Join host Pete Pardo as he ranks the studio albums of US progressive/alt-metal act Tool. #tool We now have a ko-fi page if you would like to support the channel: ko-fi.com/peterpardosseaoftra...
I saw Tool twice on the 10,000 Days tour. Amazing visuals. The highlight for me was just before the encore, the band left the stage and left their guitars droning and pulsing in feedback and then the lighting rig above tilted to reveal three UFOs that hovered over the stage. That was trippy! 1) Fear Inoculum 2) Lateralus 3) 10,000 Days 4) Ænima 5) Undertow 6) Salival 7) Opiate
1. 10000 Days (Proggiest and Best Album) 2. Aenima (Perfect Transition Album Alt Metal and Prog Metal Combined) 3.Lateralus ( Same Caliber as Aenima but a tad catchier) 4. Undertow ( Alt Metal at its best) 5. Fear Inoculum (More Avantgarde twists but meanders a little too much on certain tracks but good overall) 6. Opiate (Alt Metal like Prong Helmet, and White Zombie were doing at the time decent Ep)
I absolutely love Lateralus.. I have been listening to it from day one and it has aged very well, it maybe has even gotten better over time..Just brilliant 1. Lateralus 2. Aenima 3. Fear Innoculum 4. Undertow 5. 10.000 days
Aenima is probably the best album made by Tool, it's also in my opinion one of the scariest albums ever made. It has a raw form of danger, bite, and confusion that is not often seen in Progressive Rock.
"Scary'..I totally felt the same upon those first listens. Long story short- in the autumn of '97, I was finishing school. No idea where to go nxt, what to do, feeling horrible and scared about the open road ahead. I didnt want to go anywhere. I get a copy of Ænima fromma friend and it scares the living Hell outta me. It totally tapped into,and harnessed that undercurrent of fear that I had. It actually kept me up all nite that first time,I cudnt stop tinking about what it made me feel. But- it absolutly floored me over the course of time. It was like a therapy session each time I heard it. Its grown into someting even more meaningful over the years.
I completely agree with you. Tool definitely wanted to stand out of the crowd and show their Metal and Prog sides like how Dream Theater was trying to do. Tool stretched themselves really far on Aenima up to 10000 Days.
1a. Lateralus (hard not to have this one on top) 1b. Aenima 1c. Fear Inoculum 1d. 10,000 Days 5. Undertow 6. Opiate Finally saw them live on the Fear Inoculum tour.
I've only seen videos but it looks like Maynard stands way back in the shadows. Is he more impressive and visible in real life? I know he wears interesting costumes like Gabriel did.
I saw them on the 10000 days tour, and he was the antithesis of Gabriel, standing in the back in the shadows for the entire show... maybe he’s changed since then?
I rank them the same. I like, but don't love, Tool. Probably the best SOUNDING recordings from any band. Adam and Justin's tones are beyond sublime and Danny's drums could not sound better. But their songs are very hit and miss.
1- Lateralus 2- Fear Inoculum 3- Aenima 4- 10,000 Days 5- Undertow 6- Opiate I had the chance to see Tool live four times including their most recent tour in November 2019. Their shows are just mind blowing. They are real multi-sensorial experiences. Almost spiritual.
@Sam Debatably. It has to go up against at least two Dream Theater albums in Scenes from a Memory and Images and Words. And Blackwater Park is a contender too. But Lateralus is great for sure.
So true, when people say "oh Bohemia Rapsidy or Stairway are the best rock songs ever" I'd just say "Lateralus". Not saying it's the best song ever, that's very subjective. But why can't Tool be looked at as being better than Zeppelin, cause they are. (In my opinion 😊)
@@shawnbowers4836 I dont think they can really be considered "better" then one another because they experience you have with them is just different. They are both great no real reason why you should compare them+
6. Opiate 5. Undertow 4. 10000 days 3. Aenima 2. Fear Inoculum 1. Lateralus On any given day, the top 4 will rotate, killer tracks on all of them, just depends on my mood at the time Saw them LIVE for the 1st time in Sydney just before lockdown occurred Best Live show I've ever seen 4 masters of their instruments melding together to create perfection
That's a little more like it, I would go aenima, undertow, opiate, lateralus came out on my birthday in 2001 and for whatever reason it just didn't do much for me. Seemed to kind of drag on, unlike the others that every song grabs your attention, there were a few good songs but no I don't think it can touch it top 3
Thanks for getting to Tool. Once again great job. I find it shocking that you haven't seen them live. Hope you'll get it done,you'll be blown away. My order lateralus, Fear,Aenima, Salival,undertow,10,000 days,opiate. But can be any order. Amazing work
1A. Lateralus 1B. Aenima 2. Fear Inoculum 3. 10000 days 4. Undertow 5. Opiate They're all great IMO. Thank you so much for doing a Tool ranking Pete.👍 You need to see them live for sure . Best band on the planet right now.
Pete seeing Tool live is almost an out-of-body experience, combining their unmatched music by stunning visuals. I've seen them twice, in 2001 and 2017. My favorite band. I can't/won't rank the albums but it's interesting to see how other fans rank them.
Nice job Pete! I guess you figured you had to shut me up. 😄. I can’t make a list, because I truly like them all equally, for different reasons. I’d still like to hear your Top Ten song list, but I realize you’re a busy dude. Best thing you said, was that no other band is like TOOL. Yes!! This is why we appreciate them, they cannot be categorized! Thanks again, bro.
Hi Pete ,am from Albania and i listen a lot of deep purple , black sabath, iron maiden, judas priest, scorpions, ect. Listening to your show all the time and you open my mind to a lot of many bands of 70s and i love them now, and started collected ther albums. Thanks mate and dont stop.
You nailed it perfectly with Aenima. It has lower lows than lateralus but much higher highs. In particular those last three tracks Pushit, Aenima, and Third eye. All three of those take turns being my favorite tool song depending on the weather
I saw Tool twice on the Lateralus tour. The instrumental interlude bits between the songs really ties together their live show. It makes more sense when you see them live. They do instrumental improv bits in between most of the songs. It's really cool in the moment. Lateralus has the band's best music. Aenima has Maynard's best lyrics & themes.
Hard as hell, because they're all special. Have them all except the very latest. #5. Opiate #4. 10,000 Days #3. AEnima #2. Undertow #1. Lateralus 2 and 3 can easily switch.
I was living in Austin TX when Aenima was released and my best friend's sister worked for BMG. They did an album release party at one of the bars on 6th St. They played the album in it's entirety and the drinks were free for the runtime. Needless to say, we all got pretty wasted!
Thanks for doing this I thought you would never get there. Tool are head and shoulders above most bands and don’t sound like anyone else. Lateralus is my number one album of all time and Parabola my favourite song. They have so many good songs, picking a top ten would be a real struggle but why not give it a try Pete? Incidentally I have seen Parabola set as a soundtrack to the Passion of Christ on RU-vid and it is breathtaking.
My all time favorite band. 1. Lateralus (saw them on this tour, amazing) 2. Aenima 3. Fear Inoculum (Pneuma and Invincible are in my top 10 Tool songs) 4. Undertow 5. 10,000 Days 6. Opiate Not a bad album in the bunch. Now you know what you need to do Pete, top 10 Tool songs!
I saw them in 2019 and it only increased my love for them, my favorite as well. I can only imagine how mind blowing it was seeing them on the Lateralus tour, many say that was their prime live.
I've always loved their Opiate E.P. the songs are so raw and heavy and just flat out awesome! Undertow was so original and unique and awesome at the same time. But my #1 of all times for me without any doubt is AENIMA. In my opinion the album they could never outdo. Plus it never gets old. I still rock with it till this day. So unique of an album. Verygood video Pete.\m/🙂
All albums are top notch, so it's pretty hard, but there you have it: 1. Aenima 2. Lateralus 3. 10000 Days 4. Fear Inoculum 5. Undertow (still love it though, great raw, angry Tool) 6. Opiate
Here's how I rank their studio albums. My opinion and personal picks and their discography is greatly awesome and the musicianship is still a very important, complex and colourful form from their music and Tool's music's a standout in the genre. 1. Lateralus 2. Ænima 3. 10,000 Days 4. Fear Inoculum 5. Undertow
For some reason I get the feeling Tool is telling an ongoing story with their albums, not in sequence but rather like Saga and their chapters. I therefore have problems ranking them from "worst" to best. But their latest, Fear Inoculum, has the coolest instrumentations and 10,000 Days is the most mysterious. That's how I see these albums. They were a bit heavier in the beginning and went more Yes, Gentle Giant later, albeit on steroids. Undertow and Aenima are scary, as another commenter says, raw and dangerous. Lateralus is their most wonderful, beautiful album, almost like a heavier Genesis
1. Lateralus 2. Fear Inoculum 3. Aenima 4. 10 000 Days 5. Undertow 6. Opiate Lateralus is in my top 5 album of all-time, any genre included. I also love Fear Inoculum and Aenima. FI is my no. 2 because I dig a little more their prog side than the more metal side. But both these albums are also amazing. I hope you can catch them on the early 2022 US tour. I'll be in Boston on Feb. 19th. Indeed, Tool is an experience live. The visuals are just totally amazing and they sound so good live. I first saw them in 2001 on the Lateralus ans it took me like 5 days to get over it. Life changing experience to me. I saw the FI tour in Toronto in late 2019. It was my last concert before Covid. Tickets are expensive but well worth it.
