Lateralus

The original list is infamously weak on metal, especially anything post-Metallica, and Lateralus is one of its most egregious snubs A remarkable and hypnotic prog metal album that deserves all of the hype. It’s ridiculously virtuosic yet still punchy and emotional. Schism is the song that blew up but the title track is the true highlight for me, especially the ‘bridge’ section where each instrument comes back in in a different time signature and the melodic lines weave together as it builds. Even ignoring the metric complexity and the constant Fibonacci sequence references throughout the song, the build just sounds so incredibly powerful

I kind of think you need to either be incredibly dumb or incredibly smart to like TOOL. I hope I'm the latter but I'm fine with being the former.

This was in consideration for my addition but there was already one Tool album. I love this album and it’s my favorite by tool. The instrumental rhythms are a winding rust of prog metal brilliance. The album is strong and yet tame. It’s forceful but done so proficiently it’s soothing to listen to. 9.0/10

Fuck the "ni nu ni fa" guy hey. What does that shit even mean? Anyway, Tool is pretty objectively good. 4/5.

FFS 3rd Tool album and they're all exactly the same

Can't do wrong with Tool for me. The rhytms, the heavyness and the atmosphere. It just speaks to me

Man I just really like Tool. I'm not smart enough to understand the lyrics, but boy do I love the music. I love playing "Guess the Time Signature!" on all the songs.

Ticks and leeches puts this to a 5 by itself.

Perfection

This third album of Tool contains a lot of fantastic alternative metal songs with many (rhythm) twists and turns. A bit long though.

I maintain that this album could have been about 30 minutes shorter, but it’s a classic record at this point. Very deserved placement on this list, and much more than many of the post-2000 picks

Ya gotta give it up for TOOL. Cool stuff, fun time signatures, great use of dynamics. Maynard is a madman. Whole albums are a little exhausting to me though

Tool's music deserves better fans lol. This is some of the best prog of the modern era, and the fans treat it as the ONLY music of the modern era that deserves a listen. Fuck them. This is fantastic, and there is plenty out there just as great or greater.

Not sure if this additional list needs all TOOL albums to be included. Personally I devourer everything this bands produces. And Lateralus ranks as one of the best albums they have produced.

Perfect, epic album.. One of the best ever.. Favorite song.. Ill go with Lateralus today ane not Schism..

I grew up with a couple of Tool megafans in high school in the mid-90s, which gave me a bit of an aversion to them for a while. Something about the intensity of the fandom made it hard to approach the music on its own terms. But I got over that eventually, and I’m glad I did. Listening for myself, Lateralus quickly revealed itself as one of the most exciting, complete albums I know. It’s heavy without being numbingly aggressive, cerebral without being cold. The drumming alone is worth the price of admission. It's complex, unpredictable, yet never self-indulgent. Guitars and bass lock in perfectly, not just to show off, but to serve the structure and mood of each track. The whole album breathes, shifts, and surges with purpose. This is where everything Tool had been building toward came together: the raw power of Ænima, the refined intricacy of their later work, balanced perfectly. It’s loud, meditative, explosive, restrained and sometimes all at once. The lyrics dig deep into personal and philosophical territory without slipping into pretension. And it all just works. I could say so much more, but honestly, it’s all been said. Lateralus is a masterpiece of modern progressive metal, and one that never loses its emotional core. An essential listen, and one of the most glaring omissions from the original 1001 Albums list.

While not their crowning achievement (IMHO, it's 10,000 days), Lateralus pull no punches, expects no quarter, and makes no demands of it's listeners - but it will change you; regardless of if you want it to or not.

The fist time I listened to this album I was 13. Devouring every metal release I could get. This one I labeled boring. Took me a couple of years to change my mind. Sure it's a bit of a pretentious album, but it's a vivacious listen, with excellent musicianship.

Tool is my favorite band and I definitely think people should listen to their albums.

Intricate musicality and meticulously plotted album. The flow is unreal.

As I mentioned in my notes for the other Tool album on the user submitted list, I have made this band’s acquaintance a while ago but didn’t stick with it outside the bounds of the friend who was a fan. I kind of enjoyed this although it did rock a little harder than I might have felt like rocking. The musicianship was great, and there were songs I really liked even if I might not listen to this again.

