Wikipedia

Tool (band)

American alternative/progressive metal band

Tool is an American rock band. It was formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California. The band has won Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance in 1997 for the song "Ænema" and in 2001 for the song "Schism". Tool has four members: singer Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey, and bassist Justin Chancellor.

Tool
Tool performing live in 2006. Visible from left to right are: Adam Jones, Maynard James Keenan and Justin Chancellor.
Tool performing live in 2006. Visible from left to right are: Adam Jones, Maynard James Keenan and Justin Chancellor.
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
GenresAlternative metal, alternative rock, art rock, progressive metal, progressive rock, post-metal, hard rock, heavy metal
Years active1990–present
LabelsZoo Entertainment
Volcano II
Tool Dissectional
MembersDanny Carey
Justin Chancellor
Maynard James Keenan
Adam Jones
Past member(s)Paul D'Amour
WebsiteToolband.com

Tool has put out five studio albums. Their first release was Opiate, an extended play. It had only seven songs on it. Tool's first album, Undertow, was heavy metal. In 1996, they made Ænima. Rolling Stone said it was one of the 100 best metal albums of all time.[1] The band took a break before and after releasing their third album, Lateralus. This was because singer Maynard James Keenan was working with his other band, A Perfect Circle. The band released their fourth album, 10,000 Days, on May 2, 2006, and their fifth album (Fear Inoculum) on August 30, 2019.

History

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Band starts

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In 1989, James Maynard Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones met each other in Los Angeles.[2] Keenan let Jones listen to music he had made with another band. Jones thought the music was good, and told Keenan they should make their own band. They started playing music together, while looking for other people to play the bass guitar and drums.[2] Tom Morello introduced them to drummer Danny Carey, who lived in the building where they practiced.[3] Carey joined the band because other drummers the band wanted to play with did not show up.[4] Bassist Paul D'Amour was the last to join the band.[5] After D'Amour and Carey joined, they named the band Tool.[6]

Opiate

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Tool made its first extended play in 1992. It was called Opiate. To help sell copies of the EP, they went on tour. They went around the U.S. playing in concerts with two other bands named Fishbone and Rage Against the Machine.[7] They also played in concerts with White Zombie and Corrosion of Conformity.[8][9] In 1993, the band was playing at the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles. Keenan (who would later write the lyrics "Fuck L. Ron Hubbard and fuck all his clones"), baa-ed like a sheep for most of the show.[10]

The EP did not sell many copies at first. After Tool got more popular, more people bought Opiate. It took 13 years for the album to be certified platinum by the RIAA (an award for selling one million copies).

Undertow

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Tool's first studio album came out in 1993. It was called Undertow. In 1994, the band released a single from the album named "Prison Sex". With it was a music video that was created and directed by Jones. The video was deemed "too graphic and offensive",[11] and was only played on MTV a few times because the video dealt with child abuse.

The album reached #50 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top Heatseekers. It was certified gold by the RIAA after only eight months, and platinum less than a year later.[12]

Ænima

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In October 1996, the band released their second studio album, called Ænima. Tool began a long legal fight with their label Volcano Records (formerly Zoo Records) over problems with their contract. They ended up with a new contract that said they would make three more albums.[13] The members of Tool decided to take some time away after that.

The album was certified gold in 10 weeks and achieved double platinum, which means it sold two million copies, in 10 months.[12] In 1998, "Ænema" won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.[14]

Fear Inoculum

On January 26, 2020, Tool won Best Metal Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards for "7empest". Band members Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey went to the awards show to accept the award.

Style

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Singer Maynard James Keenan has a unique, melodic style of singing.[15] This style is thought to have influenced many other bands.[16][17] While guitarist Adam Jones's style of playing is very simple, he is known for his use of different techniques of playing together,[18][19] and trying new things with his instrument.[20] Danny Carey has a very technical, advanced style of drumming. He is known for using odd time signatures, among other things. Justin Chancellor has an aggressive style of picking and fingering, using many guitar techniques which include using a pick, chords, harmonics, effects, and hammer ons and pull offs.

Discography

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Studio albums
Other releases
  • Opiate (1992, EP)
  • Salival (2000, live, also includes a VHS/DVD)
  • Schism/Parabola(2006, music videos on DVDs)

References

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  1. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 21, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kitts, Jeff; Tolinski, Brad (2002). Guitar World Presents Nu-metal. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-634-03287-5.
  3. ↑ Newquist, Harvey P.; Maloof, Rich (2004). The New Metal Masters. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87930-804-9.
  4. ↑ "The Tool FAQ". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ "The Tool Page: Articles". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Tool Page: Articles". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Tool - Stepping Out From the Shadows • Timeline • exclaim.ca". June 6, 2012. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ "White Zombie Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Corrosion of Conformity Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  10. ↑ Dolan, Jon (August 2006). "33 Things You Should Know About Tool". Blender. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2006.
  11. ↑ (October 8, 2006). "Tool Archived 2008-06-14 at the Wayback Machine". SundayObserver.ik. Retrieved on January 17, 2008.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 (June 7, 2002). "Gold/platinum certifications". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved on January 16, 2008.
  13. ↑ Akhtar, Kabir (July 16, 2001). "The Tool FAQ". toolshed.down.net. pp. C15.
  14. ↑ "Grammy Award Winners - Tool". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  15. ↑ Powers, Ann (2002). "Self-Confidence, and a Tattoo". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  16. ↑ Assar, Vijith (September 30, 2003). "Lucky 'Thirteen': Keenan bolsters potence". The Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007.
  17. ↑ Rich, Robert (May 9, 2007). "Chevelle to play in Austin, remains unique despite criticism". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  18. ↑ Jon Wiederhorn (June 2001). "Mysterious Ways". Guitar Player. p. 71. Retrieved November 11, 2008. Jones isn't a shredder, a pop guitarist, a jazz man, an avant-garde iconoclast, or a blues player, but his performances often include elements from all those genres.
  19. ↑ Steve Huey. "Sober Song Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  20. ↑ Forlenza, Jeff (July 1, 2006). "The Making of Tool's "10,000 Days"". Mix. Archived from the original on August 25, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2008.

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