All About Tool

Tool formed in Los Angeles when vocalist/lyricist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Paul D'amour, and drummer Danny Carey began performing together. The band's unique form of metallic art-rock, inspired by a broad range of artists including everything from King Crimson to Jane's Addiction, quickly won them many fans in the underground community.

In 1992, they released their debut EP "Opiate" which included several studio and live recordings from the bands early years. In 1993 they made their full-length debut with perhaps their angriest album, "Undertow" and it's resulting singles "Prison Sex" and "Sober". The production of Tool's first lot of singles, gave guitarist and art school graduate, Adam Jones the chance to work on Tool's videos, an interpretation of tool's music, utilising claymation and stop-motion techniques to produce some of the greatest music videos of all time (Jones's video expertise have lead him to work on such movies as "Jurassic Park" and "Terminator 2").

After finishing the "Undertow" tour, Paul D'amour left the band, citing artistic differences. The band then hired Justin Chancellor of "Peach", as their newest member. The new lineup released their acclaimed album "Aenima" in 1996. Not a band to repeat past ideas, "Aenima" allowed them to explore new styles with epic songs, complex forms, and sludgy guitar riffs all brought together by Maynard's mastery of metaphorical and obscure lyrics.

Maynard James Keenan

In 1998 Tool went on hiatus, giving its members time to explore various other projects. Most notably, Keenan joined forces with Billy Howerdel to form A Perfect Circle. The band released their debut, "Mer De Noms", in 2000 and released the acclaimed single "Judith" preceding it. A year later, Tool came together and recorded their most ambitious work to date. "Lateralus" combined progressive song structures and atmospheric subtleties with the band's signature metallic edge. The album was a huge success, and their legions of fans proclaimed it Tool's best to date. The band toured extensively to support the album, going as far as New Zealand.


Danny Carey

In 2003, Keenan went back to work with A Perfect Circle to record "Thirteenth Step", a concept album which revolves around drug addiction and the experiences of those in Maynard's life, who have had drug problems in the past. During this period, Danny Carey returned to his original band, Pygmy Love Circus and toured clubs all over America. In 2004, Tool united once again in a recording studio in LA.

Maynard James Keenan (vocals/lyrics)
Adam Jones (Guitar)
Danny Carey (Drums)
Justin Chancellor (Bass)
Paul D'amour (Bass until 1995)

Equipment:

ADAM JONES:
Guitars: Silverburst 1978 Gibson Les Paul , Seymour Duncan Jazz neck pickup in his guitars along with the SD JB bridge pickup.
Amps (Heads/Combos): A vintage Marshall head, a non-master volume bass amp from 1976, Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier, a Diezel VH-4 head amp.
Effects: Delay and EQ Effects Pedals An Epilady, a harmonizer, a Boss Metal Zone distortion pedal, a Boss effects processor or a Zoom 505, and a Boss Flanger.

JUSTIN CHANCELLOR:
Bass Guitar: Ernie Ball MusicMan,
Wall Cabinets: Mesa Boogie
Pre-amp: Demeter
Effects Pedals: Boss & Digitech

DANNY CAREY:
Drumset: Sonor Designer Series 8x14 bronze snare 14x14 floor tom 18x16 floor tom 18x24 bass drum 18x22 bass drum 8x8 tom 10x10 tom 14" RotoTom
Electronics: Simmons SDX pads Hardware: Sonor
Heads: Evan's heads, power center-snare, Hydraulic-toms, hydraulic & EQ3 on bassCabs
Pedals: Axis
Cymbals: 14" Paiste Dark Crisp hi-hats 22" Novo China 12" S.F. Flanger Bell 13" Sound Formula Mega Cup Chime 8" Paiste splash 18" Sound Formula Thin crash 18" Paiste Full crash 22" Paiste Dry Heavy ride 20 & 22" Paiste Thin China 20" Paiste Power crash 6" + 8" Signature Splash 14" Signature Sound Edge Hi Hat 18" Signature Mellow Crash, Power Crash 20" Signature Full Crash, Thin China 5" Bell Chime on top of an 8" 3000 Bell
Sticks: Trueline

PAUL D'AMOUR:
Bass Guitar: Ernie Ball MusicMan and Rickenbacker 4000 series
Cabinets: Mesa/Boogie

Opiate (EP) - 1992

Tool's humble beginnings. Very interesting to see how each member has grown as a musician and Maynard's voice is very androgenous on this EP. A far cry from the fury of "Undertow" or "Aenima"
1. Sweat
2. Hush
3. Part Of Me
4. Cold And Ugly
5. Jerk-Off
6. Opiate

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1. Undertow - 1993

Maynard begins to show some of the fury which will later become his hallmark. Carey's drumming also improves dramatically from his previous efforts on "Opiate". Guitar work is sludgy and driving, but lacks the palpable atmosphere which Jones achieves with the later albums.
1. Intolerance
2. Prison Sex
3. Sober
4. Bottom
5. Crawl Away
6. Swamp Song
7. Undertow
8. 4"
9. Flood
10. Disgustipated

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2. Aenima - 1996

Tool's "singles album" with quite a few radio friendly tracks and two resulting singles, "Aenema" and "Stinkfist", which gave Adam Jones an opportunity to produce 2 of the most impressive music videos of all time. The guitar and bass work also takes on it's trademark atmosphere while Danny Carey reaches his pinnacle in terms of speed, timing and precision.
1. Stinkfist
2. Eulogy
3. H.
4. Useful Idiot
5. Forty Six And Two
6. Message to Harry Manback
7. Hooker With A Penis
8. Intermission
9. Jimmy
10. Die Eier Von Satan
11. Pushit
12. Cesaro Summability
13. Aