Tool

Tool is one of my favorite rock bands out there. The band includes Maynard Keenan, Adam Jones, Justin Chancellor, and Danny Carey. Tool was one of the fist bands that I had heard that made me want to get into playing music. When I listened to Tool's first album Undertow and then their latest album 10,000 Days I was amazed at how different they sounded. Undertow’s songs were all thrash metal or rock, but on 10,000 Days the songs were more alternative and a lot less harsh. Out of the four albums, my favorite is Lateralus. The reason Lateralus is my favorite album is because it blends their early sound of thrash metal and their latest style of alternative rock.

Danny Carey, who is the drummer for Tool, is known for being an incredible drummer and artist. I think that out of all the members of Tool, Danny Carey is the most talented of the musicians in the band. Danny Carey often incorporates difficult and fancy foot work with his double bass pedal into his playing. Whenever I drum I try to use that same style of playing. My favorite demonstration of Danny Carey’s drumming is from the song “Ticks and Leaches”. The drumming in the entire blew me away.

Maynard Keenan is the singer for Tool and also an actor. Something I thought was ironic was when I found out he had joined the army in order to pay for the art school he went to. Maynard Keenan is also the singer for the band A Perfect Circle. A Perfect Circle is also an alternative rock band that consists of Maynard Keenan, the guitarist from The Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha, Bassist Marilyn Manson, and guitarist Billy Howerdel.

Tool’s concerts are known for being a great artistic and musical experience. The album 10,000 Days contains a set of slightly magnified glasses that when you look at the album artwork becomes three dimensional. One of my favorite songs by Tool from the latest album 10,000 is called “Vicarious”. The way I interpret this song is that people are so desensitized to violence and corruption that we need it to be interested. Take a look at some of these lyrics from the song.

Eye on the TV
'cause tragedy thrills me
whatever flavor it happens to be
Cause I need to watch things die from a distance
Vicariously, I live while the whole world dies
You all need it too - don't lie.

Tool’s lyrics all contain a little personal message or statement about society. The song Jimmy is about Maynard Keenan’s childhood. The song “Ticks and Leaches” is about record companies and how they drain a band of musical expression and ask too much. At the end of the song he says “I hope you choke” which is a way of saying that he knows he gave the music industry what they wanted but is not happy about it. The song The Grudge is about how people hold on to grudges just to make themselves feel important or worth something.

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