Tool is an American band, formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California, that consists of drummer Danny Carey, bassist Justin Chancellor, guitarist Adam Jones, and singer Maynard James Keenan.
Emerging with a "slam and bang" heavy metal sound on their first release during a time when heavy metal was dominated by thrash metal, they were later seen at the top of the alternative metal movement, when they released their second studio album Ænima in 1996.Today, after an ongoing evolution of their sound to a more progressive influenced songwriting on Lateralus (2001) and their latest release 10,000 Days (2006) their music would, "in another era, [...] have been considered progressive rock."
The band's sound is subjected to many favorable comparisons; therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint a genre. This results in an ambivalent relationship between the band and the music industry. Other aggravating factors are exceptionally long or complex releases, controversial yet abstract lyrics and unorthodox music videos that have resulted in censorship, and the band's ongoing struggle for privacy.
Nevertheless, Tool receives critical acclaim, performs worldwide tours, and produces albums that top the charts in several countries. This success enables the band members to indulge in extended breaks between releases, allowing for collaboration with other artists, design of award-winning album packaging, and notable side-projects.
The early days (1990–1995)
During the 1980s, the future members of Tool had all moved to Los Angeles. Both Paul d'Amour and Adam Jones wanted to enter the film industry, Maynard James Keenan studied arts, then jobbed applying spatial design concepts to remodeling pet stores, and Danny Carey worked full-time during the day while he was a drummer for Carole King, Pigmy Love Circus and Green Jellÿ.
Keenan and Jones met through a mutual friend and started jamming together around the end of the decade. Carey happened to live above Keenan and was introduced to Jones by Tom Morello, an old high school friend of Jones.[9] Carey played in their sessions because he "felt kinda sorry for them," as other invited musicians weren't showing up.A friend of Jones later introduced them to bassist d'Amour, who completed the band. Only three months later, Tool would sign a record deal with Zoo Entertainment. Quickly, the band began touring with Rollins Band, Skitzo, Fishbone, and Rage Against the Machine.
Tool received immediate recognition for their first commercial release, Opiate (1992), which borrows its name from Karl Marx's famous quote, "Religion is the opium of the People." The six-song EP included the "hardest sounding" songs the band had written to that point, among them the singles "Hush" and "Opiate." A music video for "Hush" had the band members appearing naked and their mouths covered by duct tape, symbolically protesting censorship. The video 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 was released. Eventually, they were hired to play the second stage at Lollapalooza in 1993, where they attracted great attention. The band was quickly moved to the main stage due to their "presence, prowess and power." This helped to boost the popularity of Undertow and before long, the album was certified gold by the RIAA.
The band received negative publicity, however, with the release of the 1994 single "Prison Sex" and its music video, directed and created by Jones. Due to the symbolic portrayal of child abuse, the American branch of MuchMusic called the band into question by deeming the video too graphic and offensive, and MTV stopped airing the video after a few viewings.
In May of 1993, Tool was scheduled to play the Garden Pavilion in Hollywood. The band learned at the last minute that the Garden Pavilion belonged to L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology, which "betrays the band's ethics about how a person should not follow a belief system that constricts their development as a human being." Maynard recalled that he "spent most of the show baa-ing like a sheep at the audience."
In September of 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, subsequently released in October of 1996. Once again, a single had difficulty gaining airplay: MTV renamed the music video of "Stinkfist" to "Track #1" due to offensive connotations, and the song had its lyrics altered by TV and radio programmers, who also shortened the track. However, an overwhelming fan response compelled most radio stations to play the track uncut.[citation needed] 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 dedicated to satirist Bill Hicks, who had died two-and-a-half years prior to its release. Clips of Hicks' performances appear on both Ænima and Undertow, including multiple sketches about psychedelic drugs and a sample of a bleating sheep. The lenticular casing of the Ænima shows California falling into the Pacific Ocean, and the chorus of the title track "Ænema" features the lyric "Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona Bay"; these are references to a Hicks sketch about his hatred of Los Angeles, found on his album Arizona Bay.Eventually, "Ænema" would win Tool their first Grammy Award.
The band began touring to support the album in October 1996, two weeks after Ænima's release. After numerous appearances in the United States and Europe, Tool headed for Australia in late March 1997. April 1 saw the first of several April Fools pranks related with the band, most of them being initiated by Kabir Akhtar, webmaster of the semi-official fanpage t.d.n., announcing that "while on tour in Australia, Tool's tour bus was involved in a serious highway accident. Early reports from Zoo Entertainment are that at least three of the band are listed in critical condition." The hoax gained wide attention, and was eventually exposed on radio and MTV. Akhtar later posted an apology, claiming that t.d.n. "will not indulge itself in such outlandish pranks in the future" - a false claim as later pranks would prove. Of course, the tour continued the next day as originally announced. Eventually returning to the United States, Tool appeared at Lollapalooza '97 in July, 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."
