Over the previous 12 years, I had already bought each of this band's other albums. This one is my favorite! It marks a dramatic point of transformation during the band's development ... call it perhaps a higher dimension of consciousness. The artist Alex Grey was a positive influence on the members, who themselves were already very intelligent, sensitive, powerful.

Prior to my first listen through it, I was having some trouble in life. The music served as a catalyst into the mental healing process, and it worked more powerfully than almost any experience I'd ever had.

!

Jeremy
myspace.com/jwjarvislisten

Maynard James Keenan is a crazy man. With 3 bands under his belt (Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Tool) he shows that he can still keep all the bands from sounding anything alike. Tool is such a great band to just chill too. Seeing them in concert is something every Tool fan needs to do before they die. It's a great show with laser lights and crazy 3D pictures and weird images and of course an awesome band fronting it all.

All of the Tool CDs are great each in their own way. You have the experimental Opiate, hardcore thrashy Undertown, the back to experimental industrial Aenima and back to basics 10,000 days. This one is a mush of all of those. The lyrics of this CD are enough to make you think for days. The guitar and drums are unbeatable and to top it off, this was Tool's first real try at good cover art. Of course, 10,000 days won a Grammy for that artwork, but that's besides the point. This is simply one of the greatest CDs...EVER

Are these guys the last of the Mohicans?...........Can artist's STOP singing for money and just sing for the ART.......

Buckle your chinstrap and puth in your mouthguard...

A Modern Classic

Dare it if you try...

All 'classic rock' enthusiasts will love this, and anybody that can sit back and go for the ride of a lifetime...

But... One must be patient, and truly listen.... LOUD

Then seek 'A Perfect Cirle' and complete the trip,
if you haven't already...................................()

"Lateraulus" was the first album that really hooked me on Tool. I had tried before with the band's previous effort, but it never really caught me. This one, however hit me like a ton of bricks right from the beginning. Being a big fan of progressive rock I like the way Tool fleshes some of these tunes out into longer more substantial tracks. The first single "Schism" is great and got a significant amount of airplay on radio and MTV. Other highlights include "The Grudge", "Parabola", and especially "Ticks And Leeches". Vocalist Maynard Keenan is at the top of his game throughout this album and drummer Danny Carey continually stands out. This is another great album from one of today's great bands.

Lateralus is the anti-concept concept album from a band who really cannot be stratified into a genre too easily. While Aenima was a commercial success, Lateralus goes a lot deeper into the psyche. It is often brooding, with very well-crafted song structures, and lacks the satirical nuances that pervaded Aenima ("learn to swim, learn to swim, learn to swim"). Still, the album shows a great deal of maturing since the straightforward and excellent, though easily accessible Opiate and Undertow albums. Indeed, taken together with the most recent 10,000 Days, Lateralus demarcates a new period for the band.

The distinctive (and impressively precise) drumming and guitar work remain alongside, under and through Maynard's careening vocals, but the songs are clearly built differently. The feeling of the album sacrifices post-modernistic wit for melodies that build upon themselves like recursive chaos fractals. One could almost say that there is a mystical undercurrent without an attempt at making one - it is simply where the music lends itself, especially upon themes of relationship among the eternally vacuous places of our souls.

This is the 2nd best Tool album of all time, in my opinion, and possibly the 2nd best heavy metal/hard rock album of all time to Aenima! This album is absolutely incredible. The album opens with The Grudge, and this song is out of this world, the arrangements that Tool come up with are the most original of all time. They are all musical geniuses at their respective instruments, and of course Maynard is probably the best vocalist in rock n roll today, and over the last sixteen or seventeen years, ever since Opiate! This album is very metal, but at the same time has beautiful harmony and melody. It is melodic, angry, and progressive all at the same time. Just an incredible album from start to finish. Anybody who does not own this album and likes any form of rock n roll, you MUST buy this. You will not be disappointed, believe me. Absolutely a Five-Star album. Highlights are The Grudge, The Patient, Schism, Parabol, Parabola, Ticks and Leeches, Lateralus, and Reflection. The other tracks are all very cool as well. If you are a fan of Tool you must have this album, Aenima, Undertow, 10000 Days, and Opiate in your collection. They are all brilliant, and this and Aenima are the best of the best!

