this precious momentChoosing to be here right now This body makes me feel eternalAll this pain is an illusion "Parabola" right|thumb|Stay inside of this holy reality, this holy experience. right|thumb|This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality.  Embrace this moment, remember: we are eternal, all this pain is an illusion. We barely rememberWho or what came beforeThis precious momentWe are choosing to be hereRight now Stay inside of this holy realityThis holy experienceChoosing to be here in this body Celebrate this chance to beAlive and breathing This body holding me reminds me of my own mortalityEmbrace this moment, remember:We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion "Ticks & Leeches" My blood is bruised and borrowedYou thieving bastards, you haveTurned my blood cold and bitterBeat my compassion black and blue "Lateralus" See also Fibonacci numbers. right|thumb|Black then white are all I see in my infancy.  Red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me, lets me see.  There is so much more and beckons me to look through to these iInfinite possibilities. right|thumb|Over thinking, over analysing separates the body from the mind, withering my intuition, leaving all these opportunities behind. right|thumb|May just go where no one's been, we'll ride the spiral to the end. BlackThenWhite areAll I seeIn my infancyRed and yellow then came to beReaching out to meLets me seeThere isSoMuchMore andBeckons meTo look through to theseInfinite possibilitiesAs below, so above and beyond, I imagineDrawn outside the lines of reasonPush the envelopeWatch it bendOver-thinking, over-analysing separates the body from the mindWithering my intuition, leaving all these opportunities behind I embrace myDesire toI embrace myDesire toI embrace myDesire toFeel the rhythm, toFeel connectedEnough to step aside andWeep like a widow, toFeel inspired, toFathom the power, toWitness the beauty, toBathe in the fountain, toSwing on the spiral, toSwing on the spiral, toTo swing on the spiral ofOur divinity andStill be a humanWith my feet upon the ground ILose myself between the sounds andOpen wide to suck it in, IFeel it move across my skin, I'mReaching up and reaching out, I'mReaching for the random or what-Ever will bewilder me, what-Ever will bewilder me, andFollowing our will and wind weMay just go where no one's been, we'llRide the spiral to the end andMay just go where no one's beenSpiral out, keep going… "Reflection" right|thumb|I may find peace within the emptiness. I have come curiously close to the end—downBeneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole I may find peace within the emptiness And in my darkest moment, fetal and weepingThe moon tells me a secret—my confidant I must crucify the ego before it's far too late And we will come to find that we are all one mind "Faaip de Oiad" According to Danny Carey, the voice in this song is a person who called the Art Bell syndicated radio programme on 11 September 1997.  However, a YouTube video containing the original transmission can be found with an upload date predating the date provided by Carey.  A caller admitted some point later that he was the caller and that his original call was fraudulent. right|thumb|What we're thinking of as—as aliens, uh—they're—th-they're extradimensional beings that an earlier precursor of the, um, the space program made contact with.  Uh, they-they are not what they claim to be. ~ Recording from the Art Bell syndicated radio programme right|thumb|The government knows about them.  And, th-there's a lot of safe areas in this world that they could begin moving the population to now.  They are not!  They want those major population centres wiped out so that the—the few that are left will be more easily controllable. ~ Recording from the Art Bell syndicated radio programme I'm a former employee of Area 51.  I-I was let go on a medical discharge about a week ago and, and... What we're thinking of as—as aliens, uh—they're—th-they're extradimensional beings that an earlier precursor of the, um, the space programme made contact with.  Uh, they-they are not what they claim to be. The government knows about them.  And, th-there's a lot of safe areas in this world that they could begin moving the population to now.  They are not!  They want those major population centres wiped out so that the—the few that are left will be more easily controllable. 