That same year, Volcano Records alleged contract violations by Tool and filed suit. Tool looked at offers from other record labels, an action not allowed by the contract, according to Volcano. After Tool filed a counter suit stating that Volcano failed to use a renewal option in their contract, the parties settled out of court. The parties later agreed to a new contract and 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 and members of other well known bands such as Marilyn Manson , Primus , Failure, Smashing Pumpkins and The Vandals.
At this point, rumors that Tool were breaking up began to spread, until the band released the Salival box set (CD/VHS or CD/DVD) in 2000, effectively putting an end to the rumors.The CD contained one new original track, a cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter," a live cover of Peach's "You Lied," and live recordings of old songs arranged differently than their studio counterparts.The VHS and DVD both contained four music videos, with a bonus music video for "Hush" on the DVD. Although Salival did not produce any singles, the hidden track "Maynard's Dick" (which dates back to the Opiate era) briefly found its way to FM radio when several DJs chose to sneak it on air without permission.[citation needed]
Lateralus, rumors 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 with those titles. 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. Keenan had this to say during an interview with NY Rock in 2000:
“ 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.”
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 the most ambitious of disc jockeys. The music video for "Parabola" clocked in at 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." During the band's acceptance speech, drummer Carey stated that he would like to thank his parents (for putting up with him) and Satan, while bassist Chancellor concluded: "I want to thank my dad for doing my mom."
Extensive touring throughout 2001 and 2002 supported Lateralus, and included a personal highlight of the band: a 10-show mini-tour with King Crimson in August of 2001, during which the progressive rock veterans opened for Tool. During a show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre (see poster above) Keenan concluded: "For me, being on stage with King Crimson is like Lenny Kravitz playing with Led Zeppelin, or Britney Spears onstage with Debbie Gibson." The tour eventually came to an end on November 24, 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. On March 31, 2005, the official website announced - to the shock of many fans and friends - that "Maynard has found Jesus" and would be abandoning the recording of the new Tool album temporarily and possibly permanently. Kurt Loder of MTV contacted Keenan via email to ask for a confirmation and received a very nonchalant confirmation. When Loder asked again, Keenan's response was simply "heh heh." On April 7, the official Tool site posted the following news item titled with the Bill Hicks quote "Christians, huh? So forgive me.": "Good news, April fools fans. The writing and recording is back under way."
While the writing and recording proceeded for the by then long awaited follow-up to Lateralus, the wait was shortened by the release of a Lateralus vinyl edition, two DVD singles, and a new elaborate splash intro to the band's official website by artist Joshua Davis. The "double vinyl four-picture disc" edition of Lateralus was first released as a limited autographed edition exclusively available to fan-club members, and publicy released on August 23, 2005. On December 20, 2005, the 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 January 9, 2006 in Europe.
10,000 Days and a new tour (2006-2007)
After some minor details about the band's next album emerged, such as the influence of Lateralus tourmates Fantômas and Meshuggah, the notorious rumor mill surrounding new Tool-releases resurfaced, fueled by unusual 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.
Still, rumors regarding the new album's name continued to emerge. The news item announcing the album's name was posted on March 3, 2006; however, it was removed that same day 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 album opener "Vicarious" premiered on US radio stations on April 17, while the record was released as announced on May 2, 2006 in the US, and debuted at the top spots of various international charts. 10,000 Days sold 564,000 copies in its opening week in the US, reaching number one on the Billboard Top 200 charts and beating out Pearl Jam's self-titled album, the closest competitor. However, the critical reception of 10,000 Days was less favourable than its predecessor Lateralus (as indicated by a Metacritic average score of 68).
While the elaborate packaging of 10,000 Days gained Tool the distinction of "Best Recording Package" during the 49th Grammy Awards in February 2007, their first single "Vicarious" fell short in the category "Best Hard Rock Performance" to Wolfmother's "Woman".
After the release of 10,000 Days, a tour kicked off at Coachella on April 30, 2006. Much like the Lateralus tour of 2001, it was followed by a handful of shows in smaller venues and theaters in the U.S. and Canada, and then festivals, such as the Download Festival, Rock am Ring and Pinkpop, and solo shows in Europe.
In fall 2006, Tool toured across North America (except for the Southeastern U.S.), playing in large arenas and amphitheatres with support by Isis. From November to mid-December, they returned to Europe to present the stage show in cities not covered by the first leg, this time with Mastodon as the opening act.
