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aenima is tools third album (unless you dont count opiate to be a full length album) and is a true masterpiece. This album is much more accessible as it has excellent production and a huge improvement on the bands amazing guitar skills.

The album kicks off with "stinkfist" which shows off the bands guitar skills and progresses beautiful throughout. Maynards vocals are the key ingredient here. "Eulogy" is quite a long piece and can be hard to get into as it takes a while to build up but i think the lyrics (some say they refer to bill hicks because of the album artwork but others say they relate to jesus) are superbly written and this song shows how tool can switch between emotion and angst. "Forty Six & 2" is also a long winding piece that continues to build up brilliantly throughout and is one of the bands best songs.

"Message To Harry Manback" is one of the short filler tracks to help link the 2 songs beside it together. These tracks are ok but can get annoying. "Hooker with a Penis" is a very different song. It is very angry and the lyrics are an attack at the media because tool are very much against selling out. Even though the lyrics tend to be a little crude, there is some rather excellent guitar work ere. "intermission" is a silly piece that is used to build up into the explosive "Jimmy" which has heavy droning guitars and brilliant, tortured vocals.

"Pu[&*!#]" is another lengthy piece but is one of the best songs on the album. The 2 best songs are saved for last. "Aenima" is a brutal melee of angry guitar riffs that weaves in and out of mellow singing and angry screams. "Third Eye" is what makes this album a masterpiece. Excelling over all the other tracks, this 13 minute epic sums up the whole album with its ever changing musical progress. Aenima is one of the best progressive rock albums of the 90's along with Dream Theaters "Scenes From a Memory".

This used to be my all-time favorite album ever, back before I was really into music. It was my first real exposure to prog (although I didn't know it at the time), so I'm a bit biased in favor of it. However, I can still listen to it today and be confident in my love of the album. While I wouldn't rank it as highly how as I used to, it's still one of the best and most unique albums in prog metal.

From the soaring riff of "Stinkfist" to the the eerie fadeout in "Third Eye", this album is some of the most energetic, powerful, emotional music ever recorded. Maynard James Keenan really establishes himself as an outstanding vocalist with his incredible ability to shift from a passionate cry of rage to a beautiful mellow style in the blink of an eye. "Stinkfist" opens the album with a fairly straightforward heavy metal song, which sets the stage for over an hour of pure brilliance. "Eulogy" begins quietly before exploding into a ferocious rocker with lyrics seemingly directed at Jesus Christ. The track features constant shifts from powerful heavy sections to heartfelt mellow sections, and seamless transitions. "H." is the most mellow song on the record, containing an eerie, mellow tone with gorgeous vocals and a powerful chorus. "Useful Idiot" is a joke of sorts by the band, as it repeats the sound made when a record is finished playing and the needle comes off, gradually getting louder. This comes at the end of side 1 on the vinyl release, so it's probably there to fool the listener into thinking their record player is broken, although if you ask some of the band's fans, you'll get all kinds of explanations. "46 & 2" is a very personal song to me, as I was somewhat obsessed with it when I started high school, and therefore listening to it brings plenty of nostalgia. "Message To Harry Manback" is a message that was actually left on cancer and dies, among other things. "Hooker With a Penis" is the most straightforward rock song on here, with a crunching riff, and lyrics about the irony of claiming a band has "sold out", when you still bought their record. "Intermission" is a short keyboard track, and seemingly another joke, however it also somewhat leads into the more progressive section of the album. It actually just consists of the riff to "Jimmy" being played on keyboards. "Jimmy" takes you on a musical adventure in 5 Maynard's answering machine, as the man speaking tells him that he hopes he gets minutes, gradually getting more and more intense until a powerful climax, and then constant shifts from heavy to quiet. "Die Eier Von Satan" is another goofy track, consisting of a somewhat industrial sounding melody and a spoken part in German. It's designed to sound evil and intimidating, but if you actually listen to or look up what he's saying, it's actually a recepie. This is in a sense the last breath of fresh air for the listener before venturing into Aenima's dark underbelly.

"Pu[&*!#]" is the hilight of the album, beginning sounding like another Tool song as it goes from mellow to heavy over a gradual time period, but as it gets going, it proves to be so much more. Around the 4:19 mark it shifts to an eerie section with very sparse instrumentation, but then it gets going and Adam Jones' guitar is at it's best, essencially overpowering the listener alongside Danny Carey's pounding drums. These set up the song's glorious grand finale, as the whole band goes into high gear, delivering one of the most emotionally charged sections of music I've ever heard, as Maynard cries out "remember I'll always love you/as I tear your [%*!#]ing throat away/there will be no other way/there will be no other way". So where does it go from there you might add? To "Aenema", another amazing track. This song takes it's idea from comeidan Bill Hicks, and his idea of Los Angeles falling into the water, leaving Arizona Bay. The track may very well be the best anger song ever created. (-) Ions is more noise, but this time noise with a purpose. Listen to this track on headphones, and to put it bluntly it will screw with your head. "Third Eye" is the epic finale, spanning just under 14 minutes. The vocals are innocent yet sinister, and at times almost frightening, and the music shifts from waves of distorted guitar to mellow backing. Jones also goes into one of the dirtiest, oddest guitar solos ever recorded. If you can keep up with the track's rapid changes of pace and mood, you'll be rewarded with arguably Tool's magnum opus. In fact, that anology could be used in describing the album as a whole. It's a wild listening experience, and the group's blistering metal assult could scare off some pure proggers, but if you have even a remote interest in prog metal, Aenima a must- hear.

Should Tool be considered as prog? has been one of the ongoing topic of progheads all over the world (and not only in the Archives). This debate will probably never end but since itis on here , I will point out that prog or not , this is a bloody good album!!!!! Certainly it has something to do with our beloved genre , mostly through the long psychadelic-like instrumental passages , and I for one think that psych music should be inclusive of this genre (bands like Bevis Frond , Jefferson Airplane , Spirit etc.... are too close not to be included) . So wild , weird and energetic that this does deseve a mention even by me who generally do not listen to such stuff but here there is something special.

From the menacing opening riffs of Stinkfist to the dramatic closing crash of the mammoth Third Eye, Aenima is a masterful work of progressive metal. With roots in both grunge and metal (and yes, I've heard this band compared to both Bush and the Smashing Pumpkins as well as the infintely more respectable Red-era King Crimson) Tool generally rises above its peers because of a combination of Maynard's fine (often distorted) vocals, its skillful mastery of dynamics and the percussive talents of Danny Carey (one of my favourite drummers of the 90s).

Now I won't deny that Tool could have done with a sympathetic keyboard player to add some variety to the arrangements, but in general the album ebbs and flows engagingly. The two monsters Push It and Third Eye are probably the standout pieces for me, but I must say that the songs often blend into each other. The percussion heavy build-ups and the occasional psychedelic guitar breaks can be found all over the place.

I must say that after a while an element of predictability creeps into the material. One can almost sense Maynard waiting to explode with anger even when the song doesn't necessarily call for it. I also don't always appreciate all the aural soundscapes (snatches of dialogue and interminable sounds of distant wind) that Tool seeks to create.

Despite its flaws, this is one of prog-metal's greatest albums. ... 59% on the MPV scale

4.4 stars

Close to Masterpiece status. This band has introduced dark metal to Prog rock and succeeded greatly (the next album melds the two genres together, sounding like a heavier King Crimson). The guitarist style is post-grunge/metal, but it is the other 3 members that captivate me so much. The singer can hold long notes and his voice is very emotional and has a wide range. The bass player has impressive and dark/hypnotic bass lines, and the drummer is one of the most interesting drummers I have ever heard. I am happy this album won a grammy, because instrumentally, lyrically, emotionally, and melodically ... it is a masterful album. Why 4 stars then? Well, this is like Fragile of the 90s : great songs with filler between them. The problem is that the filler is very annoying, pointless, and even cringe-worthy at times. I give this one a thumbs up just because of the unusual song titles.

