Alternative band “TOOL” established themselves in the early 90s throughout the 2000s as an incredibly innovative and resourceful band. If I could describe TOOL, I would say they are a highly improvisational jam band that plays heavy rock.
They do not have the deepest catalog having only released four full length studio albums across the 35 years they have been together. The band focuses heavily on quality over quantity, often waiting many years before releasing their next albums.
Aspects of TOOL that immediately pulled me in when I started listening to them were Maynard James Keenans’ vocals, Adam Jones’ guitar riffs, and Danny Careys’ heavy drum fills and odd time signatures.
Their most recent studio album,“Fear Inoculum”, was released in 2019 and contains ten tracks. The second track “Pneuma” was my personal favorite when listening to the album. It is well known for its length and intricacy.
The entire song is 11 minutes of progressive song building, starting out slow and mellow, then building up into a very heavy bridge section. Each part of the song perfectly blends into the next, and each instrument coincides with one another.
The bridge into Danny Carey’s huge drum solo is the best part of the song in my opinion, and once you get through seven minutes, you feel like the entire song was building up to that point. Aside from the instrumental aspect, Keenan’s vocals add an entire layer of meaning to the song.
Pneuma is a Greek word meaning breath, spirit, or soul, and the song explores this concept. The song highlights themes of individualism and a breath of life that transcends beyond the physical body, shared by all.
TOOL is one of those bands that requires a certain taste to listen to due to their unique way of forming time signatures and how long the songs are. If you are even interested in listening to TOOL, “Pneuma” captures the band perfectly and gives great insight to what they are capable of.
