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Tool is an American Progressive Metal band, formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California, when drummer Danny Carey joined the rehearsal of his neighbor, singer Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Paul d'Amour, when nobody else would show up. His decision proved to be a stroke of luck when the band turned out to become a highly successful act, "introducing dark, vaguely underground metal to the preening pretentiousness of art rock" — most notably due to their influential third album, Ænima (1996). They have gained appreciation and critical praise for a complex and ever-evolving sound, that ranges from "slam and bang" heavy metal on their first release to more progressive influenced songwriting on Lateralus (2001) which "in another era * would have been considered progressive rock, ten tons of impressive pretension."

Their overall sound has been described as "grinding, post-Jane's Addiction heavy metal" as well as "a primal sound as distinct as it is disturbing" — most simplified categorizations of the band's genre are often dismissed (see: Arguments About Genre & Categorization). They are known for addressing philosophical and spiritual issues in their lyrics, such as evolution and Jungian psychology ("Forty Six & 2"), organized religion ("Opiate") and transcendence ("Lateralus"), as well as for songs that feature "complex rhythm changes, haunting vocals, and an onslaught of changes in dynamics" which often result in a greater-than-average track length. Additionally, most of their music videos feature stop-motion animation created by Jones, in a style similar to the Brothers Quay — "strange puzzle-like four minute movies" — which tend to perpetuate the perception of Tool as a "dark, disturbing" band.

Their music has been influenced by King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Dream Theater, and early Yes, among several others. In turn, the list of bands that have been inspired by Tool is long and prestigious.

Currently

10,000 Days

Main article: 10,000 Days
Tool's new record, entitled 10,000 Days, was released on April 28 in parts of Europe, on April 29 in Australia, May 1 in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the US. The album opener "Vicarious" premiered on US radio stations on April 17, the album itself sold approximately 550,000 copies in its opening week in the US alone, securing itself the top spot in some international charts. However, 10,000 Days critical reception was less favourable than its predecessor Lateralus, as evidenced by a Metacritic score of 69 *.

New tour

Tool have recently confirmed the dates for a mostly European tour in support of their recently released album 10,000 Days this summer. Similar to the Lateralus tour in 2001, this year's European tour is preceded by a US tour in smaller venues. The tour kicked off at the Coachella Festival on April 30. More tour dates and venues can be found at the official Tool website *.

New DVD releases

On December 20, 2005, two DVDs were released, one containing the music video single for "Schism" and the other for "Parabola". Also included with each DVD is a dual commentary section and a remix of each song by Brian "Lustmord" Williams. In Europe, the DVD singles were released on January 9, 2006.

Additionally, news on the official website reported that the much-speculated-about live DVD is still in the works as a completely separate project, with the release date still "a great unknown."

History

The early days (1990–1995)

During the 1980s the future members of Tool, guitarist/bassist Paul d'Amour, drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones and singer Maynard James Keenan coincidentally moved to Los Angeles — while d'Amour and Jones wanted to enter the film industry, Carey already was a professional drummer playing for Carole King, Pigmy Love Circus and Green Jellÿ. Keenan, along with d'Amour and Jones started their own band at the end of the decade, urgently in need for a drummer. It was Tom Morello, a high school friend of Jones, who introduced Carey to the band in 1990 and eventually helped the formation of Tool.

"I met Adam through Tom Morello of Rage (Against the Machine). And I was living beside Maynard. I never auditioned for them. I felt kind of sorry for them, because they would invite people over to play, and they wouldn't show up, so I'd fill in." (Danny Carey)

Tool immediately received recognition for their first commercial release, Opiate (1992), borrowing the name from Karl Marx's famous quote: "Religion * is the opium of the masses." The six-song EP included some of the heaviest songs the band had written, among them the singles "Hush" and "Opiate" which quickly gained attention. A music video for "Hush" was created by Failure's Ken Andrews, with the band members appearing naked with their mouths covered by duct tape, symbolically protesting censorship. Ironically, due to FCC requirements demanding to censor the genitalia of the band members, the video eventually showed the band's genitalia covered with parental guidance stickers.