I will go to the songs first : "StinkFist" is a very heavy opener that succeeds in bringing great melodies while it keeps being heavy. The guitar dominates it, but the bass has its moments to shine too."Eulogy" is one of Tool's best songs. It begins with a catchy percussive start, and heads into a short epic full of anger (attack on religion/priests). The melodies and riffs in this track are the band at their absolute best. "H" is mellower than the previous two tracks. The melodies are of course memorable, especially in the chorus. 46 & 2 has a nice chorus and a great instrumental break with a strong bassline. "Hooker with a Penis" has no prog elements. It is a straightforward angst metal song with witty lyrics and a great singalong chorus. "Jimmy" is a rather simple song that builds up into a intense climax. "Push it" is a long prog track. The first 4 minutes are normal heavy music. After the music explodes in minute 4, an dark section commences. Is this King Crimson or Tool?? Anyways, this is a very impressive dark atmospheric section with AMAZING bass playing. The song ends in a very heavy moment full of powerful guitar soloing. "Aenima" is a favourite of many. This is the perfect 'anger' song in my opinion and I am glad to hear it in the radio. "Third Eye" is the last song and it is the most experimental of all. This is a highly virtuosic, proggy, psycheledic, and strange track that gives an image of what the next album (lateralus) would sound like. The guitar solos are very unusual and creative, and there are moments full of creativity (I wonder if they used hallucinogens here, or they came up with this highly difficult, yet rewarding piece). Of course, the big climax and most enjoyable part of the album is when Maynard screams his lungs out "'Prying open my third eye!!'" over and over again.

What about the rest? Well .. Useful Idiot is the sound of a footstep I think in a loop : pointless. Message to Harry Manback is better, it has a melodic soft piano and a message full of insults (in Italian). Intermission is the best of fillers : it is really fun to hear a cheap sounding keyboard playing the melodies of 'Jimmy'. 'Die Eier Von Satan' is a Hitler'like figure saying something in German about a recipe (huh?). 'Cesaro' is a disturbing moment that brings the quality of the album down (I hate hearing that baby). Ions (-) is probably not pointless, unless you are not using headphones. It feels like electricity going all around your head and preparing you for the trippy last epic.

1. Stinkfist (8.5/10) 2. Eulogy (9.5/10) 3. H. (8/10) 4. Useful Idiot (0/10) 5. Forty Six & 2 (8/10) 6. Message to Harry Manback (5/10) 7. Hooker With a Penis (7/10) 8. Intermission (6.5/10) 9. Jimmy (7.5/10) 10. Die Eier Von Satan (0/10) 11. Pu[&*!#] (9/10) 12. Cesaro Summability (-5/10) 13. Ænema (8.5/10) 14. (-) Ions (6/10) 15. Third Eye (9.5/10)

My Grade : B+

Man, how to describe this? Well, there only can be a try: "Aenima" is a dark, haunting and a ultra-heavy progressive rock album with the experimental edge of King Crimson here and there and combinate it to one uncomparable overall-sound, which is a state of art record, and was (and still is) an important milestone in innovative rock/metal music in the mid 90's. If I would describe the single tracks on this work of genius (with exception of the filling throw-aways "Useful Idiot", "Die Eier von Satan" (funny German title though), "Cesaro Summability" and "(-) Ions", which steal the album one point, which would have been the full score), it would take too long and no one would spend the time to read it. It doesn't make sence to read about TOOL, you must listen to them, over and over again! The music here seems cold and untouchable after the first listen, but after several repeated excitement about it, the pure scary art shows off with all it's might and hidden backdoors, which you only can open, when you dive inside of this deep black hole. A black monolith - inside it you can feel the hammering puls of pure life, which finally set one free with an optimistic solution, how it only can be, when such artists make it to their exercise to give people through their art inner strenght to take destiny with a positive mind about life in their own hand. This is musically greatness! "Lateralus",..."Aenima" and "Lateralus" again (in change). Intense, hell-ish intense!

album rating: 9/10 points = 92 % on MPV scale = 5/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars

Maybe,it's not as genius as Lateralus,but it's great anyway.TOOL has combined different influences to create their own style...I just CAN'T compare them to any other band or performer - TOOL is TOOL,that's it!!! Amazing psychedelic sound,heavy riffs,weird lyrics and unique band's charisma gives you an hour and 17 minutes of pleasure.The best tracks here are "Stinkfist"(what a video!),"Eulogy" and "Jimmy".Freaky intermissions just make this CD sound incredibly funny...and if you'll find yourself laughing at the middle of the album,don't be afraid - it's normal reaction of your brain collaborating with UNnormal activity!! ! If it's not prog,then whar is it?

Having purchased TOOL's latest album not too long ago and giving it a good listen, I was a bit disappointed. Just in case I was losing my feel for the boys, I threw on this album. Suffice it to say, it blows away 10,000 Days in ever aspect. Jones guitar is all over the place and powerful, (unlike 10,000 Days where it just seems plain and boring). Justin's bass has snap and bite. Carey's drumming I will admit seems better on 10,000 Days but he's a monster still. I leave the best for last. Maynard's singing/shouting/growling is just monsterous! From the opening salvo, "Stinkfist", to "Hooker With A Penis", (which I believe is his best), to the title track with it's absolute hilarious lyrics, all the way to the metal/prog masterpiece "Third Eye", 'AEnima' is a blast of anger, humor and down-and-out creepiness. There's an urgency that I feel is missing on their latest, plus I believe when it comes to the signature TOOL sound, this is the album. Is it a masterpiece of prog/metal? No, "Lateralus" belongs in that category. There's still a tendency to ape a few Balck Sabbath riffs on this one. But, it still rocks the sh*t out of most metal. It also moves your bones with a grin on your face. How metal albums can do that?

Throughout the careers of legendary bands which have broken more into the mainstream than others, a reviewer or listener can often find one true masterpiece from a band. An album who's quality soars far above that of the rest, an album that recieves a similar amount of praise from both casual and dedicated listeners of the band. For Tool, 1996's Aenima is such an album.

Aenima is a work that has been unmatched by Tool. There are so many unique creative aspects to this album that simply cannot be repated. The ambient tracks like "Ion" and "Cesaro Summability" are among the most creative of any band, certainly in progressive metal. What is even more interesting are segue tracks such as "Message to Harry Manback", the organ-happy "Intermission", and the bizarre "Die Eier Von Satan".

I suppose the composed music for this album is good too. On Aenima a listnener will be introduced to unique sonic soundscapes. The chordal harmonies and the harmonies between the instruments are not unique, but inventive. Tool doens't stick to the classical rules of how to harmonize a melody, but rather uses odd and misplaced intervals to bring character to a song.

The timbre is one of the darkest possible. As diverse as the harmonies are, there is nothing that is particularly bright. The organ on "Intermission" is as joyful as this album gets. The relentless dark atmosphere never fails to hit a listener in a different way with each listen, Aenima is a new universe of dark emotions.

Danny Carey is one of the few drummers in the world that non-musicians/non- drummers can appreciate to the fullest extent. Never had I been able to believe that such a thing as "melodic drums" existed. That being said, Carey is the musical force that brings this album's excellence to be. Carey has unmatched creativity on his toms. He can roll with amazing proficiency coordinating with his bass drum in unique ways, but more importantly he can use single toms to mimic some of the bass melodies throughout the album. Carey is a musician that has almost equal musical possibilities on a drumset as a percussionist has on vibes. That may be a bit of a stretch, but the drumming on this album is nothing short of creative brilliance.

Justin Chancellor only excentuates the rythymnic prowess of this band. Like Carey, Chancellor is playing a traditionally rythymnic instrument and using it to make up the main melodies of the songs. Chancellor's part of "H" is an absolute masterpiece. He uses such a consistent high range throughout the body of the song is parts and guitarist Adam Jones' intervals may even cross easily fooling a non-musician that it is guitar and not bass playing some of the main melodies of this song.

Adam Jones is anything but a leader player. That by no means infers that he isn't a candidate to be considered one of the very best rythymnic players in music. What is impressive about Jones is the chordal harmonies he creates. Jones is able to use inventive chordal intervals to give the songs the most unique character imagineable. The overdubs from Jones are not only rich, but tight. Jones is one of the few guitarists that can build a wall of sound from an orchestra full of guitar tracks, but sound as tight as a single take. Another trait Jones posesses is the ability to use the higher range of his guitar in ambient ways, not exactly feedback, but the use of slides and long tones in combination with effects to do the most bizarre musical sounds.

Maynard James Keenan is the popular vocalist of the band. His vocal abilities are perfect for the band. He isn't the most prolific singer, but the range of voices he uses fit any type of emotion Tool would attempt to communicate. Keenan's strongest musical trait is his inhuman sustain. Keenans sustain last for phrases at a time, something more than difficult to accomplish. "Third Eye" is the most comprehensive showcase of all of Keenan's abilties. Melodic, aggressive, soft, loud, short, or long Keenan can vocalize any way he needs to.

The production is as good as the band. The clarity of the drums and the tightness of the guitars are the first things which come to mind. The definition of Carey's toms is what impresses me the most. The micing and mixing is able to capture more of the pitch of Carey's drums than the tone. Something which is a lost art in metal production. The tightness of the guitars is also worth mention and I said earlier. I'm not fluent with whetherTool uses digital editing to get these guitar tracks so tight, but the abscence of ambient noise and noise "hangover" is unbelieveably perfect. No notes ever leak into any unintended beats. The bass is a little dirty for my taste, but when listening to such a great player like Chancellor, the tone is a minor taste issue. The vocals are mediocre. There isn't enouch harmonization to tell how well the mix for the vocals were, but the important thing is that the vocals fit the music.

I know I don't need to say how many stars this album is. All you have to do is read the first or second paragraph.

By far Tool's best album. Lateralus is good, but it never had the intrigue that this album does. This album was one of the first that proved to a more general public that heavy does not mean evil, and that heavy can be indeed quite good and interesting.

Unfortunately, Tool is often seen as a band judged by its followers, who are mostly angst filled teens who feel people don't get them. Don't let the fan base discourage you too much. Tool, while pretentious to a degree, is very much keen on what they are doing. The best here is found in Manyard and drummer Carey, both seen as cornerstones in their fields. Carey provides not only outstanding technique, but quality choices in patterns and style. Manyard's voice is one of the most easily recognizable and powerful in music.

Well ahead of its time, and the band for that matter, Aenima is a remarkable and groundbreaking album. Everything falls into place here, one of the best albums of the 90's. 4 and a half stars at a minimum.

Tool's second official studio album (not counting the Opiate EP) was released in 1996 and ultimately would remain my favorite Tool album alongside their most recent album 10,000 Days (released 10 years later). 15 tracks with 5 of them short little interludes, Ænima would contain a few mammoth tracks in Pu[&*!#] and Third Eye, as well as the exceedingly heavy Stinkfist and the magnificent hate piece Ænima to go along with it. The only thing that really hurts this albums overall score is the meaningless interludes, which vary from industrial cooking recipes to the sound of a record skipping, but other than that it is 77 minutes of dark and intense musical/lyrical bliss that I think no fan of prog metal should go without. Although the band hadn't really hit their peak yet (their real claim to fame would come from Lateralus, although I don't like that album as much as the albums bookended by it), this album is a testament that Tool were here and are here to stay.

Opening with the magnificent Stinkfist, from the get go you know you're in for a ride. Powerful and grungy guitar riffing combined with the distorted and clean vocals of Maynard Keenan all come together with the stellar drumming of Danny Carey and the punchy bass of Justin Chancellor. As the "hit" (if you can call it that) of the album, it opens the album with one of the better overall pieces. Eulogy opens with clicking percussion from Carey and the instrumental section (which is quite extensive) in the beginning really shows the atmospheric qualities of the group. Jones' psychedelic guitar phrases match up with the subtle dancing bass rhythms of Chancellor before they decide to kick in with a main rhythm (and Maynard's heavily compressed and distorted vocal performance). H. opens with a heavily echoed and distorted guitar hammering out chords while the bass plays the main melody until the guitars mellow and turn to a more psychedelic flavoring. It's probably the weakest of the lengthier songs, though, as it is a bit bland overall. Useful Idiot is a 38 second sound collage of a record skipping and adds no new dynamic to the album and fails to show any purpose as well. Forty Six & 2 begins with a great Chancellor bass performance, playing Tool's signature style of ascending and descending single note structures before becoming a grungy nightmare of powerful chord progressions. Fantastic rhythmic sections from Chancellor and Carey and when added with Jones' magnificent progressions as well as the spiteful and powerful vocals from Keenan becomes a fantastic piece in the end. Message to Harry Manback is another interlude piece that utilizes a phone message voice and an underlying piano motif. It's another essentially useless piece although the piano is pretty nice. Following that is the song Hooker With a Penis, a vulgar rocker with some very graphic lyrics from Keenan (who has a penchant for writing graphic lyrics) and a very bitter and angry vocal performance whilst the rest of the group carry on that sentiment with crushingly heavy riff after riff of pure power. Despite the gruesome subject matter it's a nice piece musically. Intermission has a bit of a circus feel with the organ motif essentially being the theme for the following song Jimmy. I think it's another meaningless interlude piece that could have easily been edited to the beginning of Jimmy. It's fun, though, as it shows that Tool could have light hearted pieces amidst the dreary and depressing material.

Jimmy begins with heavy riffing from the bass and guitar and some precision work from Carey before mellowing out for the verses. It's another simplistic piece in the vein of H. but comes off a bit more effectively than that piece in my opinion. Die Eier Von Satan is the closest thing to industrial the band got. With powerful percussion (and guitars) and a consistent 9/8 motif, the song essentially is a recipe for some kind of food chanted in German. It may be mindless filler but I like it. Pu[&*!#] is the first massive piece, clocking in at close to 10 minutes. Powerful riffing and bitter vocals comprise the majority of the song but the instrumental middle section utilizes some clicking percussion and some subtle percussion from Carey to heighten the atmosphere along with an underlying (and later on a lead) guitar break from Jones. It's one of the first truly progressive songs and one of the best. Cesaro Summability is another pointless interlude that's essentially a baby shrieking and it being put through an echo device before becoming meaningless feedback and voices. Ænima comes next, and is one of the angriest songs they've ever written. Its brutal lyrics and its vastly opinionated subject matter are heightened by a great backing performance on all fronts (especially the riff from Jones in the beginning). It's a superb track with a great chorus and middle section (courtesy of the fantastic drumming of Danny Carey) to go along with it. (-) Ions is the longest of the filler tracks, and it's also one of the most pointless ones. It's essentially 4 minutes of mixed storm noises. The album ends with the behemoth Third Eye, a near 14 minute track that has incredibly heavy riffs and some extremely well written lyrics and some extremely well performed vocals from Keenan. Beginning with a Bill Hicks monologue and Danny Carey imitating a heartbeat, it broods slowly before the vocals come in near the third minute. Keenan's screams and cries mold well with the guitar maelstrom and the consistent rhythm unit work. Throughout the rest of the piece, there are a number of slower and heavy sections and everyone plays wonderfully throughout (especially Jones who solos throughout most of the interludes). The best part though, comes towards the end, when the entire band play a start stop riff while Keenan screams, "Prying open my third eye!". Masterpiece of a song and the perfect album closer.

