The Album Trilogy

[Sol Invictus]

Does anyone see the esoteric pattern that Tool could possibily be following. I have stated this in earlier with a few peoples approval, so I thought I would like to hear more people's thoughts on it. The trilogy of course containing Aenima, Lateralus, and 10kdays(?). This follows the esoteric/Crowley belief and beginning constant of the Birth, Re-Birth, & Life. I believe Aenima is the birth (pain, an uncomfortable place, wanting change) then there was lateralus the re-birth(discovering life for the first time, everything is holy and new) and now that you are awake its time for life and 10kdays (very organic, you are reborn and wish to take your principles to the world but on a very intimate level) What ya think?

[ATARI]

I think you've been eating too many paint chips

[Sol Invictus]

haha maybe so, i also lived under power lines, but i think its plausible as uhhh the album being an ep, or an april fools on the track listing.

[SpiralOutKeepGoing]

haha maybe so, i also lived under power lines, but i think its plausible as uhhh the album being an ep, or an april fools on the track listing.

And by EP you mean Exceptional Piece (of music).

[Sol Invictus]

quite, was the sarcasm felt?

[T-13h]

Well, Lateralus could definitely be looked at as a kind of spiritual rebirth. I would be quicker to describe Aenima and Undertow as aspects of Death/ Osiris formulas than birth though, although that reading is certainly possible...

10 000 Days is life continuing, perhaps. Crowned and conquering child?

[Sol Invictus]

I wouldnt really consider Aenima to be about death. I dont hear many references to dying besides eulogy and that song screams change in its lyrics as well. I think Aenima when you look at songs like H, 46 n 2, Jimmy, Pushit, Aenima, Third eye its about hating something or feeling uncomfortable and wanting a change to occur.

[insaner]

Does anyone see the esoteric pattern that Tool could possibily be following. I have stated this in earlier with a few peoples approval, so I thought I would like to hear more people's thoughts on it. The trilogy of course containing Aenima, Lateralus, and 10kdays(?). This follows the esoteric/Crowley belief and beginning constant of the Birth, Re-Birth, & Life. I believe Aenima is the birth (pain, an uncomfortable place, wanting change) then there was lateralus the re-birth(discovering life for the first time, everything is holy and new) and now that you are awake its time for life and 10kdays (very organic, you are reborn and wish to take your principles to the world but on a very intimate level) What ya think?


could be.

[Valediction]

no point in speculating about this stuff until the album leaks and we have heard it.

[insaner]

no point in speculating about this stuff until the album leaks and we have heard it.


i disagree. this is actually a pretty cool speculation, in my book.

[Sol Invictus]

I think its contains more entertaining and important speculation than leaks, eps, album art, conspiracies, and the regular tom-foolery going on on this forum. so i doubt it maynard has already said these songs were going to be more organic and personally involved.

[StoneyB]

(Sol Invictus) I think your right. I would be willing to bet that there is a consistant theme between Ænima, Lateralus and 10,000 days. Personally, I have my own theories about how the albums are connected, but now that you bring it up, birth, rebirth & life make quite a bit of sense.

[T-13h]

I wouldnt really consider Aenima to be about death. I dont hear many references to dying besides eulogy and that song screams change in its lyrics as well. I think Aenima when you look at songs like H, 46 n 2, Jimmy, Pushit, Aenima, Third eye its about hating something or feeling uncomfortable and wanting a change to occur.

Not just death, but also re-birth as you said. I might call Aenima the process of expunging the mundane material itself in preperation for the heights that Lateralus will eventually explore. Tool went down to "the Bottom" where shit adds up (omg! psychology!) then spiraled out to the frontier of human potential, and now perhaps seek to find a middle ground. Perhaps...

[donkeynorris]

haha maybe so, i also lived under power lines, but i think its plausible as uhhh the album being an ep, or an april fools on the track listing.
hmm, April fool's day is coming up soon. I wonder if we'll see some more pranks from the band or from tdn. I think it would be pretty hard to top last year!

[a_sirian_in_agony]

its all spiraling to a conclusion...

[T-13h]

its all spiraling to a conclusion...
There are no conclusions, grasshopper...

[Sol Invictus]

There are conclusions. Mostly speculation, but conclusions are abound. You need to let people think for themselves and allow people to form a conclusion on their own. From this thread and others i have read your remarks and i dont normally "flame" or whatever it is you hip kids call it but you go out of your way to make sure your in control of what the main opinion is in a topic and you always fight for your minds thoughts while never giving thought to anothers.

[T-13h]

Calm down. Sorry if you think I'm stealing your thread, but this is actually the only time I've ever talked about my opinion on the esoteric nature of Tool itself. I'm just throwing my ideas out there just like you.