I've been lucky to have seen them three times. Last time, they brought Primus with them for what was a freaking incredible show! I dig your list order, although I go back and forth between Lateralus and Aenima for number one. But you can't go wrong with any of their albums.
Lateralus is my number one although it’s close because Ænima is soooo damn good. They’re one of my favorite bands and their music means and represents a whole lot to me. Most definitely see them live whenever they head back out, Pete.
Again, another fine list. Here is my list. This was hard with such a small catalogue and tons of great music. 6) Opiate - I don't own this one so I really don't have an opinion on this one. 5) Fear Inoculum - Total joy to listen to but for me, not while driving though. I think some of it is pretty complex so I would pay more attention to the music than I would the driving. Much like 10,000 days. 4) 10,000 Days - Love the packaging as well as the music they go really well together. 3) Aenima - great album but, the 2 above it trigger fine memories for me. 2) Undertow - Thanks Shawn, you and the guys (Rob & Chris) playing Sober as a 3 piece in the music lair on Catherine Ave. got me right into these guys. 1) Lateralus - Love listening to this in the backyard with a small fire and some cold beverages. As with most, if not all the Tool material the thought into the packaging/promotion is a major focal point. Not just the music which is fantastic.
1 - Undertow 2- lateralus 3- Aenima 4- Opiate 5- 10000 Days 6- Fear Inoculum In the 90s that was my favourite band, i saw him live in lisbon, and i tell you that was the best show of my life, the sound is totally pure, no other band can replicate so well the studio sound in a live show.
The variance of everyone's lists just shows how awesome Tool are. They don't have that one stand out album like most bands have, they are all masterpieces in their own way.
1. FI; 1. 10,000 Days; 1. Lateralus; 1. Aenima; 1. Undertow; 1. Opiate Every Tool album, and song, can make an argument for best release. Which album I play depends on mood or time of day, having said that FI will go down as one of their very greatest. It’s not instantly gratifying to casual listeners, it demands your attention. But the rewards are many fold if you allow yourself the time.
Been a Tool fan since 93. My buddies girlfriend worked at a record store and brought over Opiate for me to check out. Instant love from my ears. There is no band out there quite like Tool. My number one has got to be 10,000 days. Just for Wings For Marie alone. That track gets me every time 2) Lateralus 3) Anema 4) Fear Inoculum 5) Undertow 6) opiate. All these are better than most bands though.
Nice list Pete. I'm really liking Fear Inoculum more each time I listen to it. Right now it's been my #1. Except the titular track no real standout songs but just a great chill-out CD. AEnima could easily take back the top spot at any given time. How about ranking Alice in Chains? Top 10 songs would be good too! I checked and it didn't look like you'e done them...yet.
The exploration that you speak of Pete came before Lateralus. They released a a boxset called "Salival" prior to Lateralus and it was comprised of extended live versions of some of their previous songs as well as outtakes and covers of songs of other bands and the real experimentation began their.
I think your rankings are about right. I choose Lateralus as #1, by the way; if you love this band as you purport.....you really need to see em live. I’ve a friend who I’ve seen Tool with goin back to 96. 8 times including this last tour. Really something. My son digs tool and is in the USMC.... They came to NC on this last tour and I bought him a ticket just so he wouldn’t miss em. Expensive,but everything is these days and who knows when we’ll be able to go to a show again.
1. Lateralus 2. Fear Inoculum 3. Aenima 4. Opiate 5. Undertow 6. 10 000 Days Number one stays the same but otherwise the list changes based on the mood. I really love Opiate, it's a great record to listen to when you seriously need to let off some steam. But like Pete said, there ain't no bad record in the bunch, none of them are even mediocre. I just fucking love Tool, man.
