Tool - Aenima Revisited

Ok, the RSS thing was a bit dry, so here you go- I recently revisited the Tool album Aenima, which was Tool's second full-length release, and one of my favorites from my youth. The album was release in 1996, went triple platinum in 2003, and picked up a Grammy for best metal performance along the way. What I remember most about the album, though, is the fact that it was so radically different than anything I had ever listened to before. I remember being frustrated that the songs wouldn't just jump right in at the beginning of the track. My friends and I would actually fast forward until the song was built up and skip all of the intros. Not the case these days, mind you.

I picked this CD up and put it in, and I haven't been able to pull it out since. I'm listening to it as I write this, in fact. What strikes me as unique is the air of mystique surrounding the lyrics, album, and especially the band. No lyrics are printed in the liner notes, no band photos, (other than the surreal animation of a nude maynard throwing a rose to a contotionist) and an album of almost 80 minutes in length! 

You can hear the influences of Led Zeppelin in the single note riffs throughout, and I have to believe that Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon must have influenced the "concept album" feel of the sonic journey. The band quotes The Melvins, Meshuggah, and King Crimson as influences. In my own humble opinion, however, Tool has paved their own way with a new brand of Metal - Intellectual Metal, and has changed the face of Alternative Rock for years to come. Aenima was the album that kicked off this movement, and I can't stop listening to it!!

If you've never heard it, buy it now, and plug in some headphones, or crank up the car stereo - it will change the way you think about music and art and life altogether. This album has inspired me to no end. The entire package is the epitome of creative from bone to skin - from the album artwork to the lyrics, to the drum work, and into the super-simple-yet-completely-enthralling-guitar lines. Enjoy!!

Jon