Definitely a solid Tool release, with the appropriate dark energy and tortured beats... with tracks like The Grudge, Reflection and Triad really showcasing this. Schism is the only track that falls into the catchy hit, but the album really hits the Tool vibe. Even though they are now OVERREPRESENTED in the user list, this is still enjoyable.

Ah - nu-metal for the MENSA crowd. I thought that this album needed to be in this list. Just a densely-beautiful and surprising explosion of noise.

I don't hate Tool, but I find them overrated and I'm not much of a fan Keenan's vocals

Honestly I’m shocked. I never thought I’d enjoy a tool album but this one was actually pretty good. Just the right mix of metal and prog rock. Honestly I’m surprised I slept on tool for this long. Every time I’ve tried to listen to them I didn’t like it but this really worked.

Second Tool album in a week and this is more what I'd hoped for.

Never actually sat down to listen to TOOL before. I'm into it, kind of falls in between "weight lifting music for intellectuals" and "stoner sludgy," depending on the song.

The fettuccine sequence. Tool album number 3. Not quite as good as Ænima, but still an essential listen and a glaring omission from the original list. Cut everything after the title track and you have a 10/10 on your hands.

I really enjoy Tool records and the layers and the various sounds, etc. I just find them too long for me.

I saw Tool 3 times on the tour for this record. First time was at Madison Square Garden a month after the September 11 attacks. Holy fuck, was that a weird time/place to go see a concert. There was still a real uneasy and uncertain vibe in the city at that point, with a high police/military/security presence in and outside of MSG that night. I know I wasn’t the only person thinking “is it a great idea to be in a huge crowd at a New York City cultural landmark a month after they flew planes into the World Trade Center?” In retrospect, it was probably a really safe time to go to a concert in the city at that point, with everyone on high alert, but at the time, who knew - everyone was freaked out still. Speaking of, remember how they had a color coded Terror Alert system back then so they could tell you exactly how scared you should be at any given time? Boy, those were the good old days, huh? I saw them again a few weeks later on Halloween at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. It was fine, exact same show, just on Halloween and in Long Island, which was a pain in the ass to get to from New Jersey. Third time was at Radio City Music Hall the following year, August ‘02. Apparently, this show is considered legendary - at least by the Tool subreddit. I remember them covering the Ramones and that it was a really great show, but outside of the fact that they were playing Radio City, I’m not sure what makes it “legendary”. Don’t get me wrong, it was the best show I saw them put on and they had a really awesome stage setup for the occasion, but I guess the locational backdrop matters, too, and I didn’t really give that consideration its deserved weight before. So yeah, apparently I’ve seen a legendary Tool concert and I’m just finding out about today. All of this to say that I know this record really well. I think there’s a pretty good case to be made for it as their best album and it is definitely the last time they put out an album that was a clear progressional step forward from the album that preceded it. 10,000 Days and Fear Innoculum, for the most part, feel like extensions of the ideas on this record and, to me, are not as vital, inspired or interesting as this record or Ænima. It is a really long record, though - something that both 10,000 Days and Fear Innoculum also suffer from. They do a lot with 79 minutes here, but also, by the end of the record, it might start to feel like you’ve heard it all before. Then, it just kind of peters out, rather than making a statement to close out the proceedings.

I found Lateralus more accessible than the other Tool albums we've had, it caught my attention more and the run from Schism through to the title track in the middle of the record is really good. The drumming is spectacular and those songs create a heightened tension and urgency that eventually pays off in a crescendo of noise but you're then brought back down for the next one. Solid 3/5 as I found the rest a bit bland.

Yeah, with the debut, this is probably the right Tool album to select for this list. "Schism" is a prog-metal tour de force. And the rest stays in that vein in a fashion that's both cohesive, effective and cinematic. Weird time signatures, eastern-adjacent flourishes, a striking expression of anguish... These are the earmarks of this American band. And they shine brightly here. I'm always a little nonplussed about people -- whether fans of the band or not -- talking about how a listener's intelligence (or lack thereof) will decide whether you can enjoy them or not. For me, this is beside the point. Tool's musical aesthetics are one-of-a-kind, you can't confuse them with another band. This is a testament to their musicianship and artistic sensibility, and also make them relevant beyond ephemeral fads. But at the end of the day, personal mileages always explain why their artistry hits its mark or not. You don't need to be either smart or intellectually limited. You just need to share a similar sensibility. I kind of share it when the circumstances are right. And a lot of people from all ages share it too -- whether fully or partially. That's gotta count for something. ---- 4/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 9/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 51 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 67 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 123 --- Hey, Émile. Tu as déjà dû voir ma dernière réponse sous la review de *Young, Loud And Snotty* des Dead Boys ! J'essaie d'écrire la mienne bientôt.