In the end, a progressive metal fan can't go wrong with this album. It's got a bitter and spiteful feel and the music is relentlessly heavy at times. If you're like me, though, you'll find the interlude tracks pointless at best. Highly recommended and if you're starting with Tool get this album first. 4.5/5.

Play it LOUD with a decent stereo set ..!

Two gentlemen whom I consider being responsible for introducing TOOL in to my life. First, as you know it because I always put his name whenever I review any album of the band, is Rick Wakeman. Yes he talked also with me during his concert tour in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 2002. Second, is my i-Rock! colleague, Icann (Adler Siahaan), who persistently promoted this band to me and according to him Ænima is the best album from Tool. Thanks to Rick and Icann for "showing me the hill" (lending this phrase from Fish of Marillion). As for me personally, the music of Tool is attractive and one of my favorite bands, indeed. I started my journey with Tool through their latest album "10,000 Days" which I have already reviewed as well at this site.

Having gone backward from listening to Ten Thousand Days to earlier album, Lateralus and now Ænima I can confirm that the music of Tool has been consistent in terms of style as from the three albums I can identify very close similarities from one album to another. It does not mean that the music is stagnant. I believe there are examples of bands who have stayed consistent with their music direction. Take example of IQ which has been pretty consistent from its debut until the latest album "Dark Matter". You might consider as well Pendragon, Pallas who have been consistent thus far. Tool has successfully blended the elements of energy, drive, enthusiasm, ethnic, passion, sound effects and dynamic instrument playing into an excellent music in cohesive whole. Listen this album in relax way without any prejudgment that they should sound like any group of your favorite - you would find a joy of music delivered by Tool.

The album kicks off wonderfully with a sound effect that remarks the commencement of opening track Stinkfist (5:11). You can hear that bass is tightly played, combined beautifully with drumwork. Vocal enters in a distant voice style followed with screaming style is performed beautifully by Maynard James Keenan. Guitar is played in distortion style while the music create great groove typical of Tool music. The music interlude gives chances to drums and distorted guitar work to enter nicely during this interlude. It's so rockin'! I remember the music of New King Crimson.

Eulogy (8:28) starts with excellent exploration of sounds accompanied with floating bass lines and percussion. Drum enters slowly with guitar riffs and rhythm. The music then blasts in high energy with screaming vocal of Maynard James Keenan. I do enjoy the guitar riffs / rhythm especially when it's inserted with sound effects. Bass guitar demonstrates its role combined with sound effects. Yes, I can find there are repeated chords but the band has brilliantly inserted different textures into the music. This has made listening to eight minute duration of this track is enjoyable thing.

H. (6:07)brings the music into slower part at its opening. The combination of drums, percussion and bass is really nice especially it's covered with chanting voice of Maynard James Keenan. Justice Chancelor also plays excellent bass guitar and I think his playing style is one of keys in determining Tool music characteristic.

Forty Six & 2 (6:04) starts off with floating bass line textured with guitar effects, male chanting, percussion in a style of music that reminds me to Peter Gabriel's "The Rhythm of The Heat" from his fourth album "Security". In fact it's not a male chanting but Maynard is singing like he is doing a narration. What follows is a kind of progressive metal music in the vein of Dream Theater's "The Great Debate" from "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" album. The vocal part projects an image of energy and it might demonstrate anger.

Hooker With a Pxnxs (4:33) sounds like continuing the stream of music of "Forty Six & 2" after a close to two minutes bridge of "Message to Harry Manback". Well, I don't know what the lyrics are talking about, really, but I see from the point of view of the music the band produces here. Those of you who like metal music would enjoy the music interlude with guitar solo on top of the music. It's so noisy but I personally enjoy it. This might be because of last week I was preoccupied with many metal music like Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and In Flames "Come Clarity". So, I can enjoy the ending part.

Intermission (0:56) is a very nice organ solo that serves as a bridge to Jimmy (5:24) which begins with heavy guitar riffs followed with bass and drums to accompany vocal line in mellow style. This time the music is much ambient with great guitar riffs and melodies at the back of the music. I like the singing style that flows and fits nicely with the music from the slow part to heavier ones. Again, the singing style has characterized the music of Tool. It's so obvious. I like the part at approx 2:51 where the music changes its style for a while and returns back to its original style. Oh man, this track is great!

Die Eier Von Satan (2:17) is sound effect exploration and vocal narration - a nice one with "sim salabim .." - that moves the music forward to a long track Pu[&*!#] (9:55) with an intro of long sustain guitar work overlaid with distant vocal singing style. The bass guitar and drums enter to give richness of the intro. Vocal flows naturally with repeated music but with different textures as it moves along. The music moves into crescendo at approximately minute 3 with richer texture and heavier music - exploring the guitar distortion. It suddenly moves into a slow part with ambient style. Guitar fills insert nicely, followed with near-to-whispering vocal line. It's a nice arrangement, I would say. The music then blasts into heavier section with dynamic drum work and guitar distortion. Ænema (6:39) brings another style of music while maintaining the original characteristic of Tool music. At a glance this song sounds like straight-forward hard rock music. The interlude part with bass guitar as main rhythm section overlaid with guitar effects and dynamic drums is an interesting part for me.

(-) Ions (4:00) represents just totally a sound effect exploration that only the musicians know what they intend to mean with this effect.

Third Eye (13:47) concludes the album with a combination of progressive metal and classic rock music. The guitar solo in the middle of the track is truly stunning - especially listening to the sounds of drums' tom at the background which help elevate the energy of the music. I think this concluding track is quite expressive in nature especially as it can be identified on their exploration of styles which change from one segment to another. The ending part reminds me to the King Crimson's "21s Century of Schizoid Man" especially on distorted vocal line.

Conclusion

This album is brilliant. The band captures the elements of metal music with heavy riffs and screaming vocal into nice combination of ambient style and hard rock music. Tool music is I think a further creative exploration from New King Crimson music ("Discipline" album onwards) and progressive metal style. This album, altogether with "Lateralus" and "10,000 Days" are highly recommended because all of them are excellent addition of any progressive music collection. Given that you are open mind with heavy side of prog, am pretty sure that you would enjoy this album as it is. Production and sonic quality of the CD are excellent. PLAY IT LOUD with a decent stereo set is my recommendation. Why? You can get the subtleties of this excellent record! A decent stereo set does not necessarily mean an expensive one. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

"Do not affraid of growing slöwly - be affraid of only standing still."

The band with the world's most misplaced rhythm section strike again and manage to waste upwards of 75 minutes of their - and your - time. The songs are a little longer but the alternate rock influences are omnipresent and overpowering aside from during the transitive link pieces on the album which this reviewer finds preferable to the songs.

Note that "Third Eye" is quite narcotic while both "Hooker with a Penis" and "Forty Six & Two" are good rock anthems, but this album is simply too catchy to be deep, not powerful enough in its riffing to be metal and not concise enough in its message to be philosophically memorable.

Tool´s Aenima would bring them one step closer to their Art-rock status while keeping their alternative and hard elements. The result is heavy and sophisticated without sounding anything like the rest of the Metal or Prog scene of that time. As a matter of fact, to say that Tool is a Metal band is not exactly right, as they don't fall in the same category of Metal as bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or even the prog bands like Dream Theater, Fates Warning and oh so many more. While the majority of this bands tend to be fast, Tool is often slow, dense and atmospheric, which puts them aside from those other bands. Yet, the music is so heavy at times (most of the times) that to put them in the Metal category is understandable; in fact Tool would be one of the most influential acts for latter metal bands.