10,000 Days (2006) "Vicarious" Eye on the t.v.'Cause tragedy thrills me It's no fun 'til someone dies I need to watch things dieFrom a good, safe distanceVicariously, I live while the whole world dies Blood, like rain, come downDrum on grave and ground The universe is hostileSo impersonalDevour to survive, so it isSo it's always beenWe all feedOn tragedyIt's like blood to a vampireVicariously, ILive while the whole world diesMuch better you than I "Jambi" right|thumb|Shine on forever. Here from a wild dream come true But I, I would wish it all awayIf I thought I'd lose you just one day The devil and his had me downIn love with the dark side I'd found Prayed like a martyr dusk to dawnBegged like a hooker all night longTempted the devil with my songAnd got what I wanted all along Shine on forever shine on, benevolent sun shine down upon the broken <br< shine on til the two become one Divided, I'm withering away Breathe in union "Wings for Marie, Pt. 1" right|thumb|A passionate spirit, uncompromised, boundless and open.  …  Who could deny you were the one who illuminated your little piece of the divine? A passionate spiritUncompromisedBoundless and open What am I to say to all these ghouls tonight? "10,000 Days (Wings, Pt. 2)" Listen to the tales as we all rationaliseOur way into the arms of the savior Who could denyYou were the one who illuminated your little piece of the divine? Ten thousand days in the fire is long enough you're going home You're the only one who could hold your head up high shake your fist at the gate saying, "I have come home now" Fetch me the Spirit, the Son and Father Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended It's time now My time now Give me my Give me my wings Set as I am in my ways and my arroganceBurden of proof tossed upon the believersYou were my witness, my eyes, my evidenceJudith Marie, unconditional one Judith Marie Keenan (22 November 1943 – 18 June 2003) was Maynard James Keenan's mother "The Pot" right|thumb|He's guilty as the government. You must have been high You must have been so high Weeping shades of indigo Liar, lawyer, mirror; for you, what's the difference?Kangaroo be stoned; he's guilty as the government "Rosetta Stoned" right|thumb|It was so real, like I woke up in Wonderland.  All sort of terrifying. Ten to two a.m., X, Yogi DMT, and a box of Krispy Kremes E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose.  He said, "You are the Chosen One, the One who will deliver the message.  A message of hope for those who choose to hear it and a warning for those who do not." This is so real It was so realLike I woke up in WonderlandAll sort of terrifying You believe me, don't you?Please believe what I just saidSee the Dead ain't touringAnd this wasn't all in my head I can't remember what they said to me "Intension" right|thumb|Pure as we begin. Work hardStay in schoolListen to your motherYour father is right, sonJesus loves you These lyrics are played backwards Pure as we begin "Right in Two" right|thumb|Father blessed them all with reason, and this is what they choose? right|thumb|Monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground.  Silly monkeys, give them thumbs, they make a club and beat their brother down.  How they survive so misguided is a mystery. Angels on the sidelinePuzzled and amusedWhy did Father give these humans free will?Now they're all confused Father blessed them all with reasonAnd this is what they choose Monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the groundSilly monkeys, give them thumbs, they make a club and beat their brother downHow they survive so misguided is a mystery Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here Fear Inoculum (2019) "Fear Inoculum" The Deceiver says, he says:"You belong to me. You don't wanna breathe the light of the others.Fear the light. Fear the breath. Fear the others for eternity."But I hear them now. Inhale the clarity. I hear the venom, the venom in what you say.Inoculated.Bless this immunity. "Pneuma" Pneuma.Reach out and beyond.Wake up, remember.We are born of One Breath, One Word.We are all One Spark, eyes full of wonder. "Invincible" Tears in my eyes chasing Ponce de León's phantoms.So filled with hope I can taste mythical fountains.False hope, perhaps, but the truth never got in my way before now.Feel the sting. Feeling time bearing down. "Descending" Free fall through our midnight, this epilogue of our own fable.Heedless in our slumber.Floating nescient we free fall through this boundlessness, this madness of our own making.Falling isn't flying. Floating isn't infinite... "Culling Voices" Judge, Condemn, and banish any and everyone.Without evidence.Only the whispers from within. Psychopathy.Misleading me over and over and over. "7empest" [Keepin it calm. Keep calm. Keepin it calm. Keep calm. Keep calm. FUCK. Here we go again] Control, your delusion. Insane and striking at random.Victim of your certainty, and therefore your doubt's not an option.Blameless, The 7empest will be just that.So try as you may, feeble, your attempt to atone. Your words to erase all the damage cannot. A 7empest must be just that. Other songs "Divorced" (by the Melvins featuring Tool) And your death will profit off me "Revolution" (demo collaboration by Tool and Rage Against the Machine) Give him your love, give him your love to save him You can kill the revolutionaryBut you can't kill the revolution About Tool right|thumb|Tool is a fascinating anomaly. ~ Keith P. McManus right|thumb|The music of Tool is the dark slime of a warm, black night.  