Aenima was the first i hear at the age of 40 in early 2001 and being an absolute FLOYD nut lol it rocked me to the core!!!! will never forget that night!! Saw them twice that year for laterals tour the first was on my first hit of vitamin A after a 14 year laps and i was so blown away......my list is the same as petes but floyd is still number 1 with TOOL a so close second then ZEP........but TOOL just can't be touched really by anyone...and i mean anyone!!!!!
A very reasonable ranking, Pete. My only change would be swapping 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum. I love Lateralus, but I think Aenima will forever be my absolute favorite Tool album.
Dayton Hamilton I have the exact same order but I have to say that with each listen of Fear Inoculum, I think there is a chance it bumps 10,000 days for third place. I can’t see myself loving FI more than Anema and Lateralus.
Been a fan since 2001. Saw them live in 2006, definitely an experience. The venue wasn't the best but the fans were nuts, some of the most dedicated and rabid fans I've seen at a show.
1) Undertow - Still sounds incredible, I love that swampy low end, and I can't ever see this album ever getting old. Love it front to back, and very little to no fat that plagues Tools later releases. A top 5 album of my formative teenage years. 2) Lateralus - My 2nd favorite album of 2001 after Converge - Jane Doe, another great front to back album, there really isn't much about this album I don't like. Aenema may have had some better standouts, but for me this is as solid and balanced an album as they have done. 3) Aenema - I don't think I've ever been more hyped for an album as when this was released, and Tool didn't disappoint. Some amazing work, and I love the Bill Hicks stuff, as I was a big fan of his. Album is a bit more disjointed for me, and the interludes are kind of annoying. Not crazy about the lyrics in hooker with a penis and the title track, as the direct nature has made those tracks age poorly for me personally. I prefer the more cryptic or indirect lyrics. H, Third eye, are my highlights, and I like Pushit, but I really love the version on Salival. 4). Fear Inoculum - was pleasantly surprised with how much this grew in me, I really didn't have high expectations for this. A lot of fat and recycling of past Tool in this, but it works for me. Exceptional production, drumming and guitar work, the flow of the album front to back makes it a great listen whether with headphones or in the background. 5) Opiate - easily the most "fun" of the Tool catalog. Jerk off is just so blistering, unbelievable intensity and vocal by Maynard. 6) 10000 Days - easily at the bottom for me. Some nice moments and musicianship, but this feels so bloated to me, could just never get into it as a whole.
@@ileutur6863 I agree, I think it’s a fantastic album the whole way through. You get the big catchy singles with Vicarious and The Pot. Jambi was a totally new style for them. The title track was groundbreaking for them. I could go on. It’s just highly enjoyable front to back. I guess people just thought it was too bloated and meandering I don’t know. I kinda don’t want to rank the albums as they’re all good and unique in their own way.
Interesting for me to think that Tool started my deep dive into progressive rock after seeing them just over a year ago. Tool branched off to Opeth and Porcupine tree, then I discovered Yes. Now my progressive rock playlist on has over 24 hours of music. I really have to thank them for a lot.
Tool is one of my favorites they never cease to Amaze me terrific live just genius in my opinion. My ranking was difficult respect yours bro 1. Fear Inoculum 2. Aenima 3. 10,000 days 4. Undertow 5. Lateralus 6. Opiate
I've always seen a likeness to Danny with you, only guy I think of, it's all good. Saw them twice on the Lateralus tour, excellent shows! Lateralus > Aenima > 10,000 Days > Fear Inoculum > Undertow > Opiate
Love the shirt, Pete! I used to BE in that band! Well, not ZZ Top... but - nevermind. Used to have that guitar also! LP Honeyburst. Looooove Tool. You know that Maynard sold his soul to make a record... and then... I ... bought... one... >:-/
Don't really know their whole discography but a very good band just getting into them Excellent musicians .Tool was the very last band to perform at the now TORN DOWN NEW HAVEN COLISEUM in New Haven Ct.one of the top venues in the 70's , 80's PETE what is the chance of doing a AEROSMITH deep cuts show??they have some good ones.