Aenima is also the album that would put them where they are now when it comes to sales and fame, winning even a Grammy (which the band didn't go to pick up any ways...). Tool was no longer the best kept secret of the underground music fan base; Tool had stepped in in the mainstream culture. Now, all this seems like a big contradiction, how can a band that pushes the envelop become mainstream? Well...go figure! Maybe it was the videos in MTV, maybe it was that breeze of fresh air after grunge got really predictable, maybe it was cause Tool had something to say, in the exact moment, in the exact time, or maybe it was cause Aenima is one hell of an album... or maybe it was all that. It doesn't matter that much now, the thing is Aenima was a revolutionary album for it´s time, and stands today as one of the best of not only their career but also from the ´90 ...and let's be fair, all time.

The album starts with "Stinkfist", a great opener with Adam Jones typical riffs and Maynard Keenan´s excellent lyrics and calm, yet disturbing vocals. The next track might very well be the best of the album; I´m talking about "Eulogy", a long song with some of Keenan´s best lyrical work to date (the lyrics might talk about something different for every one, but I see them as being a critic to those religious preachers that talk to talk, but don't walk to walk)...excellent. Other stand out songs are the incredible "Forty six & 2" with that hypnotic bass riff, the angry "Hooker with a penis", which might not be the best representative of the band's new Art´rock status...but this song is great for me, and every time Keenan screams "Fuuuck you buddy" I can't help but scream with him. "Aenema" (which for a reason I don´t know yet is not written like the album tittle "Aenima"...) is another great track, with Jones opening riff and Danny Carey´s great drumming (as always) and Keenan singing about a bid storm that will wash away the street's of Los Angeles city and advises the people form that city ot...learn to swim. Other tracks like "H", "Jimmy", "Pu[&*!#]" and the epic "Third eye" are all very good too, with the last two being maybe among their best, but for some reason I'm not particularly found of them... still they are great songs. Sadly, not everything about this album is perfect. There are too many tracks like "A message to Harry Manback" and "Die Eier von Satan" which aren´t songs, that get old and boring after a few listening.

It´s not the bands masterpiece, the next album, the mighty Lateralus would be it, but it´s a great album and a big forward in the right direction.

%*!#ing good TOOL album !

How should one start reviewing a TOOL cd? I got their CD "Lateralus" first, mainly because all the great reviews on this site. After that I got Aenima, and now I am even wondering which of them I like best. They're both awesome, but I think I prefer Aenima!

I was kind of reluctant to get into TOOL as I usually prefer the "lighter side" of Prog metal, like Riverside and Opeth. I thought that TOOL would be too harsh for my ears: I was wrong! Having listened to bands like Metallica, Van Halen, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden a lot in the eighties and nineties TOOL is a band I can easily relate to. Maybe this is a weird connection, but I personally feel those band share the same kind of "heaviness" and they surely all have a lot of energy to pass on to the listener.

About the Aenima CD. The CD kicks off with Stinkfist, which also was their first single and their first music video. Because the obscure title of the track, which could refer to fist-%*!#ing, the track is also referred to as "track #1". This TOOL video are directed by the band's guitarist Adam Jones, who had previous experience in art direction and animation. All of TOOL's video's have a very dark theme and reminds me of some of H.R. Giger's work (the Swiss painter, sculptor, designer who also designed Alien) and also of some movies by the movie director David Lynch. The reason why I mention their video's is that I really think you should not only listen to TOOL's music, but also let the music be accompanied by their weird video's. It just makes it more complete.

The second track of the album "Eulogy" is probably my favourite. It starts out with some experimental noises played in a great melody after a while accompanied by floating bass and drums. The song really starts to "kicks ass" around the 2 minute time mark when the guitar riffs are brought into the song and when Maynard James Keenan starts singing through a vocoder, not long after which he starts screaming the chorus. After 05:00 minutes the song slows down again and we are treated by some of Maynard's fine singing. The singing good from gentle to very aggressive. You can hear the aggressiveness build up in the words as well. I especially love this part: Will you? Will you now? Would you die for me? Don't you [%*!#]in' lie. (Don't you step out of line! 3x) Don't you [%*!#]in lie. Awesome!

The third track "H." also has a great vibe to it. Speculation has surrounded the song "H." The "meaning" of this song has not been detailed by the band, as they do not regularly comment on such things, but it has been stated that it is not about heroin. Several of the songs are just interludes that connect to longer songs. These segues are "Useful Idiot", "Message to Harry Manback", "Intermission", "Die Eier Von Satan", "Cesaro Summability", and "(-) Ions".

"Die Eier Von Satan" is quite a disturbing song, because we hear a German speech, accompanied by the sound of some hydraulic press and a cheering crowd that increases in volume, which makes it all sound like a militant German rant or Nazi rally. However, if you listen to the lyrics closely, it actually is the summing up of ingredients of how to make cookies, without eggs. Now I actually see some kind of humor in this song but I really didn't like it at first.

"Message to Harry Manback" is also some kind of weird phone-message about a Latino guy wishing an American guy some of the worst things that could possibly happen to him. Weird!

"Pu[&*!#]", with its nearly ten minutes running time, another highlight of this album.

Last remarkable song of Aenima is its title track. The lyrics of "Aenima" are about Southern California being all washed beneath the surface of the sea after some kind of disaster. It seems like Maynard James Keenan hates LA and wants to flush it all away. If we look deeper at what's behind those lyrics is seems to me that the band is just outing its disapproval of the "emptiness" we have in our lives today. The more we work, the more we have, the less our lives become worth. We should go "back to basics" some times to really take the most out of our lives and learn how to estimate its true value again.

Aenima - cleansing of the soul - is a great Progressive? Metal album!

The Nu Prog movement begins.

In 1996 this was Tool's best work, following their heavy and disgruntled Undertow (1993), and though they've made much better albums since, this one is still worth mentioning. Still made great my Keenan's grumbling vocals this album has a lot of great songs, but in my opinion, a bit too much filler. Tracks like STINKFIST and HOOKER WITH A PENIS still feel like the old band, grinding out heavy music, while others such as H., 46 & 2, and EULOGY would see the band hit a more prog direction. The obvious standout here is the 14-minute epic THIRD EYE, which codas the album with some great, and haunting, work done by each member.

This is likely not a great album to listen to if you're more used to the likes of Yes, but for those that enjoy King Crimson or VDGG this is kind of similar, except about 20 years later... However, Tool has always been, and always will be an aquired taste. All that put aside this is a good album that is quite an enjoyable listen, 3.5 stars.

Undertow was a surprise commercial hit, despite the band's iconoclast attitude (yes, they had music videos, but they did nothing to highlight the band, only the music). Most bands would have used this as a springboard and release another album quickly to satisfy the new contingent of fans. However, Tool is an unusual band. Three years passed, but the album that ensued was well worth the wait. Ænima shows a considerable step up from the band artistically, musically, and lyrically. Undertow had thoughtful lyrics and art rock scribbled all over it, but it lacked real complexity. Ænima changed all that. Greatly aiding things is the addition of new bassist Justin Chancellor, who brings a considerable amount of skill to compliment Danny's insane drumming.

The album is full of highlights. Stinkfist opens the album, and already it ignites controversy with it's title alone. It's a riffy classic that puts Adam's unsettling guitar at the forefront. Eulogy is the first of many tracks to show off Maynard James Keenan's unique vocal skill, and it also boasts deft lyrics. It also features Danny puling of polyrhythms that would make Bruford proud. H. is where Justin proves he is Tool's classic bassist, as he takes on the role of a sort of art rock John Entwistle, using the bass as a lead while the guitar is used for rhythm. 46 & 2 has a killer bassline and the vocals are delivered as a sort of narration. Fun bit of trivia: listen to Dream Theater's This Dying Soul or Repentance; one of the guitar lines is nearly identical to this, so even DT takes cues from Tool! Hooker with a Penis deals with the media and Tool's undying hatred for them, considering they have corrupted rock and made bands into sell outs. Pu[&*!#] is a softer song that provides a great contrast to the aggressive "Hooker." It features some of Maynard's best vocals ever. Ænema takes it lyrical cues from a rant from master satirist Bill Hicks (he influences a lot of the lyrics on the album) about how Los Angeles is a city full of fake airheads that should fall into he sea. This is a showcase for Adam's rhythms and Danny's incredible drumming. Third Eye opens with an excerpt from one of Bill Hicks' rants (as if his presence wasn't evident enough on this disc) about the use of drugs. This is probably Adam's finest hour, and this song should be presented to those who don't consider him a capable guitarist.

If you like Bill Hicks, you'll love this album's lyrics (though they capture the anger without Bill's humor). It is more immediately enjoyable than Lateralus, though the filler tracks here are far inferior to those on Lateralus, where it all seems to make sense. This is a classic of modern progressive music, and how this (like every other Tool album) became a hit is beyond me, since it contains all the uncompromising noise experimentations of modern Crimson. Lateralus is the true masterpiece, but proggies can't go wrong with this excellent release.

Grade: B+

My terrific first encounter with Tool. I have to admit being very pleasantly suprised at the time.

The controlled dampened driving chords of Stinkfist contrast with the constrained and melodic vocals. The undeniable attraction of the music is rooted in this contrast: dark and brooding on the one side overlaid by a gentle and and measured ; of course the storm is unleashed in bursts. The vocal intensity when this happens reminds me of Gary Stringer from Reef.

Thoughtful arrangement, precise selection of instrumental sounds and above all the constant feeling of a band tightly controlling straining power. Too many pure metal outfits over indulge in blasting the listener: undoubted talented musicaship is lost in a raging storm of confusion. With Tool the listener can sense all that energy but it is released at just the right time with just the right amount. it's a delicate balance and one which is difficult to find.

If you class this as prog then it's an excellent album. If you reckon it's too metal ... give it a listen you may be suprised. Since it's classified as prog and in prog metal within this genre its 5 stars.

A step above 10000 days IMO.

If you know anything about me on the forums, it's probably that I love Yes, Post rock, and Tool! Being the die hard Tool fan that I am, it must sound pretty lame that I just got this album about a month and a half ago, well the wai was worth ending the as-of- now Tool discography with this bold album. I have no idea what people were supposed to think back in the mid nineties when they first heard Aenima, a vulgar, blasphemous album, contrary to the grudge/ thrash metal scene that had been dominating for about five years thanks to Pantera and Nirvana. Before I discuss more history I should probably give you my review of the album.

The opener, Stinkfist, is a great song, almost catchy to the point of a radio signal, complete with your Adam Jones simple drop D riff, intense drumming, and very deep lyrics. The song really picks up near the end when Maynard is absolutely belting his words while the band is messing between stops and pummeling go's. The next song Eulogy is very controversial, starting with nothing but percussion, then slowly building to another simple riff. Afterwords, Maynard sings about someone having a lot of nothing to say, further in the song you realize that it's most likely Jesus Christ that he is bashing mercifully. I've never agreed with God bashing, given my Religious standards, but I once heard a fellow progger say that this song was actually meant to bash the creator of Scientology, I have no idea really. The music itself is great, absolutely mind blowing, sounds exactly like Lateralus, except the bad language, but that just adds to the song if you were to ask me. H. is a highly emotional song, and seemingly doesn't seem to touch other Tool lovers as myself. Starting with a much different kind of riff, that almost sounds like a REALLY distorted bass, the song doesn't really build til the very end, cause it's all about the lyrics. Honestly I have no idea what the song is about, but everything is sung so passionately, and at the climax Maynard alone sings "I DONT MIND", and just knocks me off my feet. Forty six and 2 is a song that clicks with time, starting with another different kind of riff, but soon changes to the arch typical Tool sound, with a groovy bass line and probably Carey's best drum performance on the album, topping all this off with lyrics about a shadow... Message to Harry manback, filler, filler about some guy sending some voice message about how much he hates some other guy cause of his American tendencies, lots of language. Lets keep the vulgarity train going with the greatly titled Hooker with a penis! A fast and musically dull song (besides the awesome bass line), all about You being the f*cking man, and about me being the f*cking man. Really, there is not a lot to say about that song. Intermission, filler. Jimmy is a mellower song, filled with chilled lyrics and chilled guitar, it kind of reminds me of H., but hasn't really clicked with me yet, so I wont give this song any kind of harsh judgement. I honestly skip the next rack, die eir von satan, creepy, in a different language, has satan in the title, not my favorite format for songs. Pu[&*!#] is a different story, another emotional song, with a long time to progress through it's slow build. After a short climax the song go's into a very low point where only vocals and very quiet bass and drums are keeping the song afloat, and of course the song picks up, and an intense jam session leads the song into the ninth minuete then ends. *** FILLER TRACK***. The song Aenima, easily the most brutal, all about how Maynard say's he's tired of all this bullsh*t thats going around, and really wouldnt mind having the apocolypse come. Awesome opening riff, awesome vulgar lyrics, and intense basslines, even with a relatively soft part, previously unknown to Tool music. *** FILLER TRACK***. The longest track on the album, third eye is fast, slow, and everything in between, really it's kind of hard for me to concentrate on this song too long. Overall, good music and good lyrics in the song, just cant elaborate too well.

Well, getting through the album in it's entirety is an incredibly hard task considering how long it is ( a flaw that Tool cant seem to shake), and with just the sheer intensity and challenge that the music provides. Besides lacking a certain evenness in both a category's of music and lyrics, the album is a solid 4 stars.

Finally, after a good dozen listens, I've gained the confidence and opinion I need to review this album.

This is a masterpiece for metalheads, however I do not think that all proggers will take to this album: it just seems too aggressive to be that. However, being a metalhead myself, I find this an absolutely stunning album to listen to. Maynard James Keenan delivers some really memorably brilliant vocals as usual, however he seems a fraction mellower than in the album's successor, Lateralus. Bass and Guitar are tight as usual on any Tool album, and teamed with Danny's incredibly rhythmic, tight and downright marvellous drumming, make the dream rhythm section. Danny's drumming is actually better on this album than in any of their others: if you are a drummer yourself, then this is album of the century for you. Forget Portnoy's unimaginative and banal DT work, Danny rinses the floors with him!

Now to the songs: The highlights are, without a doubt Eulogy, Forty Six & 2, Ænema and Third Eye. Eulogy for the amazing build up, 46 & 2 for it's utter listenability and the outstanding drum solo, Ænema once again for the melody and brilliant drumming and Third Eye for its raw and unique aggression. The latter is the perfect fuse of prog and metal, and Maynard's vocals are simply breathtaking. the rest of the album is bluntly just good, no other explanation needed.

Overall, I will give this album a 4star rating. Two things are holding me back from giving this the masterpiece honour: one, it isn't as consistantly perfect as Lateralus, and I have high standards for masterpiece albums; two, this isn't actually THAT proggy in my opinion, and although it would undoubtedly be a 5star on MetalArchives, this is ProgArchives and doesn't deserve that much credit here. An excellent addition to any prog collection however.

