Sorry, but was not sure where to post this...

[Jojo]

But i was listening to Lateralus (the album as a whole) just now, and does anybody else see this as the begining of someones life, or a certain period? At the begining of The Grudge, where it has the sound of the machine starting up which to me seems as the begining of a period of a life, or A life from a different perspective. This period is started of with hatred (Grudge) then gone off into sympathy, depression, patience (eon/The Paitent), then goes into backstabbing, betrail (schism) then joy/realization (parabol/parabola) then goes into venting (T & Ls) then into serious thinking, analyzing, and excepting certain things (Lateralus), then a piece of being beside one's self, and letting things go, and becoming more, for lack of a better term, "social". Particully the "Crucify the ego" theme in Reflection. And struggle again, and becoming one with primative earth and man. Then with Faaip De Oaid, i think it is the conclusion and realization that we are all joined in unity with the human race, as well as other beings, and thats when this period ends.

just my interpretation, and i KNOW i placed it in the wrong forum...

[scorpioali]

huh.....interesting. very, very interesting. and, plus, the general feel of the whole album is very epic as if it is someone's entire life being spanned out. but that could just be because it's eighty minutes long.

[J1516]

YES! I figured that an album with this much flow and by a band like tool would have a story. Especially since they said it was a continuation of Aenima. Though if you go to the Ticks & Leeches section you'll see I don't even consider it a song.
I find it to be a journey from negativity to positivity. Though I don't think Faaip De Oiad has to do with this album. It has as much to do with the story as intermission did with Aenima.
You start out with the anger and frustration dragging you down, eon blue gives you a segue that leads you into the deeply depressed circle of strain that is the patient. Mantra is another segue into relationships between yourself and the people in your life falling apart and leading into a feeling of isolation and desparation. Parabol/a leads into peace and joy and a feeling of eternity, invincibility, and unity. Lateralus progresses into enlightenment that is needed to make the change from negative to positive in D-R-T. Disposition states the comming of change, Reflection says the need of change and the realization that leads to change, and Triad comes to change the negative energies to positive.
Any others?

[Type S]

I agree that the album has some kind of life to it, beginning with the birth of The Grudge and ending with Faaid De Oaid. However, I do believe that it is its own life, just as the life of a quasar could not be confused with the life of a mortal man. Lateralus pulses, it breathes, and mixes emotions within itself. I think that's what makes its journey so much more tangible for the listeners because of how different it is from everything else. I like to isolate it from the emotions that I experience so that it can move me in ways that I'm not expecting. That's just how I see it.

[mps]

Maynard said that he would like to do a project that was similar to Pink Floyd's The Wall. That's about Pink's life journey, struggle with fame, drugs, etc. If this was indeed what MJK was talking about then it makes perfect sense. It would be his epic story of the human life and it's cycle (spiral). I could definetly see Lateralus as a movie. No words, and just the music to guide you through. Doesn't it seem a bit weird comparing Tool to Pink Floyd. It terms of album sales there's no competition, but in the aspect of pure emotion, effort and quality, I would have to pick Tool.