Lateralus - Tool

Advantages: Tool Evolve, Again
Disadvantages: None !

...cease to amaze. Lateralus is an absolutely STUNNING album which shows Tool evolving once again. This album and accompanying videos has won a string of awards from many prestigious radio shows/magazines etc including The first time i heard the record it stunned me to silence and i had to listen to it again and again. More than one could ever expect, if anyone would so bold as to expect anything or have pre-conceptions at all! I saw them twice in May ...
...single any out as BEST as this album only seems to hold that 'key' if you listen from beginning to end without pinpointing any particular tracks to "have a quick listen to" Lateralus adds another rung to the ladder in Tool's unprecedented rise to Modern Prog Rock Gods! ... Read review

Advantages: see text
Disadvantages: See text

...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... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: brilliantly mature, tense and original
Disadvantages: Tick and Leeches could have been a great track, but...

...TOOL are not the kind of band I would normally listen to. Opiate is OK, I’ve only ever heard Undertow once and can’t remember much about it. Aenima starts well but gets bombastic and rather repetitive – though never generic. Lateralus is something entirely different and new. I was given the album to listen to by a friend at work. All well and good. He seemed to have a canny knack for knowing what I’d like, which is odd as I usually dislike anything my friends listen to, and vice versa. So I slipped the CD into the drive and put on my headphones. I can’t quite describe what I felt the first time around. I think I was somewhat in shock. I had expected to feel a bit, well, under whelmed, disinterested, even dismissive. What I felt – what I feel now – is the complete reverse. Lateralus is a fantastic album. Different... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Unique and beautiful
Disadvantages: Not to everyones taste

...beautiful tune which I see as almost a love song. It gentle melody and sweet lyrics are completely different to those other louder tunes. Although all members of the band are skilled and unique it is really the drummer that adds spice to this album. His drum solos are amazing and yet the other members manage to keep up. Tool is a band that you'll either love or hate, there's no in-between. However I do suggest that you shouldn't judge them on the strength of a single song. 'Lateralus' is an album that is designed to be listened to all the way through. It is an album that exists as a whole and should be listened to as such. To classify a band such as Tool I would list them as heavy progressive rock. They usually appeal to metal fans in particular those that like A Perfect Circle (lead singer Maynard fronts both bands), Disturbed or even... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful