Meshuggah (Listen to their record "Nothing" and youll know where the break down from Jambi comes from)

King Crimson (The power to believe, in the court of the crimson king, and red i think is a good starting point to see any similarities) = I would say their main influence.

I wouldnt say led zeppelin because well it sounds cliche and it could be a MINIMAL influence
They sound nowhere near as Pink Floyd

I would agree that they were influenced by The Melvins

fo sho!

Isis, but only In the Absence of Truth.

What three bands is Tool most similar to? Don't you mean what three bands are similar to Tool?!

Pink Floyd
A Perfect Circle
Led Zepplin
and maybe some Rush or Nine Inch Nails

Oh, I forgot Aphex Twin!

I've always thought Tool sounded a lot like Pink Floyd.

I guess APC wouldn't count would it?

I don't know where some of you get Creed & Chevelle. I agree they are both good bands, but I guess I lack of brain cells to see the similarity.

Exactly!

I can maybe hear Rush...

I disagree with this. Maynard is in the band, but instrumentally, nothing sounds like Tool. NOTHING. Find me another song that sound close to Lateralus: you can't. I've found cover bands that sound like Tool - but - they're bands devoted to playing only Tool's music, so of course they're going to sound like them as a tribute.

On a few songs, the closest I've heard is by a band called Captive Audio in London, England.

Otherwise, Tool as a band are in there own little world. Listed above, vocally, these bands are alike. When it comes to lyrical content and instrument usage, no.

ALSO - ROFL @ the user who thinks Tool sounds like fall out boy. Fall out Boy is like what, the worst band out there?

ditto.

Chevelle sounds more like the Deftones than Tool.

Hell...no...Now shut up!

"limp bizkit"
-Emotional masturbation.

No. Limp Bizkit is in no way shape or form anything close to tool and if any of the tool members knew they were being compaired in likeness to limp Bizkit they would probably flip their shit and potential harm someone/themselves.

And then in no particular order

1.Deftones
2.Primus
3.Rage

Anyone else ever notice some Sabbath similarities lyrically, and on some of Sabbath's more mature albums?

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath with the thunder and the rain..that reminds me of Tool. (10,000 days?)

caspar brötzmann massaker

(checkout album "koksofen" where adam has stolen his guitar sound)

Stolen???? NO WAY! You must not be hearing it correctly?!

do you know that album in special? if not, check it out, come back, be quiet. :D

Rush,
Pink Floyd,
KC.

Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath (especially on Undertow, pure Sabbath sound blended with Toolistic elements)

feersum enjin - dragon

based on complexity of composition:

Pink Floyd
Yes
Early Genesis

LOL @ chevelle


And wtf NIN isnt "negative", Trent is just as positive as Tool.

Portal is probably the only band that's ever come close to sounding like Tool (musically). I'm hooked!

*Severance reminded me the most of a Tool-ish song (musically).

are you joking?
NIN is pretty fucking negative.
just because he can find happiness in slavery, doesnt mean thats a positive thing.
the last album was slightly positive at the end...

My God..the singer from Cog gives me chills..he's unique just as MJK is.."What If" and "Run" are amazing. This is what I've come up with:

(Closest to Tool)

Vocally: 10 Years
Musically: Portal
Unique: Cog

The best description of Tool I heard in a subject such as this one is this:

Tool sounds like Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Metallica(their good stuff) combined......plus something else.

I think they sound like no one. But I always liked that description.

What 3 bands is Tool most similar too? Not similarity in the sense of how what bands sound just like them. Well I like Tool's multiple layers to their music so I would go with Mr. Bungle in that sense. There one of my favorite bands, same guy from Fantomas if anyone doesn't know. For tool's lyrics I definitely see some simliarity in Meshuggah's Destroy Erase Improve, and of course NIN, and Daath. For the progressive metal side of Tool I really like to switch it up with Opeth and Gojira is pretty cool. For the tribal side, maybe Neurosis. Drums, Terry Bozzio. The bass, I really like Les Claypool and Victor Wooten. Les Claypool and Danny Carey together? Get Adrian Belew's Side One.

What 3 bands is Tool most similar to?
1. King Crimson
2. Metallica (to an extent)
3. Rush

What 3 bands are most similar to Tool?
1. Chevelle
2. Earshot
3. Breaking Benjamin

there is a distinction

Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty - Maynard's old band
Electric Sheep- Adam Jones and Tom Morello's high school band
Peach - Justin Chancellor's old band

and you could definitely say...A Perfect Circle

the only similarity to pink floyd is their progressive and experimental nature...led zepplin is complete rock and roll Jimmy Page is a blues guitar player who happens to experiment and their songs sometimes break the 5 minute mark, this doesnt make the bands anything alike, they are only minor similarities

Bands like Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin are fucking worthless, if you just wanna hear hard shit with a whiny bitchy singer then keep it on your local alternative radio which is truly no longer an alternative to anything, it's all shit, yeah tool is on the radio but the label makes them do that, thanks to the fucking radio you have all these worthless fucks that show up to the concerts head banging and singing along when you could be watching the band perform. if i want to sing along, ill do it in the shower or in my fucking car, when i go to a show, i expect the band to perform and the singer to sing, thats what i paid for, not to hear some piece of shit behind or in front of me sing.

oh well, turn off the radio
and yeah, musically, tool resembles Rage at times
tool is my favorite band, but they have some of my least favorite fans

1. Spandau Ballet

2. Nickelback

3. Miles Davis Trio

4. New England Patriots

5. My taint

7. FEMA

King Crimson
Black Sabbath
Pink Floyd

WTF?

It depends on what you mean by "similar to." Do you mean "sounds like" or do you mean "has the same type of song structure," etc?

My interpretation would be has the same philosophy of developing "progressive" and unique music. In that case, I would say TOOL is most similar to:

- King Crimson
- Led Zeppelin
- Pink Floyd

Really, though, the great thing about TOOL is how unique the band and the sound are.

i don't think there are "similar" bands because they don't quite fit in the same category but i would hace to say: Isis and Pink Floyd... also the recently i found this band Triad, very influenced by tool...do you know them? i think they're new www.myspace.com/triadexperiment

Mmmmmm, i wonder how they came up with that name?
Now let me think....................

King Crimson
Kyuss

and in a strange way, newer Akercocke.6

Uh

Neurosis
Pink Floyd
Deftones

What bands are similar to Tool?

1. Mudvayne
2. Rage Aainst the machine
3. Beatles