I give this album 3.5/5 .
It's good but it's kind of boring.
I agree completely with the cd rating that the joz posted.

Lateralus>AEnima>Undertow

IMO

Undertow is TOOL best album. Then Aenima, then Opiate, and then LATERALUS.

I gotta agree with some of the guys here....Undertow is definately so underrated.In my opinion it is up there with Aenima,Lateralus and Opiate. Tool is differant ... musically talented and brilliant....What more do you need from a band?

P.S: Isn't the intro to 4 degrees on the guitar itself?

[QUOTE=Zappa]This is infinitely better than Lateralus, which was nothing more than some pretentious kids dabbling in something that they aren't capable of pulling off. Tool trying to do a prog record, what a silly thought. This album features them tackling a style that they can actual carry out, and it's an excellent hard rock record. I don't think it's as good as Ænima, but it doesn't have to be. I think this is a much rawer record, which of course better suits rawer emotions and moods. When you feel like a more polished, masterful hard rock record you reach for Ænima. When you want something a bit more vulnerable and impulsive, it's Undertow all the way. When you want a good laugh, you reach for Opiate or Lateralus.[/QUOTE]

I don't understand the thinking behind this. It is something that they are cabable of pulling off, and they are very knowledgable about all of the content. They are easily good enough instrumentally, and lyrically, and Lateralus is an amazing record. Second guessing their ability is silly. It is one of my favourite albums of all time, and is pulled off with passion.

Yes, indeed. Great intro and it's really rocking by the time it ends.

Disgustipated, on the other hand, is tripe.

i think i have the ratings...

lateralus - 10/10
&AEnima - 11/10 (i love this cd)
Undertow - 8.75/10
Salival - 9/10
Opiate - 8.5/10

I honestly believe it goes;
Lateralus:10
Aeinima:9
Undertow:8
Opiate:7

I do not own Salival.

If you notice on Lateralus, they only did one Filler track...I don't really count Faiip de Oaid, that's like...nonexistant. Whatever.

Opiate was all music, Undertow was mostly music, and Aenima had a bunch of strange non-songs in there. But still, look at the actual songs ON Aenima. Eulogy, 46 and 2, Aenema and Third Eye are easily in their top ten best songs IMO...

A long album is a great thing, but honestly, my burned copy of Aenima only has like 7 tracks on it, and I still love it.

Lateralus is the best Tool record. Undertow (like most other Tool records) is too typical and boring for anything exceedingly good to come of it. Maybe a 3/5 for consistency.

Firstly, Eon Blue isn't filler...it's short, but there's actual music going on. I like it. Mantra I skip, however.

Disposition is a bit repetitive, but has one of the best basslines ever. Reflection has grown on me quite a bit, and is also one of my favorite songs.

My 7-track Aenima is as follows:

Stinkfist
Eulogy
H
46 and 2
Hooker
Aenima
Third Eye.

I don't like Pushit all that much, nor jimmy.

Even w/ your rating of 4.5, I still don't see how you can't consider Lateralus a 'truly, truly great album'...

And I'm not trying to fight w/ you, just saying. :thumb:

I can agree with that, but quite honestly, I haven't gotten bored with Lateralus...or any Tool for that matter....

I guess, however, you've got to be a fan of huge songs...if you're not, then, yeah, I can see how Lateralus might be boring...

i haven't grown tired of Lateralus either. it's a beautiful album, and in my mind, the epitome of their work.

that's only my opinion tho.

i find that Aenima is lacking at times, it's a truly great album, but not worthy of masterpiece status. i can't get over how i find it annoying with Ions. i just NEED to turn over when that song comes on. when i'm lying down on my bed, i don't want to have to do that.

with Lateralus or Undertow, there is no need for me to get up, i don't want to. i want to listen to every second of every song all the time, all the way through.

i don't know how Tool create such masterful work, but kudo's to them on their work ethic. i enjoy Tool as much as i love candy.

Tool will forever remain a favourite band of mine, and the new album can only send them into epic status.

I don't understand how everyone can value this band so highly. Yes, Lateralus was good. Not the best album ever, but it was pretty good. It had melody. It had songs. Every other Tool album I've heard, most songs are built on an amazing two chords. The other songs are pretentious filler that is irritating and useless.

It's nice that they've finally gotten with the program, but Undertow and AEnima don't come close. And Opiate and Salival aren't even worth mentioning.

I don't know what you find wrong with Aenima, SD. I think it has a better collection of solid songs than Lateralus, but Lateralus is a more cohesive recording (and contains Parabol/Parabola, my favorite Tool song ever).

[QUOTE=SubtleDagger]I don't understand how everyone can value this band so highly. Yes, Lateralus was good. Not the best album ever, but it was pretty good. It had melody. It had songs. Every other Tool album I've heard, most songs are built on an amazing two chords. The other songs are pretentious filler that is irritating and useless.

It's nice that they've finally gotten with the program, but Undertow and AEnima don't come close. And Opiate and Salival aren't even worth mentioning.[/QUOTE]

On that token, I don't see how alot of people value many death metal bands so highly.

Most death metal bands are one-dimensional, and it's all about speed and/or tremolo picking. Very few bands use any melody, or use any form of non-screaming singing. So, ragging on Tool for using some of the same chords over and over (which, btw, is larger than 2) is not a reason to rag on them.

The filler is irritating and useless, I give you that. I will agree with anyone who calls the filler tracks stupid, because they are.

[QUOTE=Iai]I say both Eon Blue Apocalypse and Mantra are filler. [/QUOTE]

Eon Blue Apocalypse isn't filler though. Plus, some of the filler tracks on Ænema are quite interesting. Message to Harry Maback has a great piano part.

IMO:
Lateralus: 9.5/10 (Almost perfect)
AEnima: 8.5/10 (I'm not going to deny it, the filler is what brings this one down)
Undertow: 8.5/10 (I know some people wouldn't give it the same rating as AEnima, but I feel that it is an amazing album and not just your normal "metal". It's so much more.)
Opiate: 6/10 (Still great but it doesn't compare to their other albums at all)

[QUOTE=The JoZ]On that token, I don't see how alot of people value many death metal bands so highly.

Most death metal bands are one-dimensional, and it's all about speed and/or tremolo picking. Very few bands use any melody, or use any form of non-screaming singing. So, ragging on Tool for using some of the same chords over and over (which, btw, is larger than 2) is not a reason to rag on them.

The filler is irritating and useless, I give you that. I will agree with anyone who calls the filler tracks stupid, because they are.[/QUOTE]
I don't know where you got the idea I like death metal, but the few bands I do like in that genre are a lot different than the ones you're talking about. In other words, I have perfect reason to dislike Tool and say so because I am in no way a hypocrite when I say that that is what I dislike about their music.

I'm sorry to both you and YD, but songs like "Sober" are boring and irritating to me. Maynard's fine, he's a decent singer, but progressions around the same tired two chord structure get very old, very fast. And to say AEnima is different is only correct given a few songs. "Stinkfist" follows pretty much the same formula as well as a large portions of the album. Lateralus does not, so it is the only real enjoyable Tool album I've heard.

It wasn't a shot at you personally, I was just giving an example. I see tons of people praise death metal, hardcore, 'metalcore' bands till there's no tomorrow. I was just saying that I can't understand why people praise them so highly, since almost all of it sounds the same to me.

If you think Aenima sounds samey, don't listen to Opiate, because it's even worse.