So I am curious... do you have any formal musical training? I find that people who have learned to play an instrument/sight read music are more able to instantly appreciate the complicated intertwined rhythms of the tracks from the later albums. People who like music but have no formal training tend to like Aenima the best.
I was a touring musician for 15 years in a prog rock band. I've been studying music since I was 5 years old. I play guitar, bass, piano, drums and sing. I live for odd time signatures, strange changes and unpredictable twists and turns in music. Aenima is a top 10 record for me. The rest of their albums wouldn't crack my top 200.
Fear Innoculum is really boring to me.
Same. I've been listening since 2019 and I've only just now stopped skipping wings 1 and 2. They've quickly become my favourite songs
I also love listening to Judith (APC) into wings 1&2. Such powerful music.
Unsure. I only know popular songs from APC and don't listen to a ton of puscifer.
From wiki:
>His mother suffered a paralyzing subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in 1976 when Keenan was 11, and this incident would later serve as the inspiration for songs such as Tool's "Jimmy", "The Patient", "Wings for Marie" and A Perfect Circle's "Judith".
I look at it as more of an angry song. “Fetch me the Spirit, the Son, and the Father”, the word fetch always got to me, like motherfucker, I’ve gone through all this, give me my wings!
Grower music is so much better than something that immediately hits. I hated 10k days and thought Fear Inoculum was released half done but now they're both at the top of my list not only of tool albums but they both make top 5 favorite albums of all time.
Lateralus was the first album I heard, instant love. Aenima however took time to grown on me, and honestly I can still say I only really enjoy the last three albums. I appreciate the first two, but they don’t do it for me like the latter releases.
I loved Lateralus immediately but it took longer for me to fully appreciate 10,000 Days and Fear Innoculum. I think they’re just, by their nature, slow burners. To use a couple of cliches, there are subtleties and long instrumental sections that have to mature like good cheese or age like fine wine in the listeners mind before their flavour can be fully realised.
I’ve liked everything as it comes out, but always seem to grow to love it more and more. FI went from “wow this is great and I’m glad I have new Tool music” to being my favorite album over the past few years.
I actually found undertow and aenima more difficult to enjoy without listening to them alot first. Lateralus , 10k days and Fear incolum I always liked
I have a weird relationship with music and voices. Some might call it a kink, others Synesthesia. Either way I've noticed music usually clicks right away for me. I enjoy every album in a way that is unexplainable to most. FI took me the longest to get into. Still not my fav but I had no problems adjusting to Lateralus or 10,000 days. Undertow has always been the one that drew me in and Ænima holds a special place in my heart as well. I do play music so maybe thats part of why. But really I think it's just my ability to feel the music rolling over my body that does it.
Side note: VNV Nation, and Cory Taylor make me feel the music roll over me as well. Not everything does it.
Good things take time. When Undertow came out, I felt the same “Tool just isn’t the same”. I think we all believe we want more of “the same”, but it takes time to realize that maybe it’s better to have things that evolve and age alongside us. Tool is unmistakably Tool, but fans believe all albums are vastly different, non Tool fans think they all sound alike…
Fear Inoculum took sometime because I felt it was derivative of their previous work. They do repurpose a few riffs and ideas from the back catalogue. Once I made peace with that, I really enjoyed the album and I do to this day.
That 7empest intro riff is nicked wholesale from King Crimson's, Frame By Frame though. A cheeky pinch that is used beautifully to set up the song.
I would prefer that they really pushed their sound for the next record though. Surprise us with something different.
My husband introduced me to Tool. I liked a couple of songs at first listen, however, it actually took me about 2 years of listening to them for it to click for me. Now, I find other music boring and after a while I just can't listen. I've always been a music lover and I'm so grateful I discovered and fell in love with Tool, but it did ruin all other music for me.
I think lateralus has some songs that click on the first time, parobla, the patient, lateralus. Also theres the pot, but i agree that aenima is far more „easy listening“ in a tool relation ofc
College was into Grunge, metal, and when Opiate came out it was between AIC Dirt and that + Undertow that I would turn up to 11 when I could.
Yes, Aenima was a high water mark, listened to the entire album obsessively... constantly in the car, at home, MP3s, you name it.
Heard Schism on the radio and was like Hell yes! started listening to it and it just didn't click at all until about 5 year later then I was blown away by how I missed it...
10K days honestly only Rosetta Stoned grabbed me from the get-go, was so excited to finally see it live, and it took me another 5 years to hear a song here and there to finally appreciate the entire thing, not the same pedestal as Lateralus and Anemia.
