The Evolution of Tool

[Mitote]

I love the new single because it is what it is, and not what I want it to be. I'm not Tool, lol.

Great song...but if I were to bitch (always seem to find room for that, don't we?) it would be that I think MJK's vocals are too quiet. Instead of seamlessly blending the vocals with the music, it seems like the music just drowns him out. To the point where I can hardly hear him --- sometimes only his inflections. I think this is too bad, and unfortunetally it sounds like something went wrong during the recording. I understand we're not used to this sort of thing; that the front man is usually and expected to cut through the sound, but he sort of sounds burried here. I preferred it on Undertow, where I couldn't make out the lyrics because of his singing style, now I can't make them out because he's too damned quiet. Then again, you've got to give Tool credit once again for following their own path --- just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong or bad. Ah, well.

I think it's a beautiful meld of Undertow/Lateralus. Not feeling much Aenima here, but damn, who cares?

Wait...on third listen, is that a 'Third Eye' flavor I hear?

[Sauniere]

some 46 & 2 as well

[embracingyou]

Everybody's comparing to every Tool song left right and center. However I think this is the desired effect they went for with Maynards vocals... I presume they will sound better on the album and the album version of the track will be a little more intense sounding.

[dracomordag]

i love the way they mixed the vocals... i love the vocal style, as well. i never thought i would support maynard going to a raspier style... but this is phenomenal.

[xdwingdx]

good call on the fact that you used to not be able to "hear" maynard because you couldnt understand him. so when you finally figured it out, it was an amazing feeling. he just seperates syllables in words and made it hard to follow. this song just makes it difficult to hear him. he is definatley drowned out. but it still rocks.

[RED_THE_HAT]

good call on the fact that you used to not be able to "hear" maynard because you couldnt understand him. so when you finally figured it out, it was an amazing feeling. he just seperates syllables in words and made it hard to follow. this song just makes it difficult to hear him. he is definatley drowned out. but it still rocks.

The fact that you can not hear Maynard is kind of ironic I think. Everyone looks at Maynard as being Tool, like Maynard this, Maynard that, maybe he just wants to blend in a little.

[Briznitch]

The fact that you can not hear Maynard is kind of ironic I think. Everyone looks at Maynard as being Tool, like Maynard this, Maynard that, maybe he just wants to blend in a little.
Exactly. He's one guy, out of 4. Let them all shine.

[Tool4Eva]

They should kick Maynard out.

[dracomordag]

i lol'd

no

wait


nope

[Nebel]

I don't mind his vocals, yeah he could have improved them a bit more and screamed a bit more, there was plenty of opportunity.

[Dirty_doris]

Yeah he could have but i love the song as it is. I dont no about anyone else but that part of adams at the end kicks arse!! lol


I don't mind his vocals, yeah he could have improved them a bit more and screamed a bit more, there was plenty of opportunity.


On this point though, hasnt a few reviews said that the start of the CD is quite quiet in comparrison and Maynard turns very angry throughout. Soo could that mean that the style may change completely to this song? I bet maynard doesnt stay in this type voice as the albem progresses especially in the longer songs.

How could you make your voice that raspy in the whole CD when he isnt normally like that? it wouldnt be easy to do live, would it?

Maybe he had the flu that day and they were just like, meh... go with it. lol

[Goldfoot]

They should kick Maynard out.

OMG GET OFF HIS DICK!

[Dry Mana]

They should kick Maynard out.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/rock_star/

[Idiotica]

get out of the f*ckin' way, i'll sing the damn thing ....

[RED_THE_HAT]

Man, every time I get one of my favourite bands new records, singles, etc, I never look at it as 'Tool' or 'Meshuggah', or 'Sybreed', I look at it as just a bit of plastic that I have taken a gamble buying. If it dont sound like the band, but it is still good music, then I appreciate it. A band name is a brand name really. If fucking Elton John wrote this song, and it came out the same way, I'd still love it, cuz it is musically amazing!

[RED_THE_HAT]

They should kick Maynard out.

ummm... no.....

[tomadde]

I agree that Maynard's voice is too silent ... and that's about the only point of criticism I can think of, cause this song is like ... AMAZING!

[Fieldy2k5]

ITS JUST ONE TRACK OF THE ALBUM ><"

[RED_THE_HAT]

I agree that Maynard's voice is too silent ... and that's about the only point of criticism I can think of, cause this song is like ... AMAZING!

Ok, this is my magical 100th post, so I am going to try and make a decent point out of this.

