Year: 2001
Vocals: Maynard James Keenan
Guitars: Adam Jones
Drums: Danny Carey
Bass: Justin Chancellor
It took Tool five years to release a new album after hitting a new peak with their 1996 release Aenima. It’s easy to disappoint after creating such hype, but thankfully, Lateralus didn’t just live up to high expectations, it created new ones.
The five years of time and effort taken to put out this album are easily apparent in a few good listens. Compared to Aenima, everything about Lateralus is amplified. The guitars sound heavier, the drums are deeper, the bass is just beautiful and Maynard’s voice ranges from melodic whispers to piercing screams.
Tool has explored a theme that is difficult to do without sound whiny. The album revolves around subjects like mending broken relationships and finding inner peace. Maynard displays a spectrum of emotions from bitterness to anger to enlightenment, often swinging from one to another. Musically, Lateralus is an album unlike any other, even by Tool itself. While the overall sound is heavier and highly complex, the noisy parts are punctuated by thoughtful silences. The end result is a very emotional space that immediately arouses a comparison to Pink Floyd. The album is also a triumph on a technical level. Each musician in the band seems to be absorbed in his own patterns, yet nothing seems out of place.
All in all, Lateralus can be considered a definition of “worth the wait”. 13 years later, it still stands proudly as a metal masterpiece. The follow-up to it, 10,000 Days, also took five years to release and is an excellent album. However, Lateralus still shines the brightest among all the jewels in Tool’s crown.
Listen:
Tracklist:
1. “The Grudge”
2. “Eon Blue Apocalypse” (Instrumental)
3. “The Patient”
4. “Mantra” (Instrumental)
5. “Schism”
6. “Parabol”
7. “Parabola”
8. “Ticks & Leeches”
9. “Lateralus”
10. “Disposition”
11. “Reflection”
12. “Triad”
13. “Faaip de Oiad”
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