Number 71: Lateralus by TOOL
Release: May 15th, 2001
Genre: Prog Metal
Favorite Tracks: The Grudge, Lateralus, Schism
Where I heard it:
I have my mother to thank for the variance and expanse of my musical tastes. She listened to and enjoyed a multitude of genres, as was evident by the CD binder we had in the car for when we got bored of the radio. As I'd mentioned before, selections included Love. Angel. Music. Baby. by Gwen Stefani, Before These Crowded Streets by the Dave Matthews Band, and today's entry Lateralus by Tool. I distinctly remember the black sleeve of the CD jewel case, which revealed layers of the human body when opened. I don't have any recollection of listening to any tracks off Lateralus...well, except for the album's hidden track Faaip De Oiad. That song scared the ever-loving shit out of me when I was a kid. The distorted sounds and eerie voice-over was the most demented sounding thing I'd ever heard. That incident alone put me off from listening to TOOL for years until the release of Guitar Hero's fourth installment in 2009 that included a special segment dedicated to the band. This inspired me to revisit my childhood trauma with Lateralus, an album that was thematically resemblant to the memories I had as a kid, but musically was more advanced than I ever could have expected.
Reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment
Remember we are eternal
All this pain is an illusion
~ Parabola
What to expect:
By the turn of the millennium, TOOL was already a well-established group in the underground metal scene. Their first two albums Undertow and Ænema made ripples in the industry for Maynard James Keenen's clean vocals and technically impressive displays from drummer Danney Carey. Yet, TOOL's first two releases sound conventional when compared to the compositional masterpiece of Lateralus. The album loosely follows a theme of humanity's creation and everything involved with it - the curiosity of its origins, the miracle of our existence, and its purpose within the universe. This mysterious aura on Lateralus is represented most prominently through intricately structured rhythm patterns that emulate the natural patterns of life's building blocks. A typical song from the album will see an idea manifest throughout its duration, playfully passing off rhythms between bandmates to create an overarching motif that stems from the album's initial concept The best example is on the album's title track, where both the lyrics and time signatures the band plays in make reference to the Fibonacci sequence, a cyclical series of numbers founded in both mathematics and nature. Numbers are the name of the game within TOOL's material, manufacturing contrasting notations together to invent some chaotic grooves. TOOL artfully unifies the softness of tribal-like ceremonies with the impact of metal music, reserving their use of extreme outbursts only when contextually necessary. Lateralus' songs will take you on a rhythmic exploration that offers a myriad of complexities and delights within its moments of musical ambiguity, as long as you can keep your head straight in the process.
Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion
Between supposed lovers
~ Schism
Why it's my favorite:
When I took band classes in high school, I never imagined how much of the music theory I was taught would stick with me. Music education offered me a new language in which to better understand and communicate my love for the music I already adored. After I graduated, there was a period of time where I sought out technically advanced music just for the sake of its complexity, but have since grown appreciation for progressive groups that integrate their difficulty more subtly. I'm obsessed with Lateralus' execution in its songwriting, binding together awkward groupings of note pairings while still maintaining its overall flow. Conceptually, that flow also remains consistent in Maynard's elaborate and poetic lyrics. Although it appears to be philosophical dribble at face value, a deeper dive into the lyric sheet displays a stunning amount of depth and meditation towards the subject matter. Hidden within the haunting sounds of Lateralus lies a beauty that challenges both the mind and the psyche, if you're brave enough to embark upon this self-transcendent journey.
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