Despite the fact that you'll hear them on alternative radio and their legions of fans are, in the majority, angry teen gutter-punks, I must proclaim that: with this album-- Tool IS progressive metal!

Even more than a decade old, Aenima has lost none of its dark, brooding edge; it still remains amazingly fresh and unique, with its sinister assault to the senses and emotions. Very few albums have such a monstrous combination of sonic experimentation, instrumental proficiency, compositional songwriting, and memorable performances as this one does-- every track on here is a winner. From shattering choruses to shadowy ephemerality, the band proves that they are masters of their craft, with no one member of the band stealing the spotlight. Keenan's lyrics are as smart as they come, while his voice demonstrates wide range and power. Carrey's drums are deservedly praiseworthy, and Jones/Chancellor a like evil magicians with their guitars-- eschewing solos in favor of atmosphere.

The result, is a black tapestry of emotion for the listener to sublimate their own with; nothing purges anger better than Tool! Highly recommended to people who think this kind of music isn't for them.

Songwriting: 5 Instrumental Performances: 4 Lyrics/Vocals: 5 Style/Emotion/Replay: 5

I think this band deserves all the praise that's heaped upon them.While this album may at times be a little disturbing and graphic, the instrumental work is heavy,complex,dark and at times straight forward like a punch in the face.Great vocals and lyrics from Maynard.I like the 6 experimental tracks that begin with the fourth song "Useful Idiot" and then appear after every odd numbered track(6,8,10,12 and 14).This album is dedicated to comedian Bill Hicks who can be heard doing his stand up work at the start of "Third Eye".Interesting that Alex Lifeson in an interview with "Guitar Legends" says he listened to this cd over and over,"i don't do that very often" he says.Alex also says "Tool have an interesting,intelligent approach to song construction and lyrics." He goes on to praise Adam Jones and lists the song "Third Eye" as one of his all time favourites. "Stinkfist" opens the album with some bass and feedback before we are hit with a ton of bottom end.Vocals join in.Check out the bass after 2 1/2 minutes! Some good headbanging moments on this one. "Eulogy" opens with tapping sounds as percussion comes in around 1 1/2 minutes.It's building.Guitar and drums 2 minutes in followed by vocals.It's built! I like the way they contrast the heavy sections with the really heavy passages(haha). Scorching guitar solo 7 1/2 minutes in. "H." is dark and heavy to begin with.It settles as reserved vocals come in.This sounds so good.It kicks into a higher gear after 2 1/2 minutes.Hell has broken loose 5 minutes in! It calms down again. "Useful Idiot" sounds like pulsating static that's getting louder. "Forty Six & 2" again sounds so amazing with the bass and low end sound.They're kicking it hard 2 minutes in.This is awesome! Adam fires off some guitar fire before 3 minutes.Danny goes to work 4 1/2 minutes in.What an ending! "Message To Happy Manback" is such a funny title.Pretty much spoken words throughout as an immigrant rants against the USA for sending him back home. "Hooker With A Penis" is on the other hand a disturbing title.Grinding guitar turns into a wall of sound quickly.Maynard spits out the lyrics.Check out the bass! An unbridled velocity of fury 3 1/2 minutes in. "Intermission" features a keyboard melody with some organ.The keyboard melody is copied by a heavy guitar melody to start off the song "Jimmy".Genius.It settles quickly as vocals and a lot of bottom end come in.Grinding guitar 3 minutes in.A crushing soundscape follows. "Die Eier Von Satan" means "The eggs of satan" in German.We hear this guy speaking in German giving us a recipe as the crown cheers in the background.Funny.In the beginning heavy industrial sounds are going on.Cool. "Pu[&*!#]" opens with grinding guitar as vocals come in and drums pound away.A calm after 5 minutes.It's great the way this song gets so powerful then lets up only to crash in again.Absolute rage after 9 minutes. "Cesaro Summability" opens with baby sounds that turn experimental. "Aenima" makes me shout "Oh yeah!" This is heavy duty man.The bass and drums are driving this bus right into hell! "(-) Ions" is a 4 minute soundscape of what sounds at first like an atom bomb going off with the accompanying winds that go on and on with hurricane force. "Third Eye" is the almost 14 minute closer.After(and during) the humerous bit from Bill we get a heavy soundscape.Check out the guitar 2 minutes in as deep bass and drums throb.More power 4 minutes in as Maynard screams.Awesome sound 6 minutes in that becomes explosive.A calm 8 minutes in with spoken words.The storm is back 9 minutes in.More fantastic guitar 12 minutes in as we get more slabs of heavy sounds. This really goes far beyond the alternative rock music that existed when this came out in 1996.So complex and progressive, yet it has that alternative attitude,sound and anger.By the way thankyou evenless for sending me a legitimate copy of the cd.

Tool - Aenima 2.5 stars

With every album Tool puts out creates a new scar that carries on with their music for the rest of their career. From the debut album 'Undertow', the track 'Disgustipated' was a terrible track with 6 minutes of repetition followed by a nine minute mix of noise, silence and useless dribble. That carried over and seriously plagued Aenima.

It was pretty nice to see how in 3 years this band dropped the thrash metal and added a new brand of atmosphere and alternative metal to their music. 'Stinkfist', the opening track starts the album off beautifully. The heavy parts and the slow, hypnotic effect work well here and Maynard carries his voice through the track beautifully. 'Stinkfist' set the stage for many of their future big tracks.

'Eulogy' was a very boring track that didn't really lead anywhere. It had some really slow parts that were disrupted with heavy breaks. The problem was it just repeated so many times that the heaviness 'surprise' factor was just ruined. The guitar solo was also pretty pathetic, maybe one or two notes hit, covered up completely by effects.

'H' was a really nice track that does not get a lot of attention. It was a slow one that produced a nice hypnotic effect. A nice 'Discipline'-like guitar riff thrown in that always manages to stick out to the listener. Hearing a weird guitar pattern like that added well to the effect they were trying to achieve.

'Forty-Six and two' is a very popular track, but to me is a song with potential completely ruined and destroyed. The opening bass riff is nice, but what else needs to be heard? The guitar copies the riffs and plays it lower. During the verse Adam Jones might play it up a little higher and come back down during the chorus. Can someone explain how the exact same riff for six minutes is exciting? Meshuggah is able to get a riff down and create innumerable changes to it to get things more exciting. That's what separates high musicians like those from Tool. This repetition in the song was another scar to plague Tool forever.

Now, here is where things get utterly nasty.

The next seven tracks are some of the biggest pieces of trash I have heard in music, bottom of the trash. It's amazing how they came up with a two good songs, maybe three and then can go for nearly half an hour of producing nothing but garbage. This 'black area' is where you can turn the volume down on the computer and turn up the volume on the TV.

'Aenima' saves the album from going completely downhill. Jones throws down a pretty neat riff followed by some cool lyrics by Maynard attacking the L.A. area people and celebrities. No, the song isn't about finding yourself, Tool fan boys, just talking about Los Angeles. There is no 'deeper' purpose; you just got a nice trip after that hit.

Followed by another useless track that tops even the seven before 'Aenima'.

'Third Eye' is by far my favorite Tool track. I still can't believe they copied one of the riffs from 'Swamp Song' and stretched it into a 13 minute song. Even my favorite Tool track has to come with a huge flaw.. This produces the most hypnotic effect that they try to achieve. Followed by some insightful lyrics, which only Maynard can understand, because the sense you can make out of it is not even worth trying. This has a few heavy breaks that keep the song interesting.

