... When it came time to record their sophomore effort “Aenima”, bassist Paul D’Amour left the band and was replaced by Englishman Justin Chancellor. When the band recruited David Botrill, the band wanted to broaden their progressive-metal sound to newer heights that most bands wouldn’t have done ... Read review
Aenima - Tool
With its heavy-duty distortion, weighty rhythms, and cynical lyrics, Tool is a heavy metal ... more
band for the 1990s. Rather like Metallica circa ...And Justice for All, the sound is focused heavily on texture, with vocals and guitars layered one atop the oth...
Aenima - Tool
With its heavy-duty distortion, weighty rhythms, and cynical lyrics, Tool is a heavy metal ... more
band for the 1990s. Rather like Metallica circa...And Justice for All, the sound is focused heavily on texture, with vocals and guitars layered one atop the othe...
A review by drew_greenday666 on Aenima - Tool December 18th, 2002
Author's product rating:
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money
Advantages:
Amazing ablum and band
Disadvantages:
Nothing
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
After the success of Tool’s 1993 debut album “Undertow”, the band was already receiving acclaim for the live stint on the third annual Lollapalooza festival and for their disturbing music videos for the songs “Sober” and “Prison Sex”. When it came time to record their sophomore effort “Aenima”, bassist Paul D’Amour left the band and was replaced by Englishman Justin Chancellor. When the band recruited David Botrill, the band wanted to broaden their progressive-metal sound to newer heights that most bands wouldn’t have done when it came to make a second album. Whereas most groups try to make a second album that was more accessible or stick to the formula that made their first album great, Tool didn’t do any of those things. Instead, they went to darker and more melodic territories to set the “Aenima” album further apart from their debut album. What Tool did was make on one of the best hard rock albums of the 1990s that broke more rules on how to rock harder with a much darker sensibility.
The first track off of “Aenima” is the metal-power of “Stinkfist” with its atmospheric-like guitar intro which leads into a powerful rock tune with driving guitars from Adam Jones, melodic bass riffs from Justin Chancellor, hard-hitting drum hooks from Danny Carey, and awesome vocals from Maynard James Keenan who belts out these loud screams during the chorus. “Eulogy” is a brilliant hard rock tune with an excellent intro of weird bass riffs, atmospheric guitar sounds, soft percussions that lasts for a couple of minutes with Maynard singing in a distorted tone and then at full tilt sings clearly once the guitar and drums come in like a powerful punch into the stomach. “H.” is a dark, melodic guitar-driven tune highlighted by Adam Jones’ expressive guitar work that sounds a little bit like Black Sabbath and King Crimson backed by Carey’s gymnastic drum-style. “Useful Idiot” is a forty-second instrumental that sounds like soft percussion sounds backing soft electrical sparks that serves as an intro to the bass-driven “Forty-Six & 2” that is highlighted by Chancellor’s bass intro along with Carey’s diverse drum-style w/ beautiful percussion sounds, Jones powerful guitar charges, and Keenan’s powerful vocals.
“Message To Harry Manback” is a weird tune of a man talking to a man called Harry Manback backed by an ambient guitar background from Adam Jones that serves as a weirdness to the band. “Hooker With A Penis” is a powerful hard-rock song filled by powerful drums from Danny Carey, brutal guitar charges from Adam Jones, and ferocious screams from Maynard James Keenan who can probably scream the hell out of such current divas like Mariah Carey (no relations to Tool’s drummer), Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson. That man is wreaked with awesomeness. The next track is a break in the middle of the album titled “Intermission” which features a weird circus-like organ sound that shows Tool’s funny side. Pretty cool intermission. Next is the melodic-power of “jimmy” dominated by Chancellor’s melodic bass-riffs, Carey’s brilliant drum-power, Jones’ guitar grooves, and Keenan’s hypnotic vocals. “Die Eier Von Satan” (or in translation from German to English, “The Eggs/Balls of Satan”), is a weird industrial-like tune with distorted bass riffs and percussion sounds, hard-driven guitar hooks, and vocals by Marko Fox singing in German with Gudrun Fox translating in English.
“Push*t” is another weird metal track that lasts for nearly ten minutes with a fuzzy guitar track that sounds at first like buzzing bees with mesmerizing vocals from Keenan, magnificent drumming from Carey and atmospheric bass hooks from Chancellor that shows the excellent musicianship of this band. “Cesaro Summability” is another weird track of a baby crying with distorted guitars in the background that serves as an intro to the next track “Aenema”. “Aenema” is the album’s big highlight with its melodic bass hooks, guitar grooves, powerful drums, and Keenan’s powerful track that starts out as a metal-driven track until the middle of the song where Justin Chancellor’s bass riffs dominate the track backing Keenan’s mesmerizing vocals with Carey’s powerful drumming accompanying him. Then Jones’ brings in a powerful slide guitar solo until Carey comes in with this powerful drum track while Chancellor and Jones both come in with their assaults backing Keenan’s vocals until the song softens up a bit and then becomes a even powerful song right through the end. Tool at its finest.
“(-) Ions” is a four-minute instrumental track of atmospheric sounds and electrical sparks in the background that serves as an intro the final track of the album called “Third Eye”. The thirteen-minute song “Third Eye” starts off with a sample of comedian Bill Hicks talking the good things about drugs and saying that all the best rock albums were made on drugs. During Hicks’ talks on drugs, Tool comes in with a powerful, blistering song with intense drumming from Carey, guitar grooves from Jones, and Keenan’s powerful vocals who screams in the fourth minute of the song. After four minutes, a huge instrumental part comes in from Jones, Chancellor, and Carey comes in for about a few minutes then there’s a quiet break during the eighth minute part of the song until things get loud again by Keenan’s ferocious vocals who screams like a madman backed by the rest of the band’s powerful instrument assaults.