Progressive metal, progressive rock, art rock, alternative metal. Ni fu ni fa.

TOOL lovers love their TOOL, and I don't mind it honestly, just solid heavy rock. As I commonly find in that genre it takes itself a little too seriously. The last item on this album also felt like a basic FU to my ears but at least it was short.

I don't typically gravitate to this type of stuff, but this was quite good. Intense, smartly crafted music. This does run long though, and would have benefited from dropping a couple of songs off the back half. Still, the quality is top notch overall. Definitely worth a listen. Fave Songs: Parabola, Schism, The Patient, The Grudge, Ticks & Leeches

Gotta have some TOOL 4 3

I remember playing through some of these tracks in Guitar Hero when I was younger and not being fully able to appreciate them at the time. Now, it’s easy to recognize the instrumental and compositional prowess of the band and how well-executed the ideas are on this LP. As a full album, however, I do think this collection of tracks suffers from pacing issues – the quieter, shorter interludes peppered in between the behemoth showstoppers introduce too much negative space between the melodically interesting moments.

Rating: 6/10

I know some people who are huge TOOL fans. TOOL is also very good at what they do. The music is compelling, but it's not something that I ever really listen to much.

Not my favorite Tool album

I prefer the other tool album to those one, but can always make room for this one on the list too.

Don’t like the voice sorry

It was a matter of time before TOOL appeared here. I have nothing against it, I even know some people who like it, and they (sometimes) are nice people.

First off, too long. Secondly, metal is so much better when the vocalist shuts up and the instruments play. The 11 minute instrumental track was great but the other tracks were fine. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

Probably my least favourite Tool album.

The Tool albums all feel similar and the fans are a bit odd. This one is long and proggy and probably the only one you need. No more please.

I always think I should like this bands but the hype just puts me off. Everything is in place- musically, lyrically and production are superb but it leaves me cold. Maybe one day eh?

I’m sorry but this wasn’t really for me; while I absolutely adore art rock and could appreciate the artistry that went into this, I truly loathe metal music and this had little of substance I actually liked I can really really respect the inherent talent it takes to write and perform music like this but it’s really not for me - 5/10

It's a strange album because of the relaxing pauses it makes between tracks, as well as other "experimental" tracks that really detract from the album and seem like "filler". The relevant tracks or hits don't give you more or less than you expect and those are a pleasure to listen to with good instruments and good metal. 2.5 stars

I didn't hate it quite as much as I thought I would, but I didn't like it either. Just not my thing really. 2 stars.

I find that tool albums just trundle on, like a train that you don't want to be on and that has no destination. I've never got the hype and I still don't.

It was OK.

Not my kind of music at all

long and boring.

Well like what was I supposed to think of this? It was really long too. No thanks

1 tools album sufficient

Not for me

It's like they took Limp Bizkit's "Mission Impossible 2" theme song and made it into a whole album.

just alright. 2 tool albums in a row. I think I liked the first one better. 2 or 3 stars. definitely not bad to have on in the background at work.

One’s impressed by the number of Tool fans who have completed the list proper but certainly not by the music, though this seems maybe slightly better (primarily for having a lower volume of metal and metal-adjacent sounds and passages) than the other two recently heard entries. Being bombastic and too long is not a winning combination. Fine to switch out with Sepultura, say, or Metallica (or Motorhead or Judas Priest or Iron Maiden or Pantera or ...) on the list proper though it won't move the needle much.

Not for me

Ah, the fourth TOOL album in the user list. From five released. I suspect that it will be fatiguing. Here I am just beginning to start "ticks and leeches", and I think "This drumming would probably be great in some neo-swing. And then the guitars kick in and you're just like "oh, it's more TOOL." And you're minded to look at the track list to discover that it's track 8. And that means there's five more tracks to go. For a total running time of an hour and sixteen minutes. Of fucking TOOL. This will be the fourth TOOL album from usersub that gets a DNF from me. Yeah, we get it TOOL fans, you love TOOL and I am genuinely happy for you. Given the choice between TOOL and silence though, I'm going to pick silence every time. Yawn.