Antithesis of Ticks and Leeches

[Pushit16]

I remember on the Lateralus webcast, Maynard or Adam (I forget which) said that the album is a study of group patterns. Therefore, it make sense to me that the songs themselves are in groups.

The song that The Patient is paired with is Ticks and Leeches. The attitudes and lyrics are almost as opposite as can be, and seem to be about the same general topic.

The other groups are

The Grudge - Schism
Parabol - Parabola (duh)
D/R/T (duh)
and Lateralus stands alone, maybe because it is the point to "Spiral out" from.

Random thoughts, but they make sense to me.

[volcano lance]

hmmmm......interesting thesis, ps16. It seems to fit the motif very well, unless you look at them in a different light. Good job though.

[Mordecai]

Although I agree that your grouping of the songs makes some sense, I find that I understand the album much more if viewed as a story of sorts. It has a beginning, middle and end, and flows quite nicely in the order it's originally in. The theme of the album seems to focus on relationships, as do many of Tools songs. Perhaps not one relationship in particular, but an amalgam of sorts brought about by experiences of each member of the band. The Grudge starts the album off with the apparent end of the relationship. After the emotional release experienced by the members of the relationship, Eon Blue Apocalypse comes in as sort of a sigh of relief that it is over, soothing yet melancholy. The Patient, although it's message seems surprisingly clear, could possibly be about the struggle to overcome the aftermath of the relationship. A long and tedious journey. I've realized that this post would much rather fit in the "As a Whole" category, so I’ll stop myself here.

[ELPsteel]

You may find this interesting if you have not heard the theory before: The fact that the title track of Lateralus deals with spirals may be significant. Take the 13 tracks

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

and draw a spiral starting at 6. Supposedly the songs make more sense in that order, which may help us figure out The Patient. So it would be

Parabol to Parabola to Schism to Tick and Leeches to Mantra to Lateralus to The Patient to Disposition to Eon Blue Apocalypse to Reflection to The Grudge to Triad, leaving Faaip de Oiaad the odd man out. Who knows. I just felt like throwing this out there.

[Toad]

That spiral theory is totally new, i'm going to have to try that.

Makes sense Faaip De Oiad being the extra piece anyway

[Spoon]

ELPSteel,

That's interesting, but what if someone were to spiral the opposite way? Starting on the 7...

[Pushit16]

Yes, Mordecai, I agree it should be in the same order, I just meant the subject matter was quite similar and adds cohesion. I don't mean to change the order or anything, just that the patterns of the themes go that way. Good thoughts.

[IrisoftheShadow]

Originally posted by Pushit16


The Grudge - Schism
Parabol - Parabola (duh)
D/R/T (duh)
and Lateralus stands alone, maybe because it is the point to "Spiral out" from.

.

I agree with that group theory except I saw different groups. Although there is the definite D/R/T group, I saw a connection between The Patient and Reflection. Both songs talk about the responsibility of dealing with pain and strife.