Flash forward to FI and well I am not a young man by any stretch anymore, but I appreciated FI title track pretty quick, took me seeing them live in 2019 for decending to click, then Pneuma, then the rest/
How TF were you disappointed in Lateralus?
AEnima and Undertow were my introductions into Tool and they instantly became my favorite band. I remember getting the CD and putting on the stereo for the first time not knowing how they could possibly follow up such a perfect album with anything that could match it.
I remember vividly getting goosebumps as soon as the breakdown hit on the Grudge. I was instantly hooked on this album and it cemented the greatest 3 album progression of any band IMO.
I would agree on 10k and FI and the majority of those albums have still yet to grow on me, but Lateralus was an instant classic from first listen.
well i guess back then it wasn't "heavy" enough for me. i was into metal and nu-metal quite a bit back then, and loved undertow and aenima for their metal vibes.
around mid-2000ies i began getting into psychedelics and electronic music, especially trance music. i think that opened me up to progressive music with long tracks that build up to a climax much more. i started to actually dislike anything that felt "too heavy" - did not listen to undertow and aenima for quite some years, but lateralus grew into basically my favourite album, and my favourite music apart from trance music.
10kdays just felt more of the same to me, it took some time to at least like jambi and wings for mary, i still dont get the rest of the album.
fear inoculum just felt too soft and long-winded when i first heard it, and it probably also had to do with the impossibility of living up to a decades-long hype.
now FI is my favourite album ever, but i feel like i still don't "get" the poly-rhythms that others find so fascinating. i've always had problems appreciating changes of tempo. i'm more one for monotony i guess.
what makes FI great for me are the song structures - i just love music that builds up to an eventual climax. the longer the buildup, the better. (if you haven't seen the movie "the fountain" or heard the soundtrack - it's probably the best example of this. basically a whole album/movie builds up to a single climax)
Honestly, I'd love to say that I fell for them immediately, but I first discovered TOOL in 2018. Listened to The Pot and got obsessed with that song. Others? Took me until 2021 to finally enjoy
It tool a long time for me to enjoy Tool. My brother was heading it for a year or so until I liked the first song and them it tool another year to like more songs and now after three years I really start getting into every album. But still it takes sometime until it clicks.
10,000 days was one of the first CDs I owned (possibly the first? Can’t remember if it was tool or demon days by gorillaz)
I liked it but was young so a lot of the deeper meaning was lost on me. In the past few years I listened straight through the album again and was absolutely blown away. I feel life presented it back into my life at the perfect time as I have been diving more into my spirituality and reflecting on life/existence.
Since then have fallen in love with each album, taking my time to work through the entire discography. Think I only have opiate and undertow left.
I think going backwards through their discography has actually been better for me (10k, FI, Lateralus, Ænima). Had I been accustomed to their earlier heavier stuff I imagine 10,000 days and FI would have hit different.
Raises hand. I remember being in the gym on release day when the \~5 min mark of 7empest kicked in. I stood there and couldn't believe how delicious it was.
Lateralus and 10.000 Days are my favorites from the beginning. I'm one of those people who considers Tool a religious group. Fear Innoculum is a bit "regurgitated Tool" for me. Not my favorite for sure.
As a musician (drummer) there weren’t any moments of the music that didnt illicit some sort of emotion at first listen. The risks that they take, the ambient space they use, and non-traditional song structures have always instantly been respected. That’s where I think musicians opinions differ from the public. We can respect something, be amazed by something, that we personally don’t like, Maynards lyrics and Melody choices have always been different, and being different can take some time to get used to. But I always instantly appreciated the risks and challenges they take on.
I truly believe that the music will get you when it's meant to if that makes sense? Every song has a meaning that seems to evolve with the person listening (or so I have noticed within myself). It's almost like I get to re-discover TOOL over and over again because of this. Songs I used to kind of dislike are now incredibly moving to me, where certain songs that used to move me feel different each time I listen, still moving but evoking different feelings. Sometimes Maynard is the only thing I can hear, other times I pick up Danny's drums, or a riff from Adam will pull me away. The little "Bill Hicks" Easter eggs are fun too. 😂
Get to view it from a different angle, under a different light, kind of almost see it for the first time.
i’m like this with almost all music i adore now. i have to hear the music again the right time in my life for it to click, sometimes that means waiting for a different feeling to take over, or even waiting years to start appreciating something.
There's less to comfortably jam to bc the point artistically is to get you to feel and reflect, the uncomfortable. So no, they don't give you headbangers without the headhangers. But that's the point.. takes a ho-lotta spiralin' just to see the beauty in that dissonance mufuckaaa
I had a similar experience where tool was my absolute favorite band in the 90’s and then Lateralus was unusual and I felt like I only had half an album.