In January and February 2007, Tool toured Australia to headline the Big Day Out music festival with sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. Tool's plan to continue touring in North America until April were postponed to late April-June due to a bicep tear suffered by Danny Carey during a short break from touring. Carey underwent surgery on February 21. Nevertheless, the band's headline gig at the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2007 is not jeopardized.
Genre and influences
As mentioned above, Tool has gained appreciation and critical praise for a complex and ever-evolving sound, complicating the classification thereof or pointing out the band's musical origins in terms of influences. Many illustrious names have been mentioned when drawing parallels to their sound, e.g. when it was called "grinding, post-Jane's Addiction heavy metal", compared to "Led Zeppelin's heaving, battering guitar riffs and Middle Eastern modes", explained as a "blend of vintage Jane's Addiction and King Crimson" or (as the Lateralus three-piece "Disposition", "Reflection" and "Triad" were described) Pink Floyd's Meddle (1971), but thirty years later and altered by "Tool's impulse to cram every inch of infinity with hard guitar meat and absolute dread".Naturally, there are names thrown into the ring by the band itself, but fewer, as King Crimson,The Melvins or more recently Meshuggah.
Apart from these genre-spanning analogies, their approach to blend music with visual arts on many occasions, or the subject matter of their lyrics (they address philosophical and spiritual issues, such as evolution and Jungian psychology ("Forty-Six & 2"), organized religion ("Opiate") and transcendence ("Lateralus")) increase the difficulty of classifying the band. In all, these factors lead to the frequent use of umbrella terms as "art rock" or "experimental music" and disputes how to define their place in reference to traditional musical genres.
However - despite these circumstances - Tool is most often categorized as a progressive rock (or "prog") band. Those who feel that Tool are progressive rock artists frequently cite the popular and 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, complexity and musicianship - elements of which can easily be found in the band's music. Many of their songs contain complex and changing rhythms and time signatures. For instance, the rhythms used in songs like "Schism" (5/8 to 7/8, or in 6.5/8 according to Justin Chancellor) and "Lateralus" (9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8). Danny Carey is also renowned within the drum world for his use of poly-rythmns. Other aspects of their music which land Tool in the progressive rock genre are their use of dissonance, and other forms of instrumental experimentation. For example, the incorporation of a "pipe bomb microphone" (a guitar pickup mounted inside a brass cylinder), a talk box guitar solo ("Jambi"), Justin Chancellors use of modulation and delay effects, Danny Carey's tabla and electro drum sections, among others.
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 Keenan said in an interview with the Boston Herald in 2006:
“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.”
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.”
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 is 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), or David Draiman (of Disturbed). When asked about "these bands who list [Tool] as an influence" during an interview with the Australian music magazine 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.”
Lastly, Tool is sometimes given an extended genre that would appear to be specific to the band, such as "psychedelic math-metal" 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.
Etymology
The band has circulated several stories surrounding the origin of their name. One of the most vital speculations revolved around lachrymology, a pseudophilosophy that the band has stated was founded in 1949 by Ronald P. Vincent after the death of his wife in a snow plowing accident. Drummer Danny Carey alleged that the name "Tool" means that the band served its fans as a tool through which those people would come to understand the concept of lachrymology. However, it is more likely that the band made this up in order to create a unique backdrop, since singer Maynard James Keenan gave a more direct approach to explaining his band's name in an interview in 1994:
“Tool is exactly what it sounds like: It's a big dick. It's a wrench. It's also what it sounds like: It's a verb, it's a digging factor. It's an active process of searching, as in use us, we are a shovel, we are the match, we're the blotter of acid, your tool; use us as a catalyst in your process of finding out whatever it is you need to find out, or whatever it is you're trying to achieve.”
Members
Current members
* Danny Carey (Drums)
* Justin Chancellor (Bass)
* Maynard James Keenan (Vocals)
* Adam Jones (Guitar)
Previous members
* Paul d'Amour (Bass guitar)
Side projects
All of the members of Tool have their own side projects that exist both during and between Tool recording sessions and tours. To summarize in brief, their side projects are as follows:
* Danny Carey performs drumming duties in both Pigmy Love Circus and Volto!, as well as on some of Adrian Belew's solo efforts. He used to play drums for Green Jellÿ.
* Justin Chancellor owns a bookstore, Lobal Orning, and was a member of the band Peach.
* Adam Jones has collaborated several times with The Melvins, designed art for Peach, and appeared on Mr. Show. He worked on make-up and set design in films such as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
* Maynard James Keenan is currently creating Puscifer tracks. He sang in A Perfect Circle, worked with Trent Reznor on the now-defunct project Tapeworm, appeared in the TV show Mr. Show, and the movies Bikini Bandits, Sleeping Dogs Lie, and Run Ronnie Run. Maynard also owns and operates a winery.
