Album Rating: 5.0

Well said. Some Tool riffs turned out to be delightfully easy to play.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Adam and Justin are still beasts for sure, but I remember being happily surprised by how I can play most all of their songs on bass and even guitar, the latter of which I've hardly gotten any real lessons.

The contrast between the extremely technical rhythm section and the minimalist guitar is one of the most satisfying and fascinating dynamics with this band.

Adam Jones never plays anything all that virtuosic, his entire playing is an exercise in simplicity. He uses the bare minimum to complete his part, but he's very good at providing exactly what is needed.

I don't know how truly skilled a guitarist he is, but his compositional sense is as sharp as they come.

Album Rating: 4.0

I would say he displayed quite a bit of skill on this one tho

I am curious about how this artwork on Sputnik has the logo removed, is this the original artwork as it was released? I did not like how the logo looked to be honest and it didn't fit with the rest of their work either, looks much better as it is without the logo, more mystery. Marketing is important, and I think the logo being included was a bad call. It was so unlike tool, how it looked.

TLDR: Which version is official, with the logo or no? Looks better without.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Did a ranking of every Tool song: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?listid=197639&memberid=734942

Album Rating: 4.0

Whaaa Talons what’s with your dislike of Culling Voices ):

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

I just think the last few minutes could’ve been more interesting. It’s still a perfectly good song though.

Album Rating: 4.0

"Adam Jones never plays anything all that virtuosic, his entire playing is an exercise in simplicity. He uses the bare minimum to complete his part, but he's very good at providing exactly what is needed."



If you mean virtuosic in the literal sense, then damn near zero guitarists do this. I don't agree about the simplicity / bare minimum thing necessarily, but the general idea that long, slow-developing, repetitive melodies being attached to percussive madness is basically how you end up with Tool, yeah.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

I don’t know about his playing being called simplistic, but he’s less technical than other progressive rock/metal guitarists like John Petrucci or Guthrie Govan.

He’s like Steven Wilson where his playing is more about tone and feeling than complex wizardry, which I generally prefer myself.

Album Rating: 3.0

Tool always seemed more about emotion and creativity, rather than any technical prowess. Danny Carey aside.

I certainly wasn't trying to criticize Jones work, I think what he does is phenomenal, nor was I using simplicity is anyway dismissive of his craft. Thoughtful simplicity is often the defining trait of mastery, or so I have been told.

I think just think the differing approach between his playing and the work of Carey and Chancellor and how that contrast melds together is one of the most phenomenal and fascinating aspects of this band.

Jones has his moments on other albums, but his work here is boring af. Probably surpasses Maynard for the worst Tool member idk, his rhythm is obviously up to task but idk how y'all can sit through that many stale rehashes of pentatonic baby riffs that other bands including Tool have done better a thousand times over. Awful guitar album

Album Rating: 3.0

Between 10K Days and this album, there are re-hashed guitar riffs for sure.

Album Rating: 4.0

"idk how y'all can sit through that many stale rehashes of pentatonic baby riffs"



This is basically the "Tool plays Tool" album. IDK. If I listen to Lateralus, I'm *LISTENING* to it. This is really good to play while I'm focusing on other things.

Album Rating: 5.0

All pentatonic riffs are boring because I can see the matrix baby *tips fedora*

Album Rating: 3.0

"Jones has his moments on other albums, but his work here is boring af. Probably surpasses Maynard for the worst Tool member idk"



Your hateboner for Maynard is really peculiar considering he is an integral part of what makes Tool so good. And in general... he's just amazing.

Album Rating: 5.0

Welcome to the thread, valk. That is how the Johnny do.

be real, the choice for worst tool member could only ever be between maynard and jones
maynard's voice is/was strong but his hushed and angsty deliveries are overlaboured cringe
but now he is mostly absent and jones is impotent so eh there is a new champion

Album Rating: 3.5

Maynard's still the worst imo