And I meant conclusions as in "endings."

[a_sirian_in_agony]

and i meant it as a begginning...

[Sol Invictus]

I dont see it as my thread. Just an idea or thought. I would have made it anonymous if i could my name and who i am on the internet mean nothing anyways. i wasnt really mad just realizing that you still need control of any topic. P.S. I know what conclusions mean I did graduate highschool, and college for that matter...but thanks for the lesson.

[T-13h]

K.

The fact that this thread has trilogy in the title and that you mentioned Crowley made me think of the three formulas or aeons he talks about. That of Isis, Osiris, and Horus.

The Isis formula is one of eternal giving from the world to the user/child/magician.
The Osiris is a sublimation of the person under the God, and subsequent death.
The Horus formula is one without or, in any case, beyond death where one continually grows and adapts to the world.

Personally, I definitely see how Undertow and Aenima are a reaction or follow through of the Osiris formula. This opens the way for the Spiritual awakening of Lateralus and the manifestation of Horus, I'm speculating, in 10,000 days.

The thread made me think and I thought I'd share. What do you think?

[magnolia]

And by EP you mean Exceptional Piece (of music).
Hahaha...

[Sol Invictus]

interesting atleast something is bearing fruit. As closely as to what i was saying but i see where your coming from now. I think they are definitely downplaying the importance of the albums contents, in scope anyways.

[Octopod]

Thanks to those who are making concessions to not let this thread get snippy.

I never thought of the possibility of a trillogy after Lateralus came out, myself. I don't really discount any of their pieces when I think of their intertextuality. All their recordings are important to one another, imo. I see the stoner scene ending and "I'm getting bored" lyrics of Gaping Lotus Experience leading into stringence of Intolerance and the less-metal nature of Undertow in general, the constipated concept of Disgustipated leading into the cleansing enema element of Ænima, and the opening of the third eye at the end of Ænima transforming into the circular saw blade made of eyes at the fore of Lateralus. They all lead into eachother, and the stories of each song can be interpreted to reflect upon one another. There isn't a single song that can't be interpreted (on one level or another) to be part of the same conversation that the speaker of the lyrical text is having with his second self throughout their catalog.

[Xariable]

Does anyone see the esoteric pattern that Tool could possibily be following. I have stated this in earlier with a few peoples approval, so I thought I would like to hear more people's thoughts on it. The trilogy of course containing Aenima, Lateralus, and 10kdays(?). This follows the esoteric/Crowley belief and beginning constant of the Birth, Re-Birth, & Life. I believe Aenima is the birth (pain, an uncomfortable place, wanting change) then there was lateralus the re-birth(discovering life for the first time, everything is holy and new) and now that you are awake its time for life and 10kdays (very organic, you are reborn and wish to take your principles to the world but on a very intimate level) What ya think?

Where can one find this Crowley belief in writing! I am only familiar with the cyclical birth, death, and rebirth concept (not Crowley's btw).

[Xariable]

I wouldnt really consider Aenima to be about death. I dont hear many references to dying besides eulogy and that song screams change in its lyrics as well. I think Aenima when you look at songs like H, 46 n 2, Jimmy, Pushit, Aenima, Third eye its about hating something or feeling uncomfortable and wanting a change to occur.

Funny! I hear death and rebirth on Aenima. H seems to admit a part of himself dying ("I will die, I don't mind'), while 46 & 2 indicates taking advantage of that symbolic death to rediscover himself through after overcoming his anima. I hear death on Aenema, but also a yearning for change. I can't really see how Aenima, on a whole, symbolizes only birth.

[T-13h]

Where can one find this Crowley belief in writing! I am only familiar with the cyclical birth, death, and rebirth concept (not Crowley's btw).
Perhaps suprisngly, there are a lot of Christian concepts reworked into Crowley's stuff.

I had my terminology mixed up, but in any case here's what I was thinking about:
http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/aba/chap5.html

[Loveboat Captain]

"no point in speculating about this stuff until the album leaks and we have heard it."

I'm sick of people saying that. Bullshit. Its like saying "dont think". SOme things posted here is total bullshit. But this thread actually contributed something.

[Sol Invictus]

Read Crowley's magick without tears. Anyways to the dude who was asking why birth is equal to Aenima, if you read some more of Crowley and from all religions before you are so called born again or the re-brirth you are living in a place where you feel horrible, things are chaotic but once you become reborn during that rebirth you experience and see things through a whole new light. Thats my reason for putting this into a trilogy perspective for the last two albums and now the new one giving what the band has said.