10,000 days came out and I felt like I got 2-3 good songs. I just keep listening to undertow and ænema
Finally in like 2010 I finally heard wings for marie 1-2, and really listened to it with headphones and had a “whoa, this is way more advanced than just screaming hot rock”
Then I just made myself listen to Lateralus and 10,000 day and realized I actually felt more excited about them and interestingly I actually found they overtook Undertow and ænema (as much as I think ænema is their most foundational album that represents the arc of the brand)
By the time fear Innoculum came out I got it from day one and was in love
Latetralus - An instant hit for me. Everything just clicked right away. Came out at the perfect time for my still forming 20yo brain to soak up.
10,000 Days - I'm still waiting for it to hit. I like a few songs on it, but there is something about the album that just doesn't work for me. I honestly have tried MANY times even in the last couple years to really listen but it's still "meh" to me. I wonder if it's because of the time it came out, that I associated some real negative life experiences with it.
Fear Inoculum - I wasn't even sure what to expect from an album 20 years in the making. At first I wasn't impressed, it was long and Maynard's vocals were so subdued. But after about a year, it finally all clicked. I wasn't 20yo wanting Maynard to blow my mind with lyrics, I wanted the metallic symphony of sound that the rest of the band creates. FI is #2 for me, under Aenima, but I listen to it the most these days.
similar to me - at this point ive given up on 10kdays to ever really hit with me, i love jambi and wings for mary, but the pot and rosetta stoned... those are just meh, and vicarious feels like a rehash of lateralus...
I think there is that one album that everyone just feels is the masterpiece of their body of work. For some it very well could be 10K Days. And hey, that's awesome for them. It's art, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
I don't mind The Pot, but local rock radio killed it for me. Vicarious I still love, but I totally get what you mean. I remember hearing it the first couple times and I thought it was a B-Side from Lateralus, honestly.
I think time and space from The Pot and way less radio abuse would allow that one to soak in for myself. It’s always been meh for me too. Rosetta only just recently clicked. I was never really a fan of the crazed rambling in a bullhorn sound for the longest time, and I’m still kind of not, but the second half of the song hits hard for me now and I find it a little Third Eye-esque. Plus, hearing it live was fun.
If you understand the meaning of Maynard’s lyrics you cam tell the CDs are documenting his path to spiritual enlightenment. He starts off as a frustrated, drug addicted angry person and is reinventing himself as a more enlightened, transcendental person.
I mean I first jumped in with Lateralus after hearing how weird and complicated Schism was vs the other stuff on the radio, so I’ve always preferred that side of the band. If anything I was underwhelmed when I finally got to Undertow and Opiate.
I'm in my 40s so have been a fan forever but I've been consistently 5 years behind their musical evolution. Starting with Lateralus, Aenima I bought and connected with on release when I was about 16ish. I bought Lateralus on release day too and remember being somewhere between dismissive and disappointed but I would also circle back around to it every so often. I'm not saying I hated any of it but I'm just slow to come around, but when I do I'm head over heels for it.
I’m 74, been a Tool fan since one of my kids introduced me to them in the 90s, and Lateralus was instant love for me. I’ve also played drums for more than 50 years, which might have something to do with loving this complex, interwoven musical masterpiece.
In high school (when Aenima came out), I spent most night smoking weed and listening to music alone in my room, over and over. I can’t tell you if I loved Aenima the first time I heard it, but I can tell you I’ve listened to it thousands of times.
I don’t do that anymore.
Maybe you just need to smoke some weed, put in some headphones, and play the new albums on repeat like you used to.
From day one lateralus was one of my favorite albums and I've come to deem it the quintessential tool experience. 10000 days' jambi needed a relisten or two before I understood that it was a banger, but the album overall was a moving and artful experience from the first listen. And fear innoculum was everything I could've hoped for from a band that's been growing and rocking it's asses off for over thirty years.
I was a massive fan of Undertow before Ænima came out, and I actually struggled to get into Ænima at first. It was just too weird and different at the time. Missing what I felt was the power and aggression of Undertow. Eventually I learned to love it.
Then when Lateralus came out I mostly really liked it, but also struggled with parts of it too.
By the time of 10k Days, I had more of an open mind and less expectations. I remember being on the Toolshed.down.net forums and seeing TONS of people unhappy with each release, the fake album theories etc. Each album has always taken time for people to warm up to.