Tool were quick to release their first full-length album, Undertow (1993), soon after Opiate, because many of the songs on Undertow had already been written at the time Opiate came out. Tool then began touring with Rollins Band, Fishbone, and Rage Against The Machine. Eventually, they were hired to play the 2nd stage at Lollapalooza in 1993 (see 1993 in music), where they attracted great attention. This helped to boost the popularity of Undertow and before long, the album was certified gold by the RIAA. The album was eventually certified double platinum on May 14, 2001.

The band also received negative publicity, however. With the release of the 1994 single "Prison Sex" and its music video, directed and created by Adam Jones, the American branch of MuchMusic called the band into question by deeming the video too graphic and offensive, while MTV stopped airing the video after a few viewings — both due to a symbolic dealing with the sensitive subject of child abuse. Maynard James Keenan, who wrote the lyrics, has been quite clear about his antipathy towards his stepfather during early interviews about the song, and therefore, during a meeting with MuchMusic that was supposed to clarify the situation, the only subject covered was Keenan's past and childhood.

Another incident took place at the Garden Pavillion, also known as the Scientology Celebrity Center, in Hollywood, CA in May 1993:

"Tool performed at Scientology's Celebrity's Center, apparently not knowing that this was the home of the cult. Once they found out, they did not take it nicely. Between songs, Keenan, staring first at the lush grounds paid for by devoted L. Ron followers and then into the eyes of his own audience, bayed into the mic like a sheep looking for his shepherd's gate. 'Baaaaa! Baaaaa!' the singer bleated." (BAM Magazine, November 1994).

In September 1995, shortly after recording for their second album began, D'Amour left the band amicably. In November, he was replaced by Justin Chancellor, a member of Peach, an English band with whom Tool had previously toured in Europe.

Ænima, legal issues, A Perfect Circle and Salival (1996–2000)

After Justin Chancellor came on board, Tool finished the already-begun Ænima, which was subsequently released in October of 1996 (see 1996 in music). Once again, a single had difficulty gaining airplay: this time it was "Stinkfist". MTV America renamed the music video of the song "Track #1" for offensive connotations, and multiple radio edits were made to both shorten the song and change its lyrics. However, an overwhelming fan response compelled most radio stations to play the track uncut. In addition, Matt Pinfield, the host of MTV's 120 Minutes, responded to fan complaints by waving his fist in front of his face on air while explaining the reason for the name change as he introduced the video. Ænima was Tool's last studio album release for five years.

The album was dedicated to satirist Bill Hicks who had died two-and-a-half years before its release. Some clips of Hicks' performances are included on Ænima and Undertow, including multiple sketches about psychoactive drugs and a sample of a bleating sheep. Tool also derived the lyric "Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona Bay," (the chorus of the song "Ænema") from another popular Bill Hicks sketch about his distaste for Los Angeles. Eventually, "Ænema" would win Tool's first Grammy Award.

During their 1997 tour to support the album, Tool appeared at Lollapalooza again, this time as a headliner, gaining critical praise from the NY Times:

"Tool was returning in triumph to Lollapalooza after appearing among the obscure bands on the festival's smaller stage in 1993. Now Tool is the prime attraction for a festival that's struggling to maintain its purpose. * Tool uses taboo-breaking imagery for hellfire moralizing in songs that swerve from bitter reproach to nihilistic condemnation. Its music has refined all the troubled majesty of grunge."

The same year, Volcano Records alleged contract violations against Tool and filed suit. Tool looked at offers from other record labels, an action not allowed, according to Volcano. After Tool filed a counter suit stating Volcano failed to use a renewal option in their contract, the parties settled out of court. The parties later agreed to a new contract, a three-record deal. This legal battle put a great strain on the band and delayed work on their next album. During this time, Keenan founded a new band, A Perfect Circle, with long-time Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel.

