Yep, been into them since their first EP "Opiate" in 1992. One of the most powerful, hard rock, bands the last 20 years. Intensity is the word for them, even when they try to slow it down.
Back in ~1991, when I worked at major record label in Los Angeles, I had the good fortune to catch an early live show of theirs, at all places - The Church of Scientology's Celeberity Center. No kidding. I had no idea what it was at the time and didn't know until someone told some time after.
What a weird and mind-blowing show that was.
Having Tool and Helmet break at the same time restored my faith in hard, heavy, rock at a time when it was a dying breed. |
Now you have to try Perfect Circle. |
I've given 10,000 Days a spin the last couple of days and it sounds like the other albums. Would love to see Tool get more ecletic,maybe do a ballad now or then,how about some blues i mean all the heavy metal Gods did this. Judas Priest,The Scorps, Deep Purple,Black Sabbath did alot of differnt styles of music but i don't see Tool evolving. Just a note this CD has tons of bass in fact IMS I can only crank it 40% of the volume before it sounds etchy. You gotta have alot of current for this sucker or your upper end will start to give up the ghost. |
The Melvins use a lotta bass in their cd's. Hard rockers too. |
I was wondering what Tool would have to do with a Perfect Circle so I looked it up on Allmusic and this is what they said:
Formed by Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan and former Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel, A Perfect Circle is an extension of the alt-metal fused with art rock style popularized by Tool in the early to mid-'90s. While similar to Tool in intensity and melancholy, A Perfect Circle is less dark and more melodic with a theatrical, ambient quality that incorporates occasional strings and unusual instrumentation.
Dlwask, what Perfect Circle do you recommend? I perfer subtle to over the head myself which one should I consider? I heard a sampling of APC and liked it but never bought one.
thanks... |
I am a fan of Porcupine Tree. They started out as a Pink Floyd type psych band but have proggressed to a much heavier version of themselves. |
how is the latest release haven't had a chance to here it yet? |
Tool's videos are quite cool. |
Hatpanley,
The few songs I've heard off the new release were trademark Tool, highly engaging, and still continuing to move in the same direction that Lateralus did from the previous albums. That is, they let Danny Carey's drumming come forward just a bit more with each new recording. As well they should. In my opinion, he is the first drummer since Stewart Copeland who is recognized by musicians and non alike to be the one most responsible for the signature of his band's sound. Through his tuning, his chops, and his nuanced playing, he is also the first drummer in quite some time to have pushed the instrument to the next level. He is also the principal reason that I find Tool to be energized and Perfect Circle to be too rote. |
I think Tool is one of the most original bands today. I have "Undertow" and "Lateralus". Both are excellent. I also have A Perfect Circle - "Mer de Noms", which I like a lot, but I agree with Boa2 - they're too rote. They are none the less a good listen, mostly because Maynard James Keenan is such a great vocalist. He's one of the best rock voices there is. |
Tool is great and I think you have started with by far their best album. Aenima is also really good as well as Opiate. This was my favorite rock band of the 90s and I saw them live a few times which was a real treat. I know I may be in the minority but I thought that Lateralus sucked. Super boring and monotinous, missing much of the awesome time signatures and changes of the early stuff, to me it sounds like with the earlier stuff they really sat down together as a band and worked the hell out of a song till it was really something special, but with the newer stuff I get the feeling everyone is sort of just dropping their parts in individually.
I liked as well the first A Perfect Circle album, Mer De Noms. They seemed to get crappier with time as well, maybe I haven't given some of the latest stuff a fair shake, but to my ear Maynard (the singer) just lost a lot of the edge and weirdness he had as a younger man.
Of course it's all an opinion, but it seems with many awesome raw rock bands the more polished they get the more of the raw edge you loved so much about the first albums seems to get lost with time |
I have been listening to Tool and Perfect Circle for years now, I agree Undertow is the best by Tool and i prefer 13th step by Perfect Circle. They have been reference discs for me for a while, if a system can reproduce Tool well then most anything else will sound good. Have you guys heard Tool on vinyl? Check out my pic of my turntable. The album you see is Lateralus. I recently saw them in Seattle, they rocked! |
I've been a fan ever since my wife turned me on to them a few years ago. She's been a fan since the mid/late 90's. I can't say that I have a favorite CD, though I'm sure she does. Each of the CDs has some great songs on them. She surprised me a couple years ago with tickets to a Tool show, great seats and I remember walking out of the show saying that was a rock show for the new millennium. They certainly jammed, though it's odd watching a band where the front man never steps into the bright lights. Maynard wears a skin tight black body suit that covers every portion of him and sings and jams with lighting hitting him so it looks like a shadow...very strange. He did the same thing at a Perfect Circle show I saw him in; this time he had a wig, but still only in the shadows. I've been told by my significant other, that 10,000 days is the last Tool CD they are going to put out. Maynard is going to focus on Perfect Circle. Perfect Circle, for those not too familiar with them is Maynard's other band where he can explore his more feminine side. GREAT music, but mellower than Tool. They only have 2 studio albums out as far as I know, and while the first was good, I really like the second one, Thirteenth Step. Thought provoking lyrics, great sonics. |
Snipes-Perfect Circle has three albums out, their latest is called Emotive. Its a very politically charged album. Their rendition of Imagine is incredible, definetly more aggression in this album than 13th Step. I really like it but i think its less popular than the first two. maynard was dressed as a cowboy for the show i just saw, tight blue jeans, cowboy boots, big belt buckle , no shirt and a cowboy hat. Kind of wierd to see him dress like that, i was hoping to see him cross dress like he use to or maybe as reverend Maynard. |
I don't count Emotive as an actual studio album even though technically one could argue it is. As you know its a compilation of covers and other stuff that came out "coincidentally" Nov. 2nd on Election Day. Politically charged is putting it mildly. So was this a Perfect Circle or Tool show you just saw and when was it? Was it a big show? What a treat. |
Tool has been one of my favorite bands since Undertow. I saw them at Red Rocks with King Crimson and that was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I also love Perfect Circle although the sound quality isn't in the same league as Tool. |
snipes-i understand your reasoning about Emotive. The show was Tool on May 2nd at the Paramount in Seattle. I think it holds about 2400 people. The show was awesome, my friend and myself had great seats, we could see the whole stage without any problem. Treat is putting it lightly, they rocked like only Tool can. The timing between those guys was spot on, i will remember that show for the rest of my life. |