From the opening bars of "The Grudge", this album sweeps you up into a maelstrom of thought and emotion beyond the level one might typically expect from a metal band. This is Tool's magnum opus...their "Master of Puppets"...their transcendent moment...and the new listener is in for quite an experience. This is Aenima refined, extended, and crystallized into a paragon against which other albums in this genre might be measured for years to come.

There are complaints surrounding what some dismissively term "filler tracks". My perspective is that such tracks serve as rest stops along a powerful and intense road. After the closing crescendo of "The Patient", for example, one needs a moment to find their center again and prepare for the next round. Sure...after a while, some of these tracks can become tedious. But my point is simply that it doesn't feel slapped together. The set communicates method and intention.

Juggling themes of mythology, numerology, psychology, metaphysics, etc... Tool manages to carve a spiritual significance out of their rhythmic, multi-layered, and sometimes jarring auditory blitz. Once you've been enveloped by the surging patterns of sound, the words rise up - here soft and measured, there brutal and overwhelming - to draw you into a moment of passion that reaches out across the mixing board and into a corner of your soul.

These words might come across as a bit of hyperbole on my part...but suffice it to say that whatever Lateralus might be, it will never be tagged "easy listening". It is fervent and rough, mystical and uplifting in its uniquely paradoxical manner...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I don't how the hell I met Tool some few years ago, but something pulled me to buy this album, and well, I didn't took it on its entire glory.

Now, I have rediscovered it and I can comfirm that "Lateralus" is one the best albums I ever heard, not only from Tool, but from any Music artist/Band.

Tool is not like any band, that is have to be cleared. They have some powerful aura around their music that takes you very high inside your mind.

Everything in this album is GREAT, from the masterpiece "The Grunge" to the final "Faaip De Oiad".

No one can be disapointing with this album.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I was expecting another Aenima with some growth, but didn't expect to get this. This album clearly shows maturity...musically and lyrically. The songwriting is tighter and has more depth. The lyrics have more depth. The songs have more compelling hooks, IMO.

I still have not listened to 10,000 days, but am very excited to hear it. Tool has established themselves as progressive masters with this one.

i just recently started listening to tool and im glad i did. they are a great band. this is one one their best cds with great melodic and heavy songs. my favorites are laterlaus the grudge and parabola.

Words are inadequate. If you haven't heard this album you haven't heard music. TOOL's best album.

Tool take a lot a care in their long players. This is in many ways a nice product. However they have spoilt a solid and reliable band by trying to be King Crimson with lots of weird bits of noodling. Now in the days since Sabbath lots of kids have played power chords but the truth is no one quite played power chords as good as Adam Jones. I could enjoy an album of 70 minutes of him just playing 2 or 3 power chords that's how good it is. The musical growth here is just a bit too much for me to handle unfortunately. Ticks and Leeches shows some potential but is sadly still a bit too weird. I just want bands to realise that life is hard and fast and then we die, I don't want to have to wade my way through so much 'art' to get to the rock I love so much. Now i know that it's Tool's choice to progress and god bless them they have done that without selling out but where am I going to get my power chord release on a thursday night. I don't want to have to turn to Creed or someone else because those pretenders just don't have an ounce of Tool's talent.

Can someone tell me please, is this vinyl? And the 36.66 (clever with the 6's) Undertow.... is that vinyl as well? I'm new in here and just trying to figure some stuff out. Thanks.

Im confused... How can people hate TOOL so much. They must have an incredibly amount of envy and jelousy. NO ONE CAN TOUCH TOOL!!! Not even close. Some of the most original, rocking and spiritual music I have ever heard.

This particular album has the feeling of the cosmos, a very stellar atmosphere. Aenima on the other hand, had an earthly and primal feel to it. TOOL for me gets right down to the core of the humaness in all of us. All the people that hate TOOL can go to hell, they wont be missed...

This is a review of the VINYL 2xLP release of Lateralus. (I'm reviewing the vinyl quality, not the music quality.) Basically, I found the pressing to be of a very poor quality -- low volume, compressed sound, lacks highs and lows, lots of "rough patches" in the grooves.

It is well known that the more music (with respect to length of time) you put on a record, the worse the sound quality. Because of this, I wish they had pressed it on three records rather than two. If you are a die-hard vinyl and Tool fan, then I probably cannot talk you out of buying this, but be aware that the quality will be substantially poorer than most of your vinyl collection.