Rumors that Tool were breaking up began to spread until the band decided to release the VHS/DVD/CD box set Salival in 2000 (see 2000 in music), putting an end to these rumors. The box set featured one new original recording, "Merkaba", as well as recordings of unique live versions and B-sides, including a cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter", a Peach cover called "You Lied" and a new version of "Pushit" which became extremely popular among fans. Also included in the box set were four of the band's videos, "Stinkfist", "Ænema", "Prison Sex" and "Sober". The DVD also contained a bonus video of the track "Hush", from the Opiate EP. Although this release did not produce any singles, the hidden track "Maynard's Dick" (a track which dates back to the Opiate era *) briefly found its way to FM radio when several DJs chose to sneak it onto the air without permission.

Lateralus - Rumors, a tour, and DVD singles (2001-2005)

In January 2001, the rumor mill surrounding the band gained new life when Tool announced their new album, Systema Encéphale, along with a tracklist full of esoteric and obscure words such as "Numbereft", "Encephatalis", "Musick", and "Coeliacus". As anticipated, file-sharing engines such as Napster became flooded with bogus files disguised as those songs. During that time, Tool members were outspokenly critical of engines like Napster due to the negative impact on smaller artists that are dependent on success in record sales to continue their career.

"I think there are a lot of other industries out there that might deserve being destroyed. The ones who get hurt by MP3s are not so much companies or the business, but the artists, people who are trying to write songs." Keenan during an interview with NY Rock in 2000

Only one month later, they revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus and that the name Systema Encéphale and the tracklist had been a ruse, much to the dismay of music magazines and commercial websites who had committed headlong to the fake title. Lateralus features songs averaging six-and-a-half minutes in length, unwieldy even for most ambitious disc jockeys. The length of the music video for "Parabola" clocked in at an unheard of ten-and-a-half minutes, almost condemning it from being aired on mainstream music channels.

Nevertheless, the album became a success the world over, reaching #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts on its debut week. Tool received their second Grammy Award for the best metal performance of 2001 for the song "Schism". After extensive touring throughout 2001 and 2002, including a 10-show mini-tour with King Crimson in August, their latest tour came to an end on November 24th, 2002 in Long Beach, CA at Long Beach Arena. Although the end of the tour seemed to spell another dormancy for the band, they did not become completely inactive. While Keenan recorded and toured with A Perfect Circle, the other band members released an official yet fanclub exclusive interview and a recording of some of their new material. Three hundred pre-released and autographed copies of the "double vinyl four-picture disc" edition of Lateralus, which was officially released on 2005-08-23 were made exclusively available as well.

On December 20th 2005, two DVDs were released, one containing the single "Schism" and the other "Parabola". Both DVDs have the music videos for each single, along with commentary. In addition, each disc has a remix of each song by Lustmord. The two DVD singles were released on 2006-01-09 in Europe.

10,000 Days (2006)

Following another prolonged break, during which Keenan rejoined A Perfect Circle to record and tour, he joined his bandmates to work on a new record. After some minor details about their new material emerged, such as the influence of Lateralus tourmates Fantômas and Meshuggah, the notorious rumor mill surrounding new Tool-releases resurfaced as well, as it was fueled by unusal incidents. One of the main controversies regarding the new release was the album title. After rumored titles such as Teleincision had been dismissed, a news item on the official Tool website eventually announced the new album's name: 10,000 Days.

Nevertheless, rumors did not cease to emerge, partly due to said unusual incidents: the news item was posted on March 3, 2006; however, the same day, it was removed from the official site and left only to the fanclub exclusive area. Why it was posted non-exclusively and then removed remains a mystery. The rumors surrounding the band's activities reached a point where it was speculated that they had fabricated a "decoy" album, creating an elaborate hoax to fool audiences until the day of release. They only began to subside when a leaked copy of the album was illegally distributed via filesharing networks preceding the release date by two weeks. The record was eventually released as announced on May 2, 2006 in the US, and debuted at the top spots of various international charts. Despite being available on said filesharing networks, 10,000 Days sold 564,000 copies in its opening week in the US alone.

Arguments about genre and categorization

Because of Tool's experimental approach to music, it is disputed how to define their place in reference to traditional musical genres. Tool are inarguably a part of the rock genre, but just where they fall in that genre and how much influence past groups have exerted on Tool is the subject of debate among both fans and casual listeners.