“Aenima” is an excellent masterpiece from Tool. The band not only beat the sophomore slump but also went way beyond it. Tool would have more success to come including a headlining slot at the final Lollapalooza festival in 1997. Things however, wouldn’t be so good in the years to come as lawsuits from their manager and record company came at them and forced their fans to wait for a new record in the next five years. “Aenima” is a true testament to Tool’s power as a band and as a musical force.
Advantages: This is Tool Disadvantages: May be disturbing to some...
...My first experience of Aenima (but not Tool, having owned Lateralus for a good 6 months) was at a party some 5 weeks ago. Getting on for midnight, a group of us were gathered in the ridiculously deep sofas and dim lights of the front room, relaxing, chatting, and trying to avoid any of the manic vomiting that was going on elsewhere. Enter several girls who demanded we let them put on an album by 'Pink'... After refusing for a good five minutes, they ... ...hours. Everyone, except me, and Aenima virgin at this point, began to sing, in perfect (well, drunk-perfect) harmony, eyes half-closed like a well-stroked cat, and several people began to sway dangerously flexibly along. It was like watching a funeral, or a prayer by some strange cult, there was a solemnity to it that was... well, wierd. You see, the thing about Tool is, you never really absorb how good they are on the first few listens. At first, ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Complex, original, amazing rock music with a difference. Disadvantages: Takes a while to fully appreciate. Not to everyone’s tastes. Grrrr those four silly tracks!
...it with your ears...
Aenima is the third album by Tool (following on from Opiate and Undertow). Like all their albums it is complex, sincere, difficult to categorise, and of course is amazing... Tool are defiantly anti-commercial. They do not release singles and they do not personally appear in their own videos (the videos are always really cool animations that have been worked on by a member of the band). The band like to remain fairly anonymous ... ...– they have Integrity.
Aenima is an outstanding album. It sounds very different to any other music (apart from other Tool albums obviously) and is very original. All of the musical tracks are longer than people have to come to expect a song to be. They range from about five minutes to more then ten minutes long. There are 15 tracks comprising of the following:
1. Stinkfist
2. Eulogy
3. Useful Idiot
4. H
5. Forty Six & 2
6. Message to ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones. Disadvantages: -
...Used as a single when Aenima first came out, it is easily accessible, compared to the rest of Aenima. Great guitar and drums on this song. Perfect example of 'hard rock' Tool.
10/10
***EULOGY***
This is a slightly longer song. It probably 'something you'll get used to'. The percussive introduction is great. Inspiring vocals by Maynard on this song, as well as great lyrical content. It'll be one of your favourites before long.
9.5/10
***H***
... ...firmly emplants the rest of the band as very, very talented musicians. Carey and Chancellor keep time together, with a very strong, rhythmic bassline, whilst Maynard once again provides his powerful vocals. Fitting end to a great album.
10/10
Aenima was the album of the nineties.
***Schism*** ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Amazing Disadvantages: some people just won't get it
This is it. This is the album that you're alive for. This is the reason that music was invented.
Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, has come anywhere near to this album. The first time you hear it (something that I wish I could do again), will be one of the most magical times of your life. Because you don't know whats coming next. And you can bet every time, that what is coming next, is not only stunning, but not what you were expecting. It's ... ...to me. It's been with me now for 8 years, and even now I could listen to it the whole way through and still not be bored. For the first 100 or so listens, this album will continue to get better, until eventually it reaches it's peak, and it will never ever fall from that height. Basically, if you are one of those people (like I am) who likes heavy music, yet has always also liked the melodic, more meaningful side, then this album is for you. And ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Has everything you could want Disadvantages: Quite long
...One of the more popular Tool albums and rightly so. The album contains everything you's expect from Tool - amazing vocals with ever thought provoking lyrics, intricate guitar work that ceases to amaze, consistantly impressive bass lines and some incredible drumming. Not to mention some catchiness of some of the tracks.
So if you want something to listen to that's not only enjoyable to listen to but is also, in my opinion, a piece of genius then by all means go ahead and get this album. I can't find a flaw here at all, the only thing that might put you off is the length of some of the songs (13mins being the longest) but once you start listening to them you won't even notice and if you really begin to like it you'll be thinking that even those songs aren't long enough....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...I can only begin to imagine the pressure put on Tool's shoulders over the past few years; Aenima accomplished and embodied what few albums can. It was complete, alarmingly deep, meticulous, and more importantly, it's own being. It was created as if in a musical void, absent of influence and resemblence. In fact, I can confidently proclaim that Aenima is among the ten best albums of the 90's.
So how do you even begin to top an epic such as Aenima, or even match the scale of Aenima for that matter? While I can't tell you how, I can clue you into something that most Tool fans shouldn't find surprising: Tool have found the way, and have followed the path. That's right, I believe that Lateralus has topped Aenima.
Now, I'm not saying this after having heard the album only several times. I have listened through the entire album over...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Amazing vocals and well crafted music Disadvantages: There aren't any
...After Tool released Aenima in 1996 they entered into a drawn out legal battle with their former label which lasted nearly 2 years. After the legal wrangling had finished the band members decided to take some time off and it was at this juncture Maynard James Keenan joined up with Billy Howardel and Paz Lenchantin to form A Perfect Circle. Howardel was a guitar tech for bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Fishbone and it was while he was teching for Tool that Keenan listened to some of the songs Howardel had been writing with Lenchantin. Keenan was so impressed by what he heard he asked to be the singer on the project and although Howardel had originally wanted a woman for the vocals he accepted the offer and put a band together with himself on guitar, Lenchantin on bass and Keenan on vocals. Later Josh Freese (ex Vandals...
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