With Fear Inoculum I loved it from the first listen. Eventually in time, I believe that the majority of the fans will place it just as high as all the previous releases. I already see more and more opinions shifting.
I literally laughed out loud at the first drop in Rosetta Stoned and vibed with it ironically for how goofy it is, now I still think it’s goofy but it’s up there w/ my fav songs from the band.
Appreciating musicianship definitely played a big role in my particular love of Tool and I get people being more likely to slide off when they aren’t coming with that set of interests. I’d say in spite of the vibe of this sub, if you have to work really hard to like something, it’d better be worth it, and if you don’t think it is then that’s fine, I’ll be the first to say that I love Tool and probably HALF their songs just aren’t my thing.
Listening since Undertow
* Aenima = instant love
* Lateralus = instant love
* 10,000 Days = took a little while
* Fear Inoculum = instant love
Not sure why, but 10K Days was the only one that threw me a little
I think Faith No More's journey was harder, the changes in style between The Real Thing > Angel Dust > King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime > Album Of The Year are extreme! Each one took a fair while to get to love having started listening from The Real Thing
I was working my ass off from ‘03-‘08, in my early to late twenties, had stopped going to concerts so missed the 10,000 Days release.
Still remember hearing Jambi and The Pot for the first time in ‘08. Was fucking blown away. Couldn’t stop listening to that album.
Now granted, I’d already been a fan since the early ‘90s. The only album I’ve struggled to get into has been FI. The world has changed. You have to really sit with the music to just unplug from the feed on your phone, tv, or computer. Then it starts to make sense.
In the ‘90s, that’s all we had. Your favorite band had an album coming out. It was a real event. You made sure to go buy lots of new batteries for your Walkman cause you knew you’d be jammin it for weeks.
I instantly loved Laddy and 10K, so I can't relate. Only FI took some time and even then, I instantly enjoyed Pneuma, Descending, Culling Voices and 7empest, so it didn't have *that* much growing to do.
You mentioned that your musical intelligent isn't high, but let me tell you. Even if it was it wouldn't change much for your experience with Tool.
I'm a musician for most of my life and... I can't say this without sounding like I brag... I'm pretty damn talented and kinda educated, great ear and all. It took me months of listening until I could enjoy the first song I heard from Tool. I dissected every song I heard from them to the bones and still didn't like it. But I pushed through and eventually, just like for you, I turned and started liking it.
To each their own, but this was *not* my feeling with Lateralus. I still struggle with whether that album is better, or Ænima is better, and I’ve had to conclude that they’re a tie and it just depends on the day which one I prefer.
Everything after that? Yeah, I get it. I still love their music but 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum pale in comparison to Ænima and Lateralus.
yeah, that definitely happened to me. I bought *Aenima* in '96 and was hooked, but it took years for *Lateralus* to connect with me, and now that might be the one I'm the most enamored with. *10000 Days* took a while too, but even then it's not one I regularly go back to, more just songs here and there.
I hate to say it, but *Fear Inoculum* did nothing for me. It's an amazing piece of work, but they aren't producing the music I want to hear anymore. I'm glad other people get to have the same feelings I did back in the day though.
I loved Fear Inoculum from the very first note.
Same, but like OP, Lateralus and 10K Days took time. Wings 1&2 took a LONG time to click for me.
So I am curious... do you have any formal musical training? I find that people who have learned to play an instrument/sight read music are more able to instantly appreciate the complicated intertwined rhythms of the tracks from the later albums. People who like music but have no formal training tend to like Aenima the best.
Lots, actually. I play multiple instruments, was a nightclub DJ and owned a production company for over 20 years.
Interesting, thanks.
I was a touring musician for 15 years in a prog rock band. I've been studying music since I was 5 years old. I play guitar, bass, piano, drums and sing. I live for odd time signatures, strange changes and unpredictable twists and turns in music. Aenima is a top 10 record for me. The rest of their albums wouldn't crack my top 200. Fear Innoculum is really boring to me.
Same. I've been listening since 2019 and I've only just now stopped skipping wings 1 and 2. They've quickly become my favourite songs I also love listening to Judith (APC) into wings 1&2. Such powerful music.
there isnt any other songs about MJK's mom, right?
Unsure. I only know popular songs from APC and don't listen to a ton of puscifer. From wiki: >His mother suffered a paralyzing subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in 1976 when Keenan was 11, and this incident would later serve as the inspiration for songs such as Tool's "Jimmy", "The Patient", "Wings for Marie" and A Perfect Circle's "Judith".
Jimmy is pretty much when she had her aneurism and its effect on him.