In many cases, Tool is categorized as alternative metal, a broad label used to loosely categorize bands (such as Jane's Addiction, Rage Against the Machine, and Faith No More, among others) that straddle the line between the aesthetics and fanbases of metal and alternative rock.

In a similar vein, Tool is categorized as a progressive rock (or "prog") band. Those who feel that Tool are progressive rock artists frequently cite the popular (and admittedly broad) definition of prog. It is a style of rock music that seeks to move away from the mainstream by "pushing the envelope" of the rock genre, creating new sounds and styles that often possess a characteristically high level of layering and complexity, elements of which can easily be found in the band's music: be it the complex rhythms used in songs like "Schism" (5/8 to 7/8, or in 6.5/8 according to Justin Chancellor), or "Lateralus" which moves from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8, dissonance in other songs, or the incorporation of a "pipe bomb microphone" (a guitar pickup mounted inside a brass cylinder), and a talk box guitar solo ("Jambi").

Beyond the broad definition of prog as an experimental art form, however, lies much debate about what really makes a band part of the prog scene:

"As far as the prog references go, we embrace them. However, we would prefer our new moniker, which is a Mulligan stew of progressive rock, Bulgarian folk metal, rock ’n’ roll, ’80s disco and Christian rap that we like to call Munge." (Keenan, interviewed by the Boston Herald, 2006)

Perhaps the band most cited as a Tool influence is King Crimson, admittedly a favorite group of Tool themselves. King Crimson are listed at the forefront of progressive rock. However, longtime King Crimson member Robert Fripp has expressed disdain for the term as an oversimplification, and in an interview with Tool, touched briefly on how the two bands relate to each other:

"Robert Fripp: I was very impressed that the visuals and the band were all part of the same performance. It was ... seamless. It was something like, "These guys are playing to the same track." But without being external to the film ... There was an integrity to it all.
Danny Carey: Thanks ... We all kind of grew up listening to you.
*
Maynard James Keenan (referring to an upcoming concert tour): First of all we're terrified to go on after you, and second of all we're gonna have all these kids in the audience going, 'Hey, TOOL ripped these guys off blind!'
Danny Carey: It feels like that sometimes, for sure!
Robert Fripp: Do you hear the influence? There's just one figure where I hear an influence, just one. It was a piece we were developing that we dropped. And it's almost exactly the same figure: three note arpeggio with a particular accent from the guitar. So I don't think you could have heard it. That's the only thing."
Tool Army exclusive interview

So even among the band and their peers there still remains a debate, not only about their place in progressive rock but also about just how closely they resemble their progenitors who are themselves only debatably established in the genre.

When Tool are not called prog, they are typically referred to as some sub-category of metal. Keenan's unique style of singing has been repeatedly seen influencing new artists, such as Pete Loeffler (of Chevelle), Aaron Lewis (of Staind), David Draiman (of Disturbed), Steve Richards (of Taproot), and Jesse Hasek (of 10 Years). When asked about "these bands who list as an influence" during an interview in July 2001 with the Australian music magazine [http://www.drummedia.com.au/ Drum Media Keenan replied:

"I don't really see the connection. Because there is some intensity in some of our songs, I think these bands pick up the surface noise, and that's their influence. When I hear these loud, goofy posturing idiots jumping up and down, more concerned about their hairdos than their music, it's just we don't do that, what am I missing? There's nothing to the music that moves me, or compels me to want to sit down and listen to it, which is unfortunate. Maybe I'm just a cynical old bastard." ([http://toolshed.down.net/articles/index.php?action=view-article&id=July_2001--Drum_Media.html toolshed.down.net's transcription)

Additionally, one could cite the backwardness of the logic applied in the nu metal case. If such were applied in other cases, the blues artists who influenced Led Zeppelin could be argued as belonging to hard rock or heavy metal, or the dub music and reggae artists who influenced The Clash could be thought of as punk rock in some sense.

