Plainly speaking, the last time Tool put out an album that mattered--and we use that term very loosely--not only was Clinton in the White House, but nobody had even heard of even Monica Lewinsky. Released in 1996, Tool's pass character ('198')nima was heralded for creating an alloy of power metal and art rock, but any way you slice it, it sounds like prog. Straight-up larks' tongues in aspic quasi-concept-album hot air. OK, sure, a hooker with a penis and a more pessimistic worldview replaced the trolls and warlocks and other Tolkien-esque troglodytes, but throw in some Frippertronics, and pass character ('198')nima starts sounding like King Crimson on PCP. Hell, on those few times when his hair's long and in a certain light, singer Maynard James Keenan looks very Adrian Belew.
With its latest, this year's Lateralus, Tool makes the move to prog outright. With five tracks pushing past the eight-minute mark and a symphonic approach to the sound, Lateralus reaches for the intoxicating ether of Henry Cow or Soft Machine, but can raise about a Camel or Marillion of interest, even if Tool often looks as if it raided Skinny Puppy's wardrobe. It's admittedly heavy, thick with dense rhythms and furious guitar sprawls. But despite Tool's continued dark mood, it hits you as light as a feather. Even its one standout track, "Ticks and Leeches," looks more sinister on paper than it sounds. Granted, that's hardly a bad thing if nice evil is what you're into. But you get the feeling Tool is really trying to unnerve, and the whole package just smacks of misguided efforts.