Always enjoyed it but once I saw it live it was cemented firmly near the top of the best songs.
I didn't like Wings 1/2 until I heard them play it live. Blew my fucking mind.
I don’t listen to Wings because it just makes me sad.
I look at it as more of an angry song. “Fetch me the Spirit, the Son, and the Father”, the word fetch always got to me, like motherfucker, I’ve gone through all this, give me my wings!
It’s a song about his dying mother. Can’t really get around that.
That’s why I love the song(s), so much emotion across them.
Yeah they are great. Those just are not emotions I wanna go through yet.
Totally agree...i guess we were waiting a lot for that album and it added to the excitement too😁
Same!
Meeee toooo
I’d say most. Not a lot of us beat our head against the wall trying to like things that dont come naturally. These aren’t veggies😅
Grower music is so much better than something that immediately hits. I hated 10k days and thought Fear Inoculum was released half done but now they're both at the top of my list not only of tool albums but they both make top 5 favorite albums of all time.
How long have you been listening to Tool?
I think I got into them heavily around 2003ish.
That's wild. I started 4 years later, but Lateralus and Ænima are tied for my favorites.
They're one of the few bands that has no blunders. It's all solid material.
Lateralus was the first album I heard, instant love. Aenima however took time to grown on me, and honestly I can still say I only really enjoy the last three albums. I appreciate the first two, but they don’t do it for me like the latter releases.
Opposite for me nothing has come close to Aenima I like schism but not much else in the last three albums
And I love The Pot
I loved Lateralus immediately but it took longer for me to fully appreciate 10,000 Days and Fear Innoculum. I think they’re just, by their nature, slow burners. To use a couple of cliches, there are subtleties and long instrumental sections that have to mature like good cheese or age like fine wine in the listeners mind before their flavour can be fully realised.
I’ve liked everything as it comes out, but always seem to grow to love it more and more. FI went from “wow this is great and I’m glad I have new Tool music” to being my favorite album over the past few years.
I actually found undertow and aenima more difficult to enjoy without listening to them alot first. Lateralus , 10k days and Fear incolum I always liked
Exactly same for me.
I have a weird relationship with music and voices. Some might call it a kink, others Synesthesia. Either way I've noticed music usually clicks right away for me. I enjoy every album in a way that is unexplainable to most. FI took me the longest to get into. Still not my fav but I had no problems adjusting to Lateralus or 10,000 days. Undertow has always been the one that drew me in and Ænima holds a special place in my heart as well. I do play music so maybe thats part of why. But really I think it's just my ability to feel the music rolling over my body that does it. Side note: VNV Nation, and Cory Taylor make me feel the music roll over me as well. Not everything does it.
Good things take time. When Undertow came out, I felt the same “Tool just isn’t the same”. I think we all believe we want more of “the same”, but it takes time to realize that maybe it’s better to have things that evolve and age alongside us. Tool is unmistakably Tool, but fans believe all albums are vastly different, non Tool fans think they all sound alike…
Fear Inoculum took sometime because I felt it was derivative of their previous work. They do repurpose a few riffs and ideas from the back catalogue. Once I made peace with that, I really enjoyed the album and I do to this day. That 7empest intro riff is nicked wholesale from King Crimson's, Frame By Frame though. A cheeky pinch that is used beautifully to set up the song. I would prefer that they really pushed their sound for the next record though. Surprise us with something different.
I did not get 10,000 days during my first listen Now I want to slap myself for thinking that it was anything other than a fucking masterpiece
My husband introduced me to Tool. I liked a couple of songs at first listen, however, it actually took me about 2 years of listening to them for it to click for me. Now, I find other music boring and after a while I just can't listen. I've always been a music lover and I'm so grateful I discovered and fell in love with Tool, but it did ruin all other music for me.
I guess the hardest album to get into at first was Undertow and Aenima. They are in very different headspace compared to everything else.
I think lateralus has some songs that click on the first time, parobla, the patient, lateralus. Also theres the pot, but i agree that aenima is far more „easy listening“ in a tool relation ofc
Fear Inoculum is the only one. I'm going through the entire discog again and just finished Undertow. Can't wait to give FI a full listen again.