Tool are sometimes given an extended genre that would appear to be specific to the band, such as "psychedelic math metal" (see MTV News: The Pain of Perfection) - as other bands that have defied a common classification have. They have also been listed under many genres that people do not normally consider them to be a part of, such as jazz rock (a slight reinforcer to progressive rock assertions), and sometimes even trip-hop, although this occurs mostly as an allusion to a unique live set that featured Tricky.

How well one accepts any of the applied classifications is often a matter of taste. Many people are displeased that "genre theory" is being applied to Tool at all, arguing that far too often genre classification is useless or even limiting.

Etymology

The name "Tool" was alleged by drummer Danny Carey in a 1994 interview to mean that the band served its fans as a tool through which those people would come to understand lachrymology, a pseudophilosophy that the band has alleged was founded in 1949 by Ronald P. Vincent after the death of his wife in a snow plowing accident. However, it is more likely that the band made this up in order to create a unique backdrop for their own beliefs.

Other beliefs about the origin of Tool's name include a nickname for "brown-nosing" or potentially self-righteous army cadets. Maynard James Keenan attended a preparatory institute for the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the first song on Undertow (titled "Intolerance") refererences a military honor code that admonishes all cadets, and which the "tools" follow to the letter: "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do (*)." In a similar vein, the band created a segue track ("Useful Idiot") for Ænima — a term used to designate internal dissidents who are seen to objectively benefit an enemy faction (during the Cold War era, U.S. propagandists attempted to attribute the use of this insult about Western communist sympathizers to Vladimir Lenin.)

Based on an early logo and B-side, the name may come from a slang for male genitals.

Members

Current members

Previous members

Side projects

To see a more detailed description of each band members' side projects, please refer to their respective articles.
All of the members of Tool have their own side projects that exist both during and after Tool's own time for recording and touring. To summarize in brief, their side projects are as follows:

Guest musicians

These musicians have joined Tool on stage:

Discography

Studio albums and EPs

38
Year Title Label Notes Peak chart positions
UK US
1992 Opiate Zoo/BMG/Volcano: US EP. Platinum: Over 1,000,000 Sold
1993 Undertow Zoo/BMG/Volcano: US Double Platinum: Over 2,000,000 Sold 50
1996 Ænima Zoo/BMG/Volcano: US Triple Platinum: Over 3,000,000 Sold 108 2
2000 Salival Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: US limited CD/DVD/VHS boxset
2001 Lateralus Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: US Double Platinum: 2,298,000 Sold 16 1
2006 10,000 Days Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: US Platinum Overall: 1,033,831 Copies Sold 4 1

Singles

Year Title Label Notes Peak chart positions
UK US
1994 Prison Sex Zoo/BMG: DE 4-Track Slimline Jewelcase
1994 Prison Sex Zoo/BMG: UK 4-Track Slimline Jewelcase; 4-Track Grey Vinyl 81
1994 Prison Sex Zoo/BMG: AU 5-Track Cardsleeve
1994 Sober Zoo/BMG: DE 3-Track Slimline Jewelcase
1994 Sober Zoo/BMG: UK 3-Track Picture Disc Vinyl
1994 Sober - Tales From The Darkside Zoo/BMG: Dutch 9-Track Slimline Jewelcase
1994 Sober Zoo/BMG: AU 3-Track Cardsleeve
2005 Schism Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: US DVD; Tri-Fold Digipak
2005 Parabola Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: US DVD; Tri-Fold Digipak
2006 Vicarious Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: US

Other releases

Year Title Label Notes
1991 Tool Toolshed promotional EP

Charting Positions

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US Mainstream Rock US Modern Rock
1992 "Hush" - - - Opiate
1992 "Opiate" - - 40 Opiate
1993 "Sober" - 13 - Undertow
1993 "Prison Sex" - 32 - Undertow
1996 "Stinkfist" - 17 19 Ænima
1997 "H." - 23 - Ænima
1997 "Ænema" - 25 - Ænima
1997 "Forty Six & 2" - 22 34 Ænima
2000 "Maynard's Dick" - 40 - Salival
2001 "Schism" 67 2 2 Lateralus
2001 "Parabola" - 10 31 Lateralus
2002 "Lateralus" - 14 18 Lateralus
2006 "Vicarious" 55 2 2 10,000 Days
2006 "Right In Two" - - - 10,000 Days
2006 "The Pot" - - 36 10,000 Days

Trivia

For trivia regarding the specific albums, please refer to the according album articles listed in the discography section of this article.
  • Tool maintains a reading list for the edification of their fans *.