Tool is an escape, a subtle revolution of sound and perception.  The musical landscape this band crafts…is the fulfilment of life, surreally black and purely haunting. ~ Alexander S. Peak right|thumb|The band jumped into an extremely heavy cover of the Ramones' "Commando," baffling some fans and driving others into an approving fit of screams. ~ Robin A. Rothman Opening strong with their first hit, 1993's "Sober," the crowd - predominantly made up of younger fans, rabid with anticipation - was rushed into a hot frenzy.  Lead singer Maynard James Keenan, as is customary for the enigmatic frontman, loomed in the background with his back facing the audience for most of the show.  And as the first few songs let their last few notes fade away, Keenan disrobed, removing various parts of his ensemble, leaving him with nothing more then black underwear and a stripe of black paint on his face. Tool has the goods and puts on a blinding display of heavy metal energy mixed with cerebral art focus. Matt Dentler, "Tool in need of some repair," The Daily Texan (29 July 2002). Keenan…wore an all-black leather outfit, had his face painted black and stood on a spinning platform some distance from the front stage; he never seemed to look at the crowd. Gavin Engler, "TOOL Concert 101," Law Society Gazette (1993). We always try to think of something that's never been done before, you know, as far as album packaging, and I've been a fan of stereoscopic photography my whole life and belong to the Southern California Stereoscopic Club. And we thought if we could get this to work with our budget, you know, and put this out, it'd be really unique and reflecting, you know, a lot of the artwork that I appreciate from the '70s. Adam Jones on his artwork for the 10,000 Days album packaging, quoted in "TOOL Guitarist Wins GRAMMY For 'Best Recording Package'," Blabbermouth.net (11 February 2007). In an interview with Rolling Stone last July, Jones reiterated how the lawsuit was affecting the band.  "It's costing millions and millions and millions of dollars to defend us.  And the fans are all going, 'We want a new Tool album. What the fuck?'" Jones said.  "But the point is, we're fighting the good fight.  We're going to trial and we want to crush them.  But every time we've gotten close to going to trial, it gets postponed and we've wasted money and time and it has just drained our creative energy.  We bought an insurance policy for peace of mind, but instead we would have been better off if we never had it and just dealt with the original lawsuit." Daniel Kreps, "Tool Speed Up Progress on New Album After Settling Lawsuit," Rolling Stone (Sunday, 15 March 2015). Tool is a fascinating anomaly. The video presentation…offered a stunning visual complement to the band's furious sonic assault. In the popular musical climate of today, which seems to favor the blandness of processed rap metal or the redundancy of uninspired readymade pop outfits, it is refreshing that a band such as Tool exists to add some much-needed freshness to the contemporary musical landscape. Keith P. McManus, "Tool thrills audience," The Flat Hat (5 October 2001). Wrath and pain, desire and self-loathing, ferocity and meditation all find a complicated balance in Tool. Avoiding self-glorification, the band played in near-darkness under video screens on Monday.  Maynard James Keenan, Tool's lead singer, stood on a platform behind Adam Jones on guitar and Justin Chancellor on bass, with his face in shadows, while Danny Carey on drums toiled meticulously by his side. Its songs hammer and seethe, melding the lowdown guitars of grunge, the odd meters of progressive rock and the whiplash stops and starts of thrash.  Mr. Keenan's sustained, almost androgynous voice hovers within the music, desolate but impervious to the tumult around him. Tool's songs encompassed sullen calm, rapid-fire onslaughts, spacious chords and nimble-fingered counterpoint.  Standing room sometimes became a mosh pit.  