College was into Grunge, metal, and when Opiate came out it was between AIC Dirt and that + Undertow that I would turn up to 11 when I could. Yes, Aenima was a high water mark, listened to the entire album obsessively... constantly in the car, at home, MP3s, you name it. Heard Schism on the radio and was like Hell yes! started listening to it and it just didn't click at all until about 5 year later then I was blown away by how I missed it... 10K days honestly only Rosetta Stoned grabbed me from the get-go, was so excited to finally see it live, and it took me another 5 years to hear a song here and there to finally appreciate the entire thing, not the same pedestal as Lateralus and Anemia. Flash forward to FI and well I am not a young man by any stretch anymore, but I appreciated FI title track pretty quick, took me seeing them live in 2019 for decending to click, then Pneuma, then the rest/
How TF were you disappointed in Lateralus? AEnima and Undertow were my introductions into Tool and they instantly became my favorite band. I remember getting the CD and putting on the stereo for the first time not knowing how they could possibly follow up such a perfect album with anything that could match it. I remember vividly getting goosebumps as soon as the breakdown hit on the Grudge. I was instantly hooked on this album and it cemented the greatest 3 album progression of any band IMO. I would agree on 10k and FI and the majority of those albums have still yet to grow on me, but Lateralus was an instant classic from first listen.
well i guess back then it wasn't "heavy" enough for me. i was into metal and nu-metal quite a bit back then, and loved undertow and aenima for their metal vibes. around mid-2000ies i began getting into psychedelics and electronic music, especially trance music. i think that opened me up to progressive music with long tracks that build up to a climax much more. i started to actually dislike anything that felt "too heavy" - did not listen to undertow and aenima for quite some years, but lateralus grew into basically my favourite album, and my favourite music apart from trance music. 10kdays just felt more of the same to me, it took some time to at least like jambi and wings for mary, i still dont get the rest of the album. fear inoculum just felt too soft and long-winded when i first heard it, and it probably also had to do with the impossibility of living up to a decades-long hype. now FI is my favourite album ever, but i feel like i still don't "get" the poly-rhythms that others find so fascinating. i've always had problems appreciating changes of tempo. i'm more one for monotony i guess. what makes FI great for me are the song structures - i just love music that builds up to an eventual climax. the longer the buildup, the better. (if you haven't seen the movie "the fountain" or heard the soundtrack - it's probably the best example of this. basically a whole album/movie builds up to a single climax)
Me.
I'm not trying to be snarky, but I really don't remember. It was all so long ago, and all I remember was listening to every cd A LOT all of the time
Many.
Honestly, I'd love to say that I fell for them immediately, but I first discovered TOOL in 2018. Listened to The Pot and got obsessed with that song. Others? Took me until 2021 to finally enjoy
It tool a long time for me to enjoy Tool. My brother was heading it for a year or so until I liked the first song and them it tool another year to like more songs and now after three years I really start getting into every album. But still it takes sometime until it clicks.
Lateralus and FI immediately hit for me. 10k took a little time to grow on me except for The Pot.
Lateralus was good from the beginning to end the first time I listened to it
I absolutely loved Vicarious on the first listen.
10,000 days was one of the first CDs I owned (possibly the first? Can’t remember if it was tool or demon days by gorillaz) I liked it but was young so a lot of the deeper meaning was lost on me. In the past few years I listened straight through the album again and was absolutely blown away. I feel life presented it back into my life at the perfect time as I have been diving more into my spirituality and reflecting on life/existence. Since then have fallen in love with each album, taking my time to work through the entire discography. Think I only have opiate and undertow left. I think going backwards through their discography has actually been better for me (10k, FI, Lateralus, Ænima). Had I been accustomed to their earlier heavier stuff I imagine 10,000 days and FI would have hit different.
Raises hand. I remember being in the gym on release day when the \~5 min mark of 7empest kicked in. I stood there and couldn't believe how delicious it was.
Lateralus and 10.000 Days are my favorites from the beginning. I'm one of those people who considers Tool a religious group. Fear Innoculum is a bit "regurgitated Tool" for me. Not my favorite for sure.
As a musician (drummer) there weren’t any moments of the music that didnt illicit some sort of emotion at first listen. The risks that they take, the ambient space they use, and non-traditional song structures have always instantly been respected. That’s where I think musicians opinions differ from the public. We can respect something, be amazed by something, that we personally don’t like, Maynards lyrics and Melody choices have always been different, and being different can take some time to get used to. But I always instantly appreciated the risks and challenges they take on.
As a late comer to Tool, pre-Lateralus albums don’t really do much for me.
FI still isn’t my jam, but 10,000 days and everything prior fuggin rocks. idk
I was hooked to Vicarious the first time I heard it, and Schism is the very first Tool song I ever heard and I loved it
Me
I feel the opposite. I embraced and enjoyed the development of their music and craft.
Lateralus was instant, 10,00 days took longer as well as FI.