By the way... No, I do not have one of those bootlegged vinyls. Mine is unfortunately the real thing (barcode 614223116013).

this cd is teh best cde every in the whole entire world so i gave it a four

It took me a few times to get this album in due to how accomplished it was, but this is by far the best work Tool has ever done. Tool took their sound that you heard in Undertow and AEnima and brought more spirituality to it. the complex drum rolls to the dark, heavy guitar riffs make this album better. If you like Tool and have their first two albums, I would highly recommend this one. If you've never heard Tool, or just heard the songs on the radio, and are curious, I think this is the best one to start on, for the simple fact, it is the hardest one to swallow. Once you've listened to it though, you cannot stop. It is an amazing and beautiful album that shows their true brilliance.

Perhaps the best hard-rock band today, all of their albums to date play like a pretty respectable "Greatest Hits", churning out one 4-star rocker after another, interupted only by the occassional 5-star doozie. Hall of Fame sure-shots, it's quality material that will hold up well over time, making all of their albums almost mandatory purchases. Yeah, that good!

Saw them live on the Lateralus tour! What a show! This CD is amazing! Everything about Tool is amazing. I just don't know what else to say. I could actually do a thought provoking review but what the hey. Just listen to it and love it!!

I can't even begin to describe TOOL, other than that listening is believing. Amazing, amazing band. I just saw these guys 2 weeks ago on the 10,000 Days Tour in Winston-Salem, and it was the best live performance I have witnessed, hands down...
Ok, so for "Lateralus"...Yeah, it's my favorite TOOL album, although I am a big fan of Aenima and Undertow. I think it's slightly funny that when this album came out back in '01 most TOOL fans were confused by it, only now, in '07, to call it their favorite. Each song is a journey itself within the entire album experience. I feel that "Lateralus" showcases each bandmember the best of all their albums. "The Grudge" is probably TOOL's best album-opener. Maynard has some awesome, intense lyrics: "Saturn comes back around! Picks you up like a child! Or drags you down like a Stone! Sinking deeper!" And Adam Jones has some awesome licks here. Now for "Schism," I will say I originally felt indifferent about it for awhile, now I just get it. "Reflection" is a very note-worthy song; Easily one of my Top 3 TOOL songs. Awesome beat from Danny Carey. I just wish I could've gone to the '02 Lateralus Tour to hear it played live.....And "Lateralus"...God, it's indescribable. One of the most rockinest, inspiring and powerful songs I have ever heard, EVER. The best way I can describe it to someone who hasn't heard it, is it's like the equivalent of "Stairway to Heaven" in modern times.
Just buy this album, OR download it, NOW. Maynard is legendary. Danny is one hell of a drummer and could lay down a beat for ANY metal band on earth. Justin Chancellor is a pretty sick basist (again "Reflection" is tight). And Adam is Adam; The guy is capable of melting anyone's face off with a guitar solo. AND go see TOOL live; You won't be disappointed.

Describing what this album (or tool) sounds like is futile. The first time I heard them i thought it was loud, abrasive, and often downright painful. I HATED it. But one thing I had to admit even then. I wasn't getting the whole picture...there was a whole lot more happening inside that sonic chaos than I could understand. I felt a bit insulted actually. The initial reaction was to give up, but something held me back. I resolved to bear through it and figure it out.

There will always be a sea of creative beings at any moment in time vying for our attention. Fads come and go, and the only true judge of quality is history. We trust history to separate blimps like the Monkees from beacons like the Beatles.

It is my firm belief that there are only two bands out there, who are truly leading the way. Everybody else is just trying to keep up. Tool is one of these two bands. (I won't tell you who the other band is...but it starts with 'R' ends with 'd' and has an 'adiohea' in the middle)

Maybe you've heard a friend rave about Tool, or maybe you've seen one too many people wearing a Tool shirt. You heard the singles on the radio and thought they had their moments. But you're not sure. 4.5 stars? Who are these people giving this album such high ratings? Are they stupid goth kids? Are they violent dirty headbangers? Are they satan worshiping skinheads? Are they drunk frat boys? Are they sophmoric nu metal fans? Maybe.

Or maybe were just a bunch of people with all sorts of different tastes in music who recognize what an achievement this album is.

