No one is playing the same song, no one is on the same beat, and yet everything lines up juuuuust in time for the refrain. The bass line that opens "Schism" is one of the most famous in alt-rock because, who the hell would write that? Adam Jones once again comes in to follow, showing the same speed and dexterity on guitar, and Danny Carey (first mention) plays some of the craziest off-time jazz drumming that has been heard or will be heard. First off, Justin Chancellor again for the win. Rick Beato has an excellent video dissecting this one from a music theory standpoint but let's go through step-by-step.
The songs only get WAY more complicated from here. The song detours a bit into post-grunge/STP territory before returning to the thrash metal from the opening.
In what might be the angriest MJK has ever been, he recounts the story of a delusionally self-important fan that bitches at him about "selling out," before MJK goes on to explain how consumption of any kind is technically selling out, so that guy (did incels exist in 1996?) can fuck off. Starting off with an industrial-inspired guitar drone, TOOL's most direct song, "Hooker with a Penis," quickly explodes into aggressive speed-metal power chords and then resets again, within seconds, to a song that fits the grunge scene that 1996 was currently speeding away from. "The Pot" is the perfect example of the old saying "if you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." Not to say that is anything less than a feat, following that bass line I'm sure is just as difficult on a guitar, and anything more than just accenting MJK's yelps of "HIGH! HIGH!" would drown the song in too much noise. Here is also one of the finest examples of Adam Jones' technique of using the guitar as an accent instrument: for the most part it follows the bass line, and otherwise plays short notes that highlight the strong points of the song. The sheer speed and complexity of the bass line that opens the song and continues through the various choruses shred the mind. "The Pot" is one of the best examples of how utterly insane Justin Chancellor is. This may be TOOL's most musically emotional moment.
#SWAMP SONG TOOL LYRICS FULL#
The tandem also presents the full spectrum of TOOL's musicianship: the first section played as softly as a lullaby, then exploding into all that math rock glory that Lateralus and 10,000 Days would make them known for. MJK sings half of the song's philosophy like sweet nothings, and the other half like he's trying to out-shout the void. Additionally, the combo showcases everything that TOOL was working with on Lateralus in minature (if you can call a nine-minute duo "miniature"). Once you hear "the transition" as it was meant to be heard, you can never hear either without the other again. Yes, it's technically two songs, but one really cannot exist without the other. "Ænema" also sees Adam Jones playing some of the heaviest and loudest guitar moments on the album, even during the almost-pleasant bridge section. Is he being sarcastic? Is he serious? There's probably a fine line there. Certainly the most harshly critical songs off an already incredibly angry album, "Ænema" is the genesis of the TOOL army's favorite saying, "learn to swim." The song sees MJK pointing out every type of terrible person who lives in Los Angeles and then hoping a biblical-scale natural disaster destroys it all. The title track (technically? I mean, they're spelled slightly different) from TOOL's sophomore effort is anything but sophomoric. "Jesus, won't you fuckin' whistle" has to be at least as famous a line in 90's alternative as anything half-mumbled by Cobain or Vedder. While "Sober" might not showcase a lot of the prog-rock signatures that came from future releases, or that were even on the same album for that matter (like "4°" or "Bottom"), the song did present to a wide audience many of the sounds that would become TOOL signatures: prominent bass lines, complex drum timing, staccato accent guitar work, and Maynard James Keenan's vocal power (and tendency toward irreverence). TOOL's first hit single is as important an entry in their discography as any of the mind-bending entries that came later.
That said, this list is totally definitive and there can be no argument /s Narrowing the list down is something of a Sophie's Choice task: the band's collection is full to the brim with songs that push genre boundaries, confuse even the most studious of music theorists, and just rock hardcore. So, on this, the eve of said release, let's take a look at the 10 best songs in TOOL's catalog. Tomorrow, for the first time in thirteen years, the epic progressive art-rock monsters of TOOL will release their highly anticipated (putting it lightly) fifth album, Fear Inoculum.
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