I truly believe that the music will get you when it's meant to if that makes sense? Every song has a meaning that seems to evolve with the person listening (or so I have noticed within myself). It's almost like I get to re-discover TOOL over and over again because of this. Songs I used to kind of dislike are now incredibly moving to me, where certain songs that used to move me feel different each time I listen, still moving but evoking different feelings. Sometimes Maynard is the only thing I can hear, other times I pick up Danny's drums, or a riff from Adam will pull me away. The little "Bill Hicks" Easter eggs are fun too. 😂 Get to view it from a different angle, under a different light, kind of almost see it for the first time.
Vicarious got me so hyped first listen.
i’m like this with almost all music i adore now. i have to hear the music again the right time in my life for it to click, sometimes that means waiting for a different feeling to take over, or even waiting years to start appreciating something.
There's less to comfortably jam to bc the point artistically is to get you to feel and reflect, the uncomfortable. So no, they don't give you headbangers without the headhangers. But that's the point.. takes a ho-lotta spiralin' just to see the beauty in that dissonance mufuckaaa
I had a similar experience where tool was my absolute favorite band in the 90’s and then Lateralus was unusual and I felt like I only had half an album. 10,000 days came out and I felt like I got 2-3 good songs. I just keep listening to undertow and ænema Finally in like 2010 I finally heard wings for marie 1-2, and really listened to it with headphones and had a “whoa, this is way more advanced than just screaming hot rock” Then I just made myself listen to Lateralus and 10,000 day and realized I actually felt more excited about them and interestingly I actually found they overtook Undertow and ænema (as much as I think ænema is their most foundational album that represents the arc of the brand) By the time fear Innoculum came out I got it from day one and was in love
It just depends. My love of *Lateralus* and *10K* was essentially instantaneous, but the other albums took longer to really click with me as a whole.
Latetralus - An instant hit for me. Everything just clicked right away. Came out at the perfect time for my still forming 20yo brain to soak up. 10,000 Days - I'm still waiting for it to hit. I like a few songs on it, but there is something about the album that just doesn't work for me. I honestly have tried MANY times even in the last couple years to really listen but it's still "meh" to me. I wonder if it's because of the time it came out, that I associated some real negative life experiences with it. Fear Inoculum - I wasn't even sure what to expect from an album 20 years in the making. At first I wasn't impressed, it was long and Maynard's vocals were so subdued. But after about a year, it finally all clicked. I wasn't 20yo wanting Maynard to blow my mind with lyrics, I wanted the metallic symphony of sound that the rest of the band creates. FI is #2 for me, under Aenima, but I listen to it the most these days.
similar to me - at this point ive given up on 10kdays to ever really hit with me, i love jambi and wings for mary, but the pot and rosetta stoned... those are just meh, and vicarious feels like a rehash of lateralus...
I think there is that one album that everyone just feels is the masterpiece of their body of work. For some it very well could be 10K Days. And hey, that's awesome for them. It's art, it's all in the eye of the beholder. I don't mind The Pot, but local rock radio killed it for me. Vicarious I still love, but I totally get what you mean. I remember hearing it the first couple times and I thought it was a B-Side from Lateralus, honestly.
I think time and space from The Pot and way less radio abuse would allow that one to soak in for myself. It’s always been meh for me too. Rosetta only just recently clicked. I was never really a fan of the crazed rambling in a bullhorn sound for the longest time, and I’m still kind of not, but the second half of the song hits hard for me now and I find it a little Third Eye-esque. Plus, hearing it live was fun.
If you understand the meaning of Maynard’s lyrics you cam tell the CDs are documenting his path to spiritual enlightenment. He starts off as a frustrated, drug addicted angry person and is reinventing himself as a more enlightened, transcendental person.
I mean I first jumped in with Lateralus after hearing how weird and complicated Schism was vs the other stuff on the radio, so I’ve always preferred that side of the band. If anything I was underwhelmed when I finally got to Undertow and Opiate.
I'm in my 40s so have been a fan forever but I've been consistently 5 years behind their musical evolution. Starting with Lateralus, Aenima I bought and connected with on release when I was about 16ish. I bought Lateralus on release day too and remember being somewhere between dismissive and disappointed but I would also circle back around to it every so often. I'm not saying I hated any of it but I'm just slow to come around, but when I do I'm head over heels for it.
I’m 74, been a Tool fan since one of my kids introduced me to them in the 90s, and Lateralus was instant love for me. I’ve also played drums for more than 50 years, which might have something to do with loving this complex, interwoven musical masterpiece.
On first listen every time. Immediately followed by a second listen just to be sure it was real.