Make no mistake about it. This album is the Sistine Chapel of Tools work.

Buy this album...and be ready for a challenge. The rewards are well worth the effort!

Had the lateralis copy and could not wait to listen to it, then when listening to it I thought to myself intelectual sounding music--loved though the song watch the weather change. Sound was too techie, had all these formats, but one thing only was that it lacked to me the driving bass lines of paul d'amour so out with it to have maggots somewhere.

Tool's third album is unquestionably the most complex work in my record collection, so much so that it is impossible to explore even half the aspects of this multifaceted monster in such a short review.

Indeed, three different running orders have been mooted as means of piecing together the Lateralus puzzle. The album benefits from 'The Holy Gift' arrangement (6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 13, 1, 12, 2, 11, 3, 10), in that 'The Lateralus Prophecy' (6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 3, 10, 2, 11, 1, 12, 13) makes for a slightly top-heavy listen, and the title track is so invested in the Pingalan Fibonacci sequence that this arrangement (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12) renders the recursive notion transcendent to the detriment of Lateralus' varied themes. That said, it is perfectly feasable to say that you could put this beast on random-play and still get a cohesive and engrossing journey from it...but hey, if you felt like it you could always do something totally far-out and play it 1-thru-13 too!

Imbued with connotations alchemic and metaphysical, the album is a challenging listen, often sparse in comparison to their preceding work, Ænima (1996) and abstracted with regard to their debut, Undertow (1992). In terms of musicianship however, Lateralus is the quartet's foremost work. Mixed 'inside-out', so as Danny Carey's supreme drumming and Justin Chancellor's convoluted bass suffuse the front of the mix, Maynard James Keenan sings from the back, supported by Adam Jones' understated guitar.

In base terms, Lateralus, can be said to deal with the deterioration of a relationship, whether personal/professional/metaphysical ('Ticks & Leeches'), the initial bitterness engendered by the split ('The Grudge') and the quest for alleviation ('Disposition'), yet perversely, the fact that Tool deal with subjects in such fundamental terms (religion, philosophy, astrology, mathematics) that renders the album so difficult to comprehend yet so rewarding to experience.

If you like your music simple, basic and non-emotional ...MOVE ON NOW!!!!! This album (or this band for that matter) is NOT for you! Totally mindblowing in every way possible. Song arangements like I've never heard. Tool may be the only TRUE band in the history of Rock N' Roll. Each member plays a vital role within the band and without all 4 members the chemistery would surely be gone. Tool should have their own catagory. No one musical genre can hold them!!

The first time I listened to the disc, I wondered if I was going to like it the second time around. The funny thing is that this album grows on you, meandering progressions and ultra-long tracks and all. The album definitely takes patience to enjoy in its entirety, which is the way it is best enjoyed. Not that it matters that much, but the album art is the most original and interesting I have ever seen, reminiscent of the Invisible Woman I used to play with at my grandparents' house.

I first heard this album the year it came out. Now, almost 6 years later it is stil my all-time favorite album. Each song is unique and geniously placed so that there is remarkable flow throughout the entire album. I am a huge Tool fan, who (until this album came out) thought that the songs H. or Jimmy could never be outdone. The Lateralus album proved this completely wrong when I heard the title track "Lateralus" which blows anything I have ever heard in the rock scene out of the water. Although 10,000 Days and the past Tool albums are all incredible and unique, Lateralus is the cream of the crop, distinguishing a new genre and raising the bar for the new century.

It is also important to realize that it is nearly impossible to compare Tool albums to one another, because they all portray different times in the band member's lives. It's important to remember that when Opiate was first written, Maynard was at a totally different place in his life. The albums are a decade apart, and it shows growth that the music has changed so much. We should be happy that such growth and progression has occurred, and not the same album is being produced over and over again. It is worth listening to if just to track the progress and the evolution of one of the most influential bands of our age.

I have always loved every song I had ever heard from Tool, so I decided to buy their cd recently. This CD is possibly one of the best CDs I have ever heard. If you like Tool at all, then you'll love this CD.