It is easy to see why this band is popular. Most popular bands have a target audience that does not know what an album sounds like, that is beautifully from beginning to end, rather than albums, such as this, which has maybe 3 or 4 songs that are good. You never hear about anything else on this album besides 3 or 4, yet people will easily slap 5 stars onto this, looking away from those useless tracks that or indeed on here.

Wait for a greatest hits album that Tool will likely put out, when they run out of money.

Ænima is the second full length studio album from american experimental rock/ metal act Tool. I really enjoy their debut album Undertow and Ænima is IMO an even better and more mature album from Tool. I was introduced to Tool in the mid-nineties by a couple of bandmates who was devoted fans of Tool ( they also loved Primus who was one of the other big names on the experimental rock/ metal scene in the nineties). My two friends played drums and bass respectively and when you listen to this album and Tool´s music in general it´s very obvious why a drummer and a bassist would love Tool´s music.

Tool´s music benefits greatly from their excellent rythm section and the music is generally very rythmic. Another dominant feature in Tool´s music is the dynamics. Great contrasts between soft and subtle parts and heavy loud and angry parts. The heavy parts sometimes resembling explotions of anger and the soft parts can be seen as quiet before the storm. The mood of the music can be compared to repressed anger. Maynard James Keenan is a very emotional singer.

There are many great songs on Ænima. The albums opener Stinkfist which is also the song with the most memorable chorus is a great song and the next song Eulogy really shows Tool´s rythmic abilities. Great progressive rock track that one. My two favorites here are Forty Six & 2 and the energetic and hilarious Hooker with a Penis. Third Eye who ends the album is a great experimental rock track that features samples with comedian Bill Hicks from his Dangerous and Relentless albums. Most notable is his comments on musicians drug abuse and how it has influenced their music.

The musicinship is excellent. Tool has a distinct sound that no one comes close to replicating. There has been a lineup change as Paul D'Amour has been replaced by new bassist Justin Chancellor.

The production is great. Pleasant and very professional. Deep and warm.

Ænima is one of the most important albums from the experimental rock/ metal scene in the nineties and it was the album that cemented Tool´s leading position on that scene. I don´t listen to Tool much these days but both Undertow and Ænima comes out of the shelf on occasion and they are always a great listen that reminds me of my youth. I was considering giving Ænima 5 stars but as it has lost a bit of it´s magic for me as the years has passed I´ll rate it 4 stars. It´s very recommended though for people into rythmically and dynamically challenging rock/ metal.

Here the authentic Tool was born... After the splendid "Undertow", the band achieved its real personality here!

"Aenima" was a great leap forward for this american band, adding a great quantity of experimentation, progressive structures and also some silly things to their first full lenght album... The result was a milestone of experimental metal, and maybe one of the most important metal albums from the 90's. The stoner-based riffs mixed with some extreme influences, along with noise experimentation and progressive elements, made a great formula in "Aenima", although it was surpased later by the outstanding "Lateralus".

Sadly, here also started the interest fo the band of adding some silly tracks to the records, wich break the mood of Aenima in my opinion... Some people can find in cool, and I've heard another records like Devin Townsend's "Terria" where this kind of experiments are good, because their are a whole with the songs. But in "Aenima", I think that tracks like Useful Idion, Cesaro Summability and Ions don't add nothing really interesting to the album... And they are perfectly forgettable.

Nevetheless, the album is full with good songs... Eulogy, Forty Six & 2, Jimmy, Pu[&*!#], Aenema... A incredible digest of tech metal bullets , and although they are more friendly for the masses than other experimental metal bands like Voivod, Meshuggah or Neurosis, they are also a pleasure and a challenge for every prog-tech metal lover. The band was really incredible here too, every one of them sounding perfect. A special mention deserves Adam Jones, the man who gives more details and personality to the Tool's songs, and the great Maynard James Keenan, a man with a beautiful and fragile voice, but who is also able to sound rageful and powerful like a beast.

Conclusion: "Aenima" is an album wich deseves a special place in the 90's music... The band was able to develope the "Undertow" style in a new and even more attractive direction, offering a jewel for the experimental metal lovers, but also with a great hook for the masses. So although the album has some forgettable moments, in the form of four or five silly noisy tracks wich don't add any interest to the album, "Aenima" is an obligated stop to people who don't want to miss an important part of the modern day prog metal. A classic!

My rating: ****1/2

The Root of All Evil?Rock n' Roll is not Dead

While grunge had severed the bloating head of hair metal in the early nineties, it failed completely in making rock and roll dangerous again. The inward looking Seattle boys gave us a new combination of sounds that opened up the realm of possibility, but there wasn't a lot of new music that would really scare the pants off your parents. Until Tool. The band had a few minor hits, most notably the two chord "Sober" with it's refrain of "Jesus blows his fking whistle," which set the stage. But it was AENIMA that made Tool what they are now, probably the most influential band in modern heavy music.

The band had evolved quite a bit musically, with the signature circular bass riff taking center stage, and drummer Danny Carey starting to shine more and more. The songwriting had gotten quite a bit better, and with songs like "Stinkfist" and "Hooker with a PP," Tool firmly made a claim for being the most dangerous band out there. Maynard James Keenan's simultaneously tortured, twisted, and intelligent lyrics appealed to a wide array of young audience members. His voice would develop quite a bit over future projects but the emotional delivery was at full force from the beginning.

The songs on AENIMA are very riff based, played in straight time, and sometimes repetitive. Tool had not yet embraced prog sensibilities as full as they would on the subsequent album, and probably wouldn't still be around if they had. AENIMA was just the right degree of weird for the time. As is typical for Tool, there are a number of strange transition tracks. Some are complete throwaways but it added to the vibe. It must also be noted that some of the riffs on this album are among Tool's best, most memorable.

AENIMA was extremely progressive but when it came out no one would have thought "prog." Maybe "art metal" but not yet the genre defining work that would come on LATERALUS, and album I actually find more uneven. This album is an essential part of the history of modern rock in general, but that distinction will have to wait an album when were in the prog arena.

Aenima is an improvement over the debut. Right from the opening Stinkfist, Tool goes beyond their earlier grunge confines and gives the music more time to develop, resulting in quieter sections with some world percussion and more intricate riffing. The song itself doesn't grip me though. I think it's due to the vocals which are fairly standard melodically and lack soul. I am aware that this is not the prevailing point of view in the world but I hear what I hear, and I sure don't hear passion here. As I've pointed out in my Undertow review, I enjoyed Tool in concert so the sterile sound must be partly due to the studio recording.

Eulogy goes further in experimenting and expanding the grunge format, adding weird sounds and effects. Despite this disguise, the music is still fairly straightforward grunge/stoner riffing known from acts like Soundgarden, Kyuss or Rage Against The Machine, who were actually a lot more innovative years before Aenima. But the biggest disappointment comes from the vocals again, both the soft musings of Maynard James Keenan and his hysteric outbursts leave me completely untouched. He's not bad but his vocal melodies are average and his delivery inexpressive and characterless. After the average H, Forty Six & 2 starts out better with an appealing bass loop and pensive vocals and moody effects. The heavier sections are predictable but the rhythmic qualities keep this song going.

Another grudge I have with this album is the monotony of the material. Hooker with a Penis applies exactly the same approach as all other songs: rhythmic percussion, nicely circling bass, unremarkable grunge guitars and vocals alternating between quiet and loud as if by prescription. I usually don't get any further in this album then Jimmy, an ok song but I'm long worn out by the time it comes along. I'm actually worn out reviewing as well now so the remainder will be for your own discovery.

Be not mistaken, Tool is an interesting and important band that might work just fine for you. For me, their first two albums offer nothing that the previous generation of grunge bands hadn't done much better years before. So I was most pleasantly surprised when Tool's next albums finally evolved towards stunning and challenging music.