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. So, on this, the eve of said release, let's take a look at the 10 best songs in TOOL's catalog.
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. That said, this list is totally definitive and there can be no argument /s
Shall we begin...
10. Sober
Undertow (1993)
TOOL's first hit single is as important an entry in their discography as any of the mind-bending entries that came later. 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). "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.
9. Ænema
Ænima (1996)
The title track (technically? I mean, they're spelled slightly different) from TOOL's sophomore effort is anything but sophomoric. 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. Is he being sarcastic? Is he serious? There's probably a fine line there. "Ænema" also sees Adam Jones playing some of the heaviest and loudest guitar moments on the album, even during the almost-pleasant bridge section.
8. Parabol/Parabola
Lateralus (2001)
Yes, it's technically two songs, but one really cannot exist without the other. Once you hear "the transition" as it was meant to be heard, you can never hear either without the other again. Additionally, the combo showcases everything that TOOL was working with on Lateralus in minature (if you can call a nine-minute duo "miniature"). MJK sings half of the song's philosophy like sweet nothings, and the other half like he's trying to out-shout the void. 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. This may be TOOL's most musically emotional moment.
7. The Pot
10,000 Days (2006)
"The Pot" is one of the best examples of how utterly insane Justin Chancellor is. The sheer speed and complexity of the bass line that opens the song and continues through the various choruses shred the mind. 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. 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. "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."
6. Hooker with a Penis
Ænima (1996)
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. 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. The song detours a bit into post-grunge/STP territory before returning to the thrash metal from the opening. Yeah! Boo that guy! That guy sucks!
5. Schism
Lateralus (2001)
The songs only get WAY more complicated from here. Rick Beato has an excellent video dissecting this one from a music theory standpoint but let's go through step-by-step. First off, Justin Chancellor again for the win. 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. 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. MJK is also sings some of his most philosophical lyrics at just below boiling. Everyone shines and the whole is greater than the sum of its stellar parts.
4. Forty Six & 2
Ænima (1996)
So...Chancellor is the greatest bassist of all time, right? Jones doesn't even try to keep up with this one, but does expertly pluck around the outside, always inviting the listener to focus more, glean more information. The structure is more straightforward, but it's disguised by the incredibly complex interplay between guitar, bass, drum, and vocal. Chancellor and Carey are clearly in their own jam session that's half Rites of Spring and half Trout Mask Replica. MJK is singing over every type of volume and intensity at a standard 4/4, and Jones is just...off, somewhere, playing a crazy stream-of-consciousness that intersects our dimension every once in a while. There's a reason this is the TOOL song most start-up garage bands try to imitate, it sounds awesome and blows the lid off if you can do it. But that's a very big if.
3. Lateralus
Lateralus (2001)
This title track IS spelled the same, and is the granddaddy of every armchair music theorist's wet dreams. The syllable counting and time signatures are almost infamous at this point, clearly following a spiral pattern of Fibonacci's Sequence. But having the idea to do a song like that is one thing; actually executing it is another entirely. It starts like so many others off Lateralus, a plodding-yet-intriguing guitar plinks a fairly complex pattern, while drums begin to swell until all the sound TOOL is capable of floods in at once. Then it all disappears so we can begin the call for Cthulhu that is anything this complicated and based on euclidean math. "Lateralus" is also a massive showcase for Danny Carey's use of tabla and other more "organic" drums that would be prominent on the album's closing triplet of "Disposition," "Reflection," and "Triad." Apart from the insane time signatures, "Lateralus" is structured almost like a movie: it ebbs and flows with a call to action, a point of no return, a lull while our hero hits a setback, and a climactic 20-minute CGI battle scene. Except this SONG is better than 90% of movies.
2. Jambi
10,000 Days (2006)
One of the few TOOL songs that starts off with the heaviest section right in your face, "Jambi" is also one of the heaviest in all of TOOL's catalog, and one of the few that features Adam Jones' guitar prominently. It once again, like most songs in the group's later releases, has some crazy time signature that...I can't...someone just tell me what it is, okay? It also features some of MJK's most personal lyrics performed in one of his most complex deliveries. "Shine on forever, shine on, benevolent Sun," he sings as he wishes for his loved ones to never leave. The song also features one the band's few overt allusions to their prog-rock influences: the instrumental break could have been culled directly from Pink Floyd's Animals. The layer upon layer builds and builds into the most face-melting finish in TOOL's career.
1. Third Eye
Ænima (1996)
"Third Eye" is TOOL's longest song that isn't 50% sound effects, and is also their clearest thesis statement. By the time the 13-minute trip is over, you have a significantly better understanding of what the band is about, where they come from, and where they want to go. The song begins with (shockingly for TOOL) a sample, of a stand-up routine by the late, great Bill Hicks, who TOOL have mentioned many times was a major influence, even including a portrait of him on alternate covers of Ænima. Being over 13-minutes long, "Third Eye" is also TOOL's most clearly prog-influenced song: there are many movements that lend it a suite-like feel; much of the instrumentation is experimental in both writing and production; and MJK's lyrical delivery includes mournful singing, whispered spoken word, and the now-famous Maynard Scream. Listening to "Third Eye" is like listening to an entire album. Some bands don't showcase this much versatility in careers that span double the release count of TOOL, much less combine all that into something cohesive and digestible. "Third Eye" is the entryway that guided millions of listeners into an understanding that rock could be more than just three chords and a guy yelling. "Third Eye" is the key that allowed millions, including myself, to understand that music could be something...more.
Welcome back, TOOL. It has been a very, very, very long time.
P.S. As I stated in the opening, this list was incredibly difficult to whittle down. The runners up include, but were not limited to: Sweat, Jerk-Off (Live), Opiate, Prison Sex, Bottom, Swamp Song, Undertow, 4°, Stinkfist, Eulogy, H., Jimmy, Pushit, The Grudge, The Patient, Ticks & Leeches, Triad, Vicarious, Rosetta Stoned, and Right in Two.
