Tool

Teacher told me I could write about whatever I wanted so...

It is impossible to talk about progressive metal without mentioning them. Evolving from "alternative rock" in their earlier material to a solid progressive metal sound in their two last albums, Tool had become one of the bands that define the genre. They are not just about writing long and mesmerizing songs, they also introduce mathematical formulas to compose the rythm of their songs, Fibonacci sequence in the album Lateralus is a good example.



Their last album "10,000 days" is full of lyrics refering to a "be part of everything" feeling. Since the first song "Vicarious" which talks about living life through others to "Right in two", which talks about a a violent schism (another Tool song, from Lateralus) in human race, the band is introducing that idea of an absolute being that humanity would be. Somehow they try to communicate the idea that we are just the expression of a bigger concept, something that embrace all which exists and also nothing itself.



My favorite Tool song is "10,000 days" from the namesake album. This song is dedicated to Judith Marie, Maynard James Keenan's (vocalist) mom and her long suffering before dying because of a disability. I remember listening to this when I was high... I think I had listen the song a hundred times before that time, but I never discovered so many sounds on it. It was hypnotizing.