* Former bassist Paul D'Amour played guitar and performed vocals for Replicants along with Greg Edwards of Failure and Chris Pitman. Their cover of the Wings song "Silly Love Songs" has Keenan on guest lead vocals.
Discography
Studio albums
* 1993 - Undertow (2x Platinum, Zoo/BMG/Volcano: USA)
* 1996 - Ænima (3x Platinum, Zoo/BMG/Volcano: USA)
* 2001 - Lateralus (2x Platinum, Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: USA)
* 2006 - 10,000 Days (Platinum, Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: USA)
Others
* 1991 - Tool a.k.a. 72826 demo (Toolshed)
* 1992 - Opiate EP (Platinum, Zoo/BMG/Volcano: USA)
* 2000 - Salival box set (Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: USA)
Visual arts
An integral part of Tool's work as a band is to incorporate influences of other work of arts in their music videos, live shows and album packaging. One expression of this kinship between the band's music and visual arts is an entire website "dedicated to the arts and influences" on the band, dissectional.com.
Music videos
With the exception of "Hush", all of Tool's music videos feature stop-motion animation created by Jones, in a style similar to the Brothers Quay. Many were created with the help of outside artists such as Cam de Leon, Alex Grey, the Brothers Strause, and Osseus Labyrint.
Out of seven music videos, the band members make appearances in only the first two, because otherwise "people start latching onto the personalities involved rather than listening to the music." In "Sober," "evil little men dwell in a dark dungeon with meat coursing through pipes in the wall," which Rolling Stone describes as a groundbreaking, epic clip.
Until today, no videos have been released to accompany any of their songs off their latest release, 10,000 Days. The video for "Vicarious" was "nearly finished" in July 2006 but has yet to be released, and a similar situation exists for "The Pot".
Album artwork
Tool's album packaging is elaborate or "odd." Lateralus was nominated for and 10,000 Days was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. Both albums had artwork created by Alex Grey. Adam Jones worked as art director on the 10,000 Days packaging that features a pair of stereoscopic lenses for viewing 3-D artwork and photos. Jones has been a lifelong fan of stereoscopic photography, and expressed a desire for the packaging to be unique within budget, as well as reflecting 70s artwork that he appreciates.
Live shows
Live shows on Tool's headline tours differ from many other rock concerts.The band members are placed quite unusually, with singer Maynard James Keenan lining up in the second row with drummer Danny Carey on an elevated platform, while guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor stand in first row at the respective edges of the stage. No followspots or live cameras are used, instead the band employs a great amount of backlighting, to direct the focus away from the bandmembers, to big screens in the back and the crowd. In particular, the resulting "dark spaces are [...] for Maynard. A lot of the songs are a personal journey for him [...] and he feels more comfortable in the shadows." The big screens are used to playback videos, "looped clips that aren’t tracked to a song like a music video. The band has never used any sort of timecode. They’ve always made sure the video can change on-the-fly, in a way that can be improvised. [...] The show is never the same twice." During the 10,000 Days tour, the video material consisted of over 6 hours of material, created by Adam Jones, his wife Camella Grace, Chet Zar, Meats Meyer and Rob Ludwig (lighting and video designer during the tour). Some of the material created by Chet Zar has been released on his DVD Disturb the Normal.
Tours
Following the first tours in the early nineties, Tool has toured around the globe as a headline act, in large venues supported by some well-known acts, ranging from Isis to King Crimson. Today, the band also headlines major festivals, such as Coachella (2006) or Big Day Out (2007).
Tool has been joined on stage by numerous artists, including Zack de la Rocha, Scott Reeder, Robert Fripp, Mike Patton, and Kirk Hammett. They have covered songs by Ted Nugent, Kyuss, Led Zeppelin, and the Ramones, among others.
Tributes
The String Quartet Tribute has created several Tool tribute albums, the first of which is Third Eye Open: The String Quartet Tribute to Tool (2001). Tool songs are arranged 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.
Metamorphic: The String Tribute to Tool Volume 2 (2003) is performed by two groups of musicians, including the group from Third Eye Open. Other String Quartet Tribute titles include: Finding Beauty in the Dissonance: A Piano Tribute to Tool, Chamber Made: The Baroque Tribute to Tool, Anotomica: The String Quartet Tribute to Tool, and The String Quartet Tribute to Tool's Ænima.
Other tributes to Tool include: A Gothic Acoustic Tribute to Tool, Tribute to Tool played by various rock artists, and Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Tool.
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