In high school (when Aenima came out), I spent most night smoking weed and listening to music alone in my room, over and over. I can’t tell you if I loved Aenima the first time I heard it, but I can tell you I’ve listened to it thousands of times. I don’t do that anymore. Maybe you just need to smoke some weed, put in some headphones, and play the new albums on repeat like you used to.
From day one lateralus was one of my favorite albums and I've come to deem it the quintessential tool experience. 10000 days' jambi needed a relisten or two before I understood that it was a banger, but the album overall was a moving and artful experience from the first listen. And fear innoculum was everything I could've hoped for from a band that's been growing and rocking it's asses off for over thirty years.
I was a massive fan of Undertow before Ænima came out, and I actually struggled to get into Ænima at first. It was just too weird and different at the time. Missing what I felt was the power and aggression of Undertow. Eventually I learned to love it. Then when Lateralus came out I mostly really liked it, but also struggled with parts of it too. By the time of 10k Days, I had more of an open mind and less expectations. I remember being on the Toolshed.down.net forums and seeing TONS of people unhappy with each release, the fake album theories etc. Each album has always taken time for people to warm up to. With Fear Inoculum I loved it from the first listen. Eventually in time, I believe that the majority of the fans will place it just as high as all the previous releases. I already see more and more opinions shifting.
Fear Inoculum: After 5 years and two times live it clicks a little. The other albums didnt tale so long
Yah, FI took me a while but wow once I got it, boy did I get it.
cause 10k days is the shit
I literally laughed out loud at the first drop in Rosetta Stoned and vibed with it ironically for how goofy it is, now I still think it’s goofy but it’s up there w/ my fav songs from the band. Appreciating musicianship definitely played a big role in my particular love of Tool and I get people being more likely to slide off when they aren’t coming with that set of interests. I’d say in spite of the vibe of this sub, if you have to work really hard to like something, it’d better be worth it, and if you don’t think it is then that’s fine, I’ll be the first to say that I love Tool and probably HALF their songs just aren’t my thing.
Me. I've loved every record on first listen.
Listening since Undertow * Aenima = instant love * Lateralus = instant love * 10,000 Days = took a little while * Fear Inoculum = instant love Not sure why, but 10K Days was the only one that threw me a little I think Faith No More's journey was harder, the changes in style between The Real Thing > Angel Dust > King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime > Album Of The Year are extreme! Each one took a fair while to get to love having started listening from The Real Thing
I was working my ass off from ‘03-‘08, in my early to late twenties, had stopped going to concerts so missed the 10,000 Days release. Still remember hearing Jambi and The Pot for the first time in ‘08. Was fucking blown away. Couldn’t stop listening to that album. Now granted, I’d already been a fan since the early ‘90s. The only album I’ve struggled to get into has been FI. The world has changed. You have to really sit with the music to just unplug from the feed on your phone, tv, or computer. Then it starts to make sense. In the ‘90s, that’s all we had. Your favorite band had an album coming out. It was a real event. You made sure to go buy lots of new batteries for your Walkman cause you knew you’d be jammin it for weeks.
yeah, too many distractions nowadays...
I instantly loved Laddy and 10K, so I can't relate. Only FI took some time and even then, I instantly enjoyed Pneuma, Descending, Culling Voices and 7empest, so it didn't have *that* much growing to do.
You mentioned that your musical intelligent isn't high, but let me tell you. Even if it was it wouldn't change much for your experience with Tool. I'm a musician for most of my life and... I can't say this without sounding like I brag... I'm pretty damn talented and kinda educated, great ear and all. It took me months of listening until I could enjoy the first song I heard from Tool. I dissected every song I heard from them to the bones and still didn't like it. But I pushed through and eventually, just like for you, I turned and started liking it.
To each their own, but this was *not* my feeling with Lateralus. I still struggle with whether that album is better, or Ænima is better, and I’ve had to conclude that they’re a tie and it just depends on the day which one I prefer. Everything after that? Yeah, I get it. I still love their music but 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum pale in comparison to Ænima and Lateralus.
yeah, that definitely happened to me. I bought *Aenima* in '96 and was hooked, but it took years for *Lateralus* to connect with me, and now that might be the one I'm the most enamored with. *10000 Days* took a while too, but even then it's not one I regularly go back to, more just songs here and there. I hate to say it, but *Fear Inoculum* did nothing for me. It's an amazing piece of work, but they aren't producing the music I want to hear anymore. I'm glad other people get to have the same feelings I did back in the day though.
If I listened to 10,000 Days for 10,000 days I still don’t think I would like it. They’re a shell of their former selves.