  • Tool has long been associated with outlandish April Fools' Day jokes, such as a falsified bus crash in 1997 which originated on their leading fan site*. Most recently, on April 1st, 2005, Maynard James Keenan collaborated with that same site that he had "rediscovered Jesus" and that Tool would have to "take the backseat." Many media outlets, including MTV, fell for the pranks and reported them as true. Maynard later clarified that Jesus was a drunkard and "a total punk" whom he encountered while "location scouting" in Los Angeles.

  • Comedian Bill Hicks has influenced and is well respected by the band. Samples of his comedy are featured on "Third Eye" and the booklet for Ænima features a painting of him entitled Another Dead Hero. The lenticular casing of the CD shows California falling into the Pacific Ocean, which is derived from a Bill Hicks bit about his hatred of Los Angeles and inspired the term "Arizona Bay".

  • The band's radio singles and accompanying music videos include: "Hush" from Opiate, "Sober" and "Prison Sex" from Undertow, "Stinkfist" and "Ænema" from Ænima, and "Schism" and "Parabola" from Lateralus. "Hush" is the only video where the band members appear prominently, although they appear briefly in "Sober" as well. Although the videos are directed primarily by guitarist Adam Jones, many were created with the help of outside artists such as Cam de Leon, Alex Grey, the Brothers Strause, and interpretive dance duo Osseus Labyrint.

  • Radio singles for which no official music videos were made include: "Opiate" from Opiate, "Eulogy", "Forty-Six & 2", and "H." from Ænima, and "Lateralus" from Lateralus.

  • Tool have performed songs by other artists occasionally in their live sets. These songs include: "Spasm" (Peach), "You Lied" (Peach), "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent), "Demon Cleaner" (Kyuss), "No Quarter" (Led Zeppelin), and "Commando" (The Ramones).

  • Noted tabla player Aloke Dutta taught Danny Carey much of his own tabla technique and other percussive lessons. He has joined Tool on stage to perform a second version of "Pushit" that can be heard on Salival.

  • Tricky appears, uncredited, in the video for "Parabola". He and his band, including reggae artist Hawkman, have also joined Tool on stage to help perform "Reflection" and "Opiate".

  • The song "Ticks & Leeches" is only rarely performed live due to the immense strain on singer Keenan's voice. However, they have performed it at least a few times during their 2002 tour (e.g. when appearing in Sacramento, CA, Tacoma, WA, London, and Berlin *) with Keenan using heavy vocal effects and distortion.

  • In 2005, Tool's web domain Toolband.com was rerouted to a gateway to the known official Tool websites. According to Distortion Online, the Tool logo seen on the gateway page is not a new logo, but an invention by web designer Joshua Davis, who has reportedly been asked by Adam Jones to take over the Tool websites.

  • The video for "Hush" is directed by Ken Andrews, who was part of the now defunct band, Failure.

  • Third Eye Open: The String Tribute to Tool is a tribute album released in 2001. A number of Tool songs are rearranged for classical music string instruments (violins, viola, cello and a double bass) with at least three musicians. The lack of percussion is sometimes countered with "clicking" col legno and other bowing techniques. Tool's songs are mostly multi-sectioned, and the band's sophisticated grasp of harmony allows for an interesting instrumental interpretation. A second volume of string tribute titled Metamorphic: The String Tribute to Tool Volume 2 was released in 2003 featuring two groups of musicians, including the group from Third Eye Open. Other tributes to Tool include: Finding Beauty in the Dissonance: A Piano Tribute to Tool, Chamber Made: The Baroque Tribute to Tool, A Gothic Acoustic Tribute to Tool, and the simply named Tribute to Tool which features various rock artists.

Notes

External links

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