Review rated by 29 Ciao members on average: very helpful
In the words of Mr Maynard James Keenan himself, 'F*ck Smiley Gladhands with hidden agendas' If there's one thing Tool are not, it's fake. If there're two things Tool are not, they're not fake or stupid...
There's alot of controversy amongst Tool fans as to which exactly is the best album. There's alot of controversy among Tool fans as to which is the best song on any of these albums. There's no controversy at all as to the quality of any of Tool's material. It's all genius.
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 qualified it by saying 'Play ONE song, and you can put on WHATEVER album you want afterwards'. This was met by sly grins from several of my sofa-sharers, and the Pink album came on. ... ... Followed by Aenima.
It's hard to imagine or describe the effect that first few tinny notes of 'Stinkfist' had upon the assembled drunken students. Three people woke up with the first note, despite the fact that we'd been trying to that for 2 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, it sounds like...well, rock music. But what you don't realise is, with Tool, you're either in, or out. And once you've listened, you're in. There's a strange beauty to it all, a perverse joy in the songs about anal fisting, rape, and armageddon.
But I rant, so I'll just review the album instead. As you may have gathered, this album is absolutely fantastic. Aenima is NOT for the weak. It's hard to take, with subtleties that many won't appreciate, and transitions from quiet to loud, softly alluring to almost painfully exciting. Aenima IS for people who want the following: i) Music that means something. Tool have alot to say, and they don't pull punches. ii) Music that's well crafted, carefully written, original,individual and intense. iii) Incredibly clever lyrics, laid over searing metal. iv) Menace.
If there's one thing about Tool, it's menace. It's hard to explain how effective a bass can be, on its own, under Maynard's soft vocals. It's hard to describe how a song entirely performed on a synth organ can be scarier than any Cradle of Filth album.
Ok, so I'm trying not to ramble, trying to stick to a point, and failing, so I'll just give you a quick point-by-point run down now.
Aenema is fantastic. In parts violent, beautiful, uplifting, menacing, funny, terrifying, it's one of the best albums in recent years. Highlights are; 'Eulogy' 'Der Eier von Satan' 'Aenema', among others. Bad Points are; Some people may complain about the 'cheap tracks' - Such as intermission. But they can shut up. Even these 'cop out tracks' (between 0.49 minutes and 4.56 minutes long) are better music than most pop acts will reel out in their entire careers.
If you like hardcore, atmospheric, clever rock, get Aenema. Just don't blame me if you try to review it and end up writing a pile of incoherent garbage...
Very good opinion but it did lack some information about the album itself like the song names or the song lengths and what the songs are like. I am technically a Ænima virgin but i have Lateralus and i have downloaded some Ænima songs. I personally love "Third eye", "Ænima", Hooker with a Penis" hell I love them all. I haven't yet found a bat track.
Keep up the good opinion writings
Drew_Greenday666
vy metal 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...
vy metal 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...
![10000 Days [Digipak] - Tool - review by Bobster123](http://images.ciao.com/iuk/images/stars/2003/stars40.gif)
by (10%):
03.02.2004 21:37
Sometimes personal views and stories are the best way to sell it!! A great peice of writing!
14.12.2002 15:43
Very good opinion but it did lack some information about the album itself like the song names or the song lengths and what the songs are like. I am technically a Ænima virgin but i have Lateralus and i have downloaded some Ænima songs. I personally love "Third eye", "Ænima", Hooker with a Penis" hell I love them all. I haven't yet found a bat track. Keep up the good opinion writings Drew_Greenday666
25.09.2002 18:38
hey this is great music...