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AEnima

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5 Dec 18th, 2002 

21 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
Amazing ablum and band

Disadvantages:
Nothing

Recommendable Yes:

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Originality

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drew_greenday666

drew_greenday666

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I enjoy to go on the Internet and to find information about other things. My favourite thing to do i...

Member since:05.09.2002

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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.
 

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Comments about this review »

Dizzy_Lizzy 28.03.2005 08:29

A brilliant album, 'Stinkfist' is amazing. ~Liz

Aeonblue 19.10.2004 12:11

Very good reveiw - very well written good details keep the reveiws coming kid

Kebab110 03.02.2004 21:31

I think you repeat yourself when talking about the drumming, bass and guitars, and always saying his voice is powerful!! i know this album is amazing, and the songs are not what i call wierd but eye opening, different and unique!! dont people off by calling ti wierd please!!

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