This is Tool's masterpiece. If you want their most popular individual songs, or if you are a new fan, then I would suggest Aenima. But, if you are looking for Tool's best cohesive album then look no further, Lateralus is a work of art. Every song here is excellent, and the instrumentals are incredibly valuable to the albums overall atmosphere. To say that this album is good because you "can listen to it all the way through" is an understatement. The truth of the matter is not that you 'can' listen to Lateralus all the way through, its that you HAVE to. It flows so well that the idea of skipping a song never even crosses your mind. For me, after I listen to the amazing opener "The Grudge" I'm hooked for the next hour plus of my life. The singles "Schism" and "Parabola" are awesome tracks, and the song "Lateralis" is also easily one of Tool's best. The lyrics on this album are by far the best that Maynard has ever written, and musically the band has hit perfect stride. "Disposition" "Reflection" and "Triad", the three "related" tracks that run respectively towards the end of the album are nothing short of mind blowing. Relaxing, atmospheric, rocking, thought provoking, melodic, these three songs provide the perfect ending to Tool's perfect album.

Do you really need to absorb other peoples opinions to make a decision? Think for yourself. Know good music from bad music. If you like Tool buy this record. If you like to think and engage the brain for more then 10 minutes buy this record. If not, then why are you here, reading this?

First of all, I would like to point out that Lateralus made me a Tool fan. If you are discovering this incredible musical group for the first time, this is the place to start. I first heard Tool on my local rock radio station in 7th grade. It was the heaviest, darkest music I had ever heard and at the time it didn't strike me as the type of thing I would ever be into. As my musical appreciation grew, I gave Tool another chance, starting with Lateralus.
The first time that I listened to the whole album it honestly didn't leave much of an impression on me. Keep in mind that this was during a college semester in which the smooth melodic sounds of Sublime and Matisyahu emanating from my room made it the place to be for warm, friendly interaction. This was no place for the harsh lyrics and gripping guitar play that have become so meaningful now more than ever. This semester I am working in rural South Carolina as part of my major, two hours from everyone I know and care about. As boredom and loneliness set in, I suddenly understood why Tool is such an incredible band. More than anything else I have heard, Tool characterizes the struggles that constantly play out inside all of us. The music of Tool speaks directly to emotions such as despair, loss, and hopelessness, but rather than glorifying these downfalls like the entire "Emo" genre, there is a fury present in every Tool song that spurs the continuation of the struggle, if for no reason other than to spite the antagonistic universe which conspires to make life unpleasant, or to use the Tool-ism, "disgustipating." The well presented Naturalistic attitude coupled with the masterful style would lead me to call Lateralus the Grapes Of Wrath of modern music. Just as with great pieces of literature, it is not necessary to have the same philosophical view as the artist in order to appreciate the work.
Based on the music alone, this album is a masterpiece. No one can deny that the members of Tool are exceptionally creative and talented musicians, and many would agree that this is their best performance. The production of Lateralus is what makes it stand apart from other Tool albums, which have been criticized as being a little rough around the edges. Lateralus is a great album in all areas, and if you like what Tool has to offer, I would encourage you to explore their other albums, in particular Aenima, which is a little heavier but just as powerful as Lateralus. Also, if Tool is just a bit outside of the realm of your musical taste, A Perfect Circle may be a group worth looking into for similar themes presented through a somewhat more accessible style.

Well like all Tool CDs, this is absolutely amazing. Its more of a laid back type CD, I find it very relaxing and inspiring.

I don't say "THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER MADE!!!" for everything I like. This is a long over due review, but this album is since it was released the work of music ever produced by a band.
Not saying that later music isn't good, it just isn't great (it fails to be mind blowing and complete). Lateralus is perfection that is meant to be listened to best as a whole (and yet as individual tracks it also measure up to excellence).
This album should cost more money.

There are many words I could use to describe the Lateralus experience. Heavy would be one. Driven another. Hypnotic and gripping two more. Intense and... need I go on? Tool has done it again with another strong release. Many say that this is their best album. They sure set the bar high with Undertow and AEnima, so surpassing those two would be a tremendous accomplishment. It is hard for me to pick favorites out of the Tool albums I own, which are Undertow, AEnima, Lateralus, and 10,000 Days. I would say if you are a Metal or Progressive Rock fan you need to have some Tool in your collection. AEnima is where I started, and it is truly a great album. It sent the message home that Tool was a great band worth looking into. If you know you like their sound already, any of the four albums I mentioned would be safe choices, although I am leaning towards the former three. Enjoy your selection(s).