Tool's most underrated song

[Aberfoyle]

This song is really pure brilliance to me. It's creepy, catchy, deep and listenable all in one. Along with Triad, this is what shows that Danny is the best drummer ever. The way that Danny takes what's really just a bunch of sound blips, and makes it a compelling song is really something to be impressed of.

[great deceiver]

i agree. its fucking beautiful, possibly my favorite single song theyve done. the music just says so much, and i can just get lost inside of it. and on a technical level... goddamn. fucking amazing. same thing with triad.

[hateandvaseline]

It's amazing when they make it the intro for Sober. The energy is indescribable.

[Evan]

I agree, this song is very underrated, at least in my experience. I even used to get kind of creeped out by it at first, but after many compulsive listens I found myself drawn to its eeriness, and especially to its creative side. I wish tool would perform songs like Merkaba more often when they are on tour. I guess this particular song evolved along the way; but I wish I could experience a song like this one live. Just pure jamming that sounds like noise at first, but definitely has an underlying force or something to it. Laters

[hateandvaseline]

I love the effects Danny uses in this song. Not to mention the bass line. I wonder what Maynard does while they 'give birth to this eerie noise' (sic). Someone said he played guitar, other say he sits and meditates or something along those lines. I would absolutely kill to see this song live.

[Kostia]

I've never heard of Maynard playing guitar. But the meditation thing wouldn't surprise me.

When I saw Maynard in Coachella, during what I believe was Eulogy he wasn't very visible. He was behind Adam and Justin and Danny--right in front of the projections of Adam's work. When he did do anything it was very reminiscent of Stinkfist's main actor and actress. It even looked like he had the same kind of makeup on as they had, some of the time.

[hateandvaseline]

Isn't he playing a little guitar throughout this tour? I'm pretty sure he was...

[sk8ingknot4659]

to be honest i don't really like the song as much without sober following it, it kinda just lets me down...

[Evan]

what he was playing during this tour (at least on triad i'm pretty sure) was a headless bass guitar. Maynard was a bass player in his first band, so he helps out during triad on that weird looking thing since there's no words. laters

[deluded1]

Hrm, i heard that the headless guitar was actually a specially made synth, that they use during schism...

[pacifister]

Merkaba is definitely one of my top Five favorite Tool tracks.
It is amazing to listen to while meditating or something. What is that noise at about 3:45 (I may be wrong). Reminds me of insects crawling all over the place. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

[Norfleet]

Apparently what Maynard plays, or holds, is a Steinbecker (Steinbacher? Stein-somethin' er other). All three shows I've been to he's pulled it out, but the one time I was on the floor I could see he didn't actually play it, he just kinda held it and looked at it and moved around a little bit.

Anyways I have the live version of Sober from the Boulder show (maybe it was colorado springs, I dunno) when they opened with it, and it's introduced by the last few notes of merkaba. I would suggest listening to one of this last tour's versions of that because it's indescribable how it builds up, hearing the crowd cheer as they start to get into it. Also awesome is that Justin doesn't actually play the bass during this part (at least not in Biloxi he didn't). What he's doing instead is taking his fist and knocking the fuck out of the body of the bass, it gives it a bit of a twangy sound I guess to describe it...

[Spartak]

Instrumentals are always mad, as they dont have to hide behind a mask of vocals, and hence you get the full raw emotion of the song. Merkaba is no exception, as is Triad.

[MrMcPheezy]

This song stinks. I despise it. It's pathetic. Danny does some cool stuff, but I cannot actually enjoy listening to it. It's terrible. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for liking this song. Thank you.

[Alat]

MrMcPheezy die

kthx

[WTF]

Originally posted by MrMcPheezy
This song stinks. I despise it. It's pathetic. Danny does some cool stuff, but I cannot actually enjoy listening to it. It's terrible. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for liking this song. Thank you.

you just can't comprehend it, you jackass. Simple minded fucknut.

[Paladin]

blah blah blah, id like to say, on schism and i think a few other songs of this recent tour maynard used a midi guitar (headless because its midi and i dont think it needs tuning) and on triad he uses a bass, at first i thaught i saw a skul of some kind hanging off the head. (i was lucky enough to actualy see maynard on this tour, i was almost directly looking at the side of the stage, so even tho maynards back was facign the crowd i could see him pretty good cus i was to the side alot.)

[llewdargssor]

Originally posted by MrMcPheezy
This song stinks. I despise it. It's pathetic. Danny does some cool stuff, but I cannot actually enjoy listening to it. It's terrible. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for liking this song. Thank you.

how many times have you listened to it?

the more you listen the more you enjoy, but not because of desensitisation, but because of brilliance and because there is always something new you hear.

thankyou

[realitytrip]

Note 1: if you cant say something negative, dont say anything at all :D its interresting to see different views of things, but, dont bash and say it sucks without giving any reason or insight behind it.. like.. we all know fred durst blows chunks.. but we can add words like "no talent, mindless, poser" and so on..
Note 2: Merkaba IS a briliant song.. as with most psychadelic-like songs.. they all make me feel in tune.. taking certain mixtures of sounds and having them run togather in your mind.. its almost as if you can feel yourself going insane..

[Chris_Brightwell]

Originally posted by MrMcPheezy
This song stinks. I despise it. It's pathetic. Danny does some cool stuff, but I cannot actually enjoy listening to it. It's terrible. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for liking this song. Thank you. Originally posted by WTF
you just can't comprehend it, you jackass. Simple minded fucknut. Originally posted by Alat
MrMcPheezy die
kthx You guys keep crap like this out of these forums. We really hate to moderate/censor what you all do and/or say around here, but sometimes you all do things like this which make it difficult to just let you run free. Do something constructive and productive -- flames and insults are neither.

We really want to keep this worth reading. Be original. Be intelligent. Be mature.

Thread locked due to flaming.

Thanks.
Chris Brightwell // moderator

[dan]

Originally posted by deluded1
Hrm, i heard that the headless guitar was actually a specially made synth, that they use during schism...

during a live APC mp3 I have, maynard refers to it as the "were" or something like that (like a "were"wolf.) he also says that it's his guitar, but that he doesn't play guitar.

and you flamers should really tone it down a bit.