[Oakshield]

Does anyone see the esoteric pattern that Tool could possibily be following. I have stated this in earlier with a few peoples approval, so I thought I would like to hear more people's thoughts on it. The trilogy of course containing Aenima, Lateralus, and 10kdays(?). This follows the esoteric/Crowley belief and beginning constant of the Birth, Re-Birth, & Life. I believe Aenima is the birth (pain, an uncomfortable place, wanting change) then there was lateralus the re-birth(discovering life for the first time, everything is holy and new) and now that you are awake its time for life and 10kdays (very organic, you are reborn and wish to take your principles to the world but on a very intimate level) What ya think?

Think for yourself.

and so you did. its cool that you have come up with this, and i think tool would like it if you shared it with them.

[Dogma Slayer]

Where can one find this Crowley belief in writing! I am only familiar with the cyclical birth, death, and rebirth concept (not Crowley's btw).

Recommend reading "The Book Of Thoth" by Crowley. It is as relevent as the Koran or the Bible. Also "The Tibetian Book Of The Dead" follows along the lines of thought ,as Maynards lyrics. I agree that the CD's reveal a message for those digging. But sometimes is just as good to ROCK OUT. A song for any mood.
--------peace

[Sol Invictus]

ofcourse, its always good to rock out. Thats the two big things that music needs to contain and promote in a person. Thought and Emotion.

[dracomordag]

I don't see it as being a planned story reflecting a Crowley-esque trilogy...

but I think it's fairly obvious that the albums will tell a sort of life story. With 5 years between albums, the band has matured a lot, so they'll write about new things, with a new maturity/different world view.

[insaner]

Funny! I hear death and rebirth on Aenima. H seems to admit a part of himself dying ("I will die, I don't mind'), while 46 & 2 indicates taking advantage of that symbolic death to rediscover himself through after overcoming his anima. I hear death on Aenema, but also a yearning for change. I can't really see how Aenima, on a whole, symbolizes only birth.


i thought what was actually being said was Ænima mostly represneted death, but the rebirth came with third eye, which connected to the full realization (rebirth) of lateralus.

[grizz441]

I have a hard time believing back in '95 or '96, whenever Tool was recording Aenima, they thought "hey lets follow the Esoteric/Crowley belief and make 3 epic albums each with a different theme." I'm sure their only concern was the album at hand. 10 years after Aenima was released I doubt they are still in the same mindframe as they were then. Each creative process is totally different and a theme for an album has to be naturally developed and not forced.

[insaner]

I have a hard time believing back in '95 or '96, whenever Tool was recording Aenima, they thought "hey lets follow the Esoteric/Crowley belief and make 3 epic albums each with a different theme." I'm sure their only concern was the album at hand. 10 years after Aenima was released I doubt they are still in the same mindframe as they were then. Each creative process is totally different and a theme for an album has to be naturally developed and not forced.

tu numquam intellegre

[Sol Invictus]

and each section of the belief is a different frame of mind and setting in being alive. Who says art cant be thought ahead. Just speculation and i never said it was what they were doing just a cool idea.

[HiPp_1]

The band has matured over time. They have experienced things that affect the mood and content of their art. IMO this trilogy theory is very perceptive. I believe it holds a lot of truth. However, I think this progress or evolution is more subliminal than intentional. Time has brought out different phases of creativity, rather than a deliberate sequence of artistic compositions. I could be totally off, in any event, its great to talk about something that stimulates the brain, good thead.

[grizz441]

The band has matured over time. They have experienced things that affect the mood and content of their art. IMO this trilogy theory is very perceptive. I believe it holds a lot of truth. However, I think this progress or evolution is more subliminal than intentional. Time has brought out different phases of creativity, rather than a deliberate sequence of artistic compositions. I could be totally off, in any event, its great to talk about something that stimulates the brain, good thead.

good post

[dracomordag]

good post

if by "good" you mean "same as #33", then yes ;-)

[weak&weary]

good post
You have a handsome avatar. Kudos.

[Sol Invictus]

so do you hahah. what the hell is that?

[grizz441]

if by "good" you mean "same as #33", then yes ;-)

yes, that was a good post also lol

[Chancelor]

so if this is going to be a connected trilogy, does that mean this is where it stops? is this going to be the final chapter in new tool music?

[TurdEye13]

so if this is going to be a connected trilogy, does that mean this is where it stops? is this going to be the final chapter in new tool music?

impossible

[hobophobe]

I think you've been eating too many paint chips
I once wrote a letter to the Frito-Lay corporation suggesting they market food-colored potato chips and call them "paint chips."

Unfortunately, they declined.

[Sol Invictus]

hahah i would buy chips in a store called paint chips so when somone asked what you are eating, oh just paint chips. Good idea hobo.