1.Undertow 2. Aenima 3.Opiate 4.Lateralus 5.10000 Days 6.Fear Inoculum Pretty much like them in order. Saw the Undertow tour only time I got to see them. Small place 328 Performance Hall Nashville TN. You should rank the album's of Chevelle. They got alot of Tool influence in there music IMO.
I am not a huge fan, to be honest, but I somehow own all of these. I only ever listen to my top two. 6) Fear Inoculum (What a disappointment. Just not good.) 5) Opiate 4) 10,000 Days (I never got into this. I was into heavier stuff when it came out.) 3) Aenima (Good, but I got sick of it quickly.) 2) Undertow (So fresh at the time. No one sounded like them.) 1) Lateralus (The Grudge is, by far, my favorite song of theirs.) They're the Boston of metal with their release schedule! Thanks, Pete!
Your rankings are exactly the same as mine, minus FI, as I don't own it. AEnima was my #1 for years, but, like you, I think I got just a tad tired of it, even though it's got my #1 Tool song (Eulogy), and other top favorite tunes. Undertow was the one that was always there...if that makes any sense; it still sounds so fresh to my ears. I can't ever get tired of that one. And, Lateralus. What can I really say? The Boston of metal comment is hilarious... and accurate.
I have often thought about what he said at 9:33 . Those parts distract and can be really annoying if you can't easily skip them! I didn't pick any of Tool's albums as 'Favorite of the Year" ' in the recent dialogue because of this! "Undertow" is my favorite from them. "Flood" and "Bottom" are so crushing and dark, and "Sober" and "Prison Sex" so good, it's my favorite!
While I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of Tool, I enjoy a lot of their stuff. I’ve heard their five studio albums but haven’t listened to Opiate yet. So here’s my ranking: 5. Ænima: This album has a few good songs, but also a lot of weird, way too out there stuff that I’m just not into. Not an album I can sit and listen to in its entirety. 4. Fear Inoculum: A cool, different album from Tool. A lot of really neat music on this one that I dig. I love the title track. My issue with it is that nearly every song on it is longer than it needs to be. Especially “7empest.” That song bothers me so much because it could be about half as long and it would be ten times better. It kind of encompasses the feeling of the whole album; too stretched out and it would be better if it weren’t so self-indulgent. 3. Lateralus: Everyone knows “Schism,” what an awesome song. But almost every other song on Lateralus is just as good, if not better. Obviously I could do without the full minutes of ambient instrumentals, but I can excuse them because the music is great. 2. 10,000 Days: Maybe this isn’t an accurate ranking since I’ve had the only listened to this album once and I’ve heard the others at least twice, but from what I remember, I really enjoyed pretty much all of 10,000 Days. There wasn’t as much annoying stuff to get in the way of the album being a good album and the music was heavy and driving as any Tool album before it. Again, maybe I need to re-listen for better judgement, but I remember liking this album a lot. 1. Undertow: I have a lot of nostalgia for this album because it was one of relatively few albums I liked before I really got into Rock and Metal music. It was in heavy rotation in my dad’s car when I was in elementary school and I just got down with the heavy riffs and vocals on it on the way home from day-care. And even listening to it now, it’s still just as awesome as it was when I was a kid. RANT TIME: This album is at the bottom of a lot of people’s Tool rankings with some saying it’s not as good because it’s not Prog or whatever. Here’s my issue with that: Prog is just a style of a genre of music, just like Hard Rock and Thrash Metal and Psychedelic Rock and so on. Good music is good music regardless of genre. To me, Undertow is really good music, not necessarily because it’s heavier than everything else, but because I enjoy listening to it. I also enjoy listening to Close to the Edge by Yes, again not because it’s Prog, but because I love the music. The genre and style doesn’t make the music good. The music makes the music good. I guess I’m just tired of reading comments from Prog Snobs who think Prog is always better than everything else 100% of the time.
1.Lateralus (do I have to explain?) 2.Undertow (there aren’t any bad tracks on it) 3.Opiate (the ultimate headbanging material) 4. Ænima (there are cool songs but some tracks don’t make sense 😂) 5.10000 days (has some of my fav tracks) 6.Fear inoculum (some very well thought out tracks in it but sadly it can’t take 5th place)
1. Lateralus 2. AEnima 3. Fear Inoculum 4. 10,000 Days 5. Undertow 6. Opiate Easily one of my favorite metal bands in general. Going through their discography to anticipate myself with Fear Inoculum last year was sooooo so worth it.
