Wow, good post man, very good. I feel what you are saying about the growth and advancement in the technicality and maturity of their music. My first introduction to tool was Aenima with stinkfist. I loved that whole cd and then went to Lateralus and the stark differences between the two captivated me and I found myself listening to one and then the other and repeating over and over to experience different styles. Think of eating something salty, then wanting something sweet, then salty then sweet, etc... a cycle of two very different but complimenting flavors.

My dad had a monumental influence on my musical taste as I can remember being probably 7 or so and hearing Iron Man for the first time. We pulled up to the gas station in town and he started pumping gas and went inside to bullshit with the owner. Before he went inside he crunk the volume up and with the soundsystem he had in his truck and my 7 yr old ears I heard something that changed my life. He was inside watching me as the voice came on "I AM IRON MAAANN!!" and i started looking around and wondering what the hell is this! It scared me to death but I felt a strange calm and love within that fear. I instantly knew that i LOVED rock and roll. Thats a really hard experience to put into words, but is something that i still feel to this day. He came back outside and was laughing b/c he could see that the sounds had interested me, he subsequently gave me my first piece of music in my life which i still have today, an original casett of Paranoid. From then on it was rock and roll of all kinds, Floyd, Sabbath, Boston, ELO, Joe Walsh, Joe Cocker, Zep, Slowhand, Eagles (I hate the FUCKIN' eagles), etc... all the music my dad grew up with is what i grew up with as oposed to the rap and country my friends listened to growing up.

That being said, you can see my musical background. My adolescence was filled with classic rock and radio rock such as NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, RATM, and things that were easilly accessible thru public media, TOOL never got alot of radio play that i can remember so I ended up stumbling upon them myself as my friends simply weren't interested in rock, save a few friends, but they never heard of TOOL. Tool didnt come into my life until Aenima had been out for a few years. I never experienced Undertow or opiate in its own time, I only got them after Lateralus so that part of the Tool catalogue doesn't register to me on the same level as Aenima and Lat. They are very powerful, but just not emotionally connected to me as they may be with other listeners.

That was a long ass rant kinda, but I just wanted to give a little info on my musical pedigrees and the origins from which they stemmed. Tool versus other rock bands of now impart a feeling of the same childlike wonder and exploration, in me, just like the classic rockers of the 60s and 70s when new sounds and new music was being made constantly. I feel that with every album THEY are discovering new things along with us and we are just as much a part of the ride as they are.

Agreeing with Catatonic above me, i will welcome whatever they do wholeheartedly and with an open mind.

Peace people, LOVE yall!