But midway through its two-hour set, Tool chose stasis with a patiently tolling guitar vamp like a mantra.  Its fastest music also had a ritual quality, pounding and repeating like drummers in a trance ceremony.  Songs that rev up and end abruptly on Tool's albums only accelerated further, riffing harder and harder as if, through furious motion, they could somehow break through Tool's perpetual tension to reach a long-denied release. Jon Pareles, "POP REVIEW; Flailing Wildly to Escape the Darkness," The New York Times (6 October 2001). The music of Tool is the dark slime of a warm, black night.  Tool is an escape, a subtle revolution of sound and perception.  The musical landscape this band crafts…is the fulfilment of life, surreally black and purely haunting. Alexander S. Peak, "To Tool," alexpeak.com (23 January 2008). "This song goes out to," vocalist and songwriter Maynard James Keenan began slowly.  And then he paused.  And he paused still.  And he finally finished, "Joey and Dee Dee."  The band jumped into an extremely heavy cover of the Ramones' "Commando," baffling some fans and driving others into an approving fit of screams. Robin A. Rothman, "Tool Takes Radio City," Rolling Stone (14 August 2002). What can I say about 10,000 Days, really?  It sounds exactly and precisely like a Tool album.  They might as well have not have released it at all, because anyone who's ever heard Tool could simply imagine what a new Tool album would sound like, and this is exactly what they'd imagine. First up, "Vicarious": a Dateline Special Report on violence in the news media featuring guest commentator Maynard James Keenan.  Excellent!  I've been hoping to hear Maynard weigh in on the hottest issue of 1990. Particularly impressed was I with "Lipan Conjuring," which was so thoughtful an addition to the album that I feel as if it were included just for me.  You see, I went to the record store with only fifteen dollars in my pocket, and I had a devil of a time deciding between 10,000 Days and Native Moods: A Pathway to Peace.  On one hand, I love rockin' out to some ten-minute chugging shuffles, but there's another part of my soul that craves the inner harmony that can only be brought on from some high-quality chanting.  It was with a heavy heart that I left the store carrying only one of these two things— or so I thought!  Imagine my immense pleasure when my hard rock album was interrupted— no, that's too harsh a word— when my hard rock album was magnificently bolstered by exactly the sort of stupid fucking crap I might hear on some grocery store counter impulse buy CD of New Age chanting bullshit!  Bravo!  I can have my cake and eat it too, and while I eat my cake I can listen to some total crap! Dr. David Thorpe, "Tool's 10,000 Days," Something Awful (Tuesday, 9 May 2006). Tool are one of the few bands who have made themselves famous by disregarding all expectations of them. A strangely chatty Maynard James Keenan broke his self-imposed exile and spoke casually to the crowd, inciting them to a cheer of "Yes!" and sometimes sharing his thoughts, most of which were unashamedly eccentric to say the least. With their feet firmly planted on their spot on the stage and their faces obscured by their long hair, the players simply let their instruments communicate, and made no attempt to try it any other way.  Adam Jones in particular was a foreboding figure – his sheer stillness contrasted drastically by the strained and pained sounds he forced from his guitar. [T]he band were as impeccably precise on their instruments as they are on record, with every dynamic, subtlety and thread of power displayed flawlessly. As esoteric and arcane as their music tends to be, there's no doubt that this unique group of musicians weave their magic to everlasting effect. Kev Truong, "Tool, The Melvins, Osseus Labyrint - April 24th, 2002 - Sydney, Australia @ Sydney Entertainment Centre," Blistering. The album art was a unique design created by artist Alex Grey.  The art is different layers of patterns with the different layers of the human body.  In Alex Grey's book "Transfigurations" he says the "saw blade" made of eyes "represents the primordial spirit of emptiness and awareness.  The next layer was a vajra emitting energy, the subtle essence of soul around which the physical body coagulates.  The next several layers detail the physical systems of viscera, skeletal, muscular, nervous, and cardiovascular systems." Sam Wolfe, "Interesting Facts About Tool's Music," SamWolfe.com (Saturday, 30 March 2013). External links https://toolband.com/ Art website Category:American bands Category:Progressive metal Category:Alternative metal