Out of the band, where their songwriting royalties go and everything, it is a fairly general thing that the vocalist gets paid a higher share of royalties than the rest of the band, even though they wrote the music. Maynard is not singing in this, he is blending. He doesnt want to be known as the face of Tool.
Has anyone seen the shows with APC where he spends the entire show behind a sheet of fabric or what ever it is? He wants to blend in, be a part of the band, not a face of the band.
Vocals are an instrument, and should not stand out more than anything else. That is why these days, there are so many bands out there,who write such good music, then spoil it with really, really bad vocals.
I dont care too much about what the words mean, when I listen to this, it takes me away to another place. That is why I listen to Tool, and that is why I will never critizize them (unless joking around).
As far as Maynard goes, with his blending in alot more, look at it as just something different. I can say that I have never heard a band that I can realy look at their vocalist as an instrument that blends in. Not Pink Floyd, not anyone.
I think that what they have done with this is amazing, it is groundbreaking, and I think, it has really set the bar high for anyone who is following the same path. I think that, for my parents generation, Pink Floyd set that bar, now Tool is doing it for our generation.

Anyway, happy 100 posts for me! wooooo!!!

[badshirt]

Its 1 song and its good. Everybody relax and wipe off your moist cheeks.

[Unifaun]

I don't think the album will have a different mix.

[jaffy1234]

This song is classic TOOL. Does not grab you on first listen, But at around 4th or 5th listen it kicks your ass. This song ROCKS HARD and i love it. Cant wait to hear the rest of the album.

[dekard49]

Yeah he could have but i love the song as it is. I dont no about anyone else but that part of adams at the end kicks arse!! lol





On this point though, hasnt a few reviews said that the start of the CD is quite quiet in comparrison and Maynard turns very angry throughout. Soo could that mean that the style may change completely to this song? I bet maynard doesnt stay in this type voice as the albem progresses especially in the longer songs.

How could you make your voice that raspy in the whole CD when he isnt normally like that? it wouldnt be easy to do live, would it?

Maybe he had the flu that day and they were just like, meh... go with it. lol

Thats a good point, mate. It reminds me (forgive the comparison) of the first track of *motive...

It seems like nards time with APC has led to a lot more expirmentation with vocal style. Its fairly consistent from Opiate > Lateralus, and then from Mer de Noms he tries a number of different things that now *seem* to be following through onto Tool. I wonder what other kind of stuff was on the album. I was very keen on the reflection style distortion. Oh yes.

[Nate-dogg21]

Im going to kind of quote maynard from an interview i saw a while back....

"if the words were so important, people would be doing sold out spoken word tours, and music would be secondary, but their not because the music is what caries all the emotion. The words just kind of define where the emotion is going. Sometimes, when you get a record dealing with subject matter like we're doing, people go straight to the lyrics, then that puts more of a focus on me and im only 1/4th of this project"

People tend to focus waaaaaaay too much on the front man of the group, the leadsinger. Do me a favor and listen to this song with your eyes closed, and just FEEEL the music and see how it effects you.

[dekard49]

People tend to focus waaaaaaay too much on the front man of the group, the leadsinger. Do me a favor and listen to this song with your eyes closed, and just FEEEL the music and see how it effects you.

Well the vocalist is generally the accessibility point. We primarily communicate and express emotion and intent with words, not in chords.

If a song is a piece of archtecture, the vocals are the doorway we pass through to explore the rest of the song with our emotions, imo.

And like that quote says, the lyrics are often the tool that direct the buildup of energy, so in that way they have a front line duty as well.

But a band is 4 ppl, and they need them all to work. Just trying to articulate that I can see why extra emphasis may be laid upon the vocalist.

[vasooner]

I have to agree with whoever said this song will probably sound significantly better on the album. I know we downloaded a huge WAV file and all, but the sound quality does sound a bit sub-par and my hunch is that it's not the exact copy that will be on the album. How this will play into our perception of the vocals remains to be seen.

[dekard49]

I have to agree with whoever said this song will probably sound significantly better on the album. I know we downloaded a huge WAV file and all, but the sound quality does sound a bit sub-par and my hunch is that it's not the exact copy that will be on the album. How this will play into our perception of the vocals remains to be seen.

I've listened to the MP3 version, which sounded fine as far as my experience with other Tool songs, MP3 and CD are concerned; I thought WAV was almost %100 which it came to quality? Lossless or whatever?

[Ancalagon]

I agree; I love the song. But if they turned up the vocals it would have just blown me away. I know Maynard is capable of being powerful and of flooring the listener. He sings those la-la-lis loud and strong and then turn up the vocals on the last "VICARIOUSLY, I [...]" and this song literally kills me.

As is, I like it. Just like it.

[Siel Yardman]

The are inherent reasons for the subdued vocal levels.

Does it not make you listen more carefully? I would be li-li-li-li-li-li-li-lying if i told you i didn't pay closer attention to them. But now after 69 plays in a row i hear the vocals loud and clear...no problems with them being mixed down. This albums mix, in my opinion, is brilliant.

[a788]

i love the way they mixed the vocals... i love the vocal style, as well. i never thought i would support maynard going to a raspier style... but this is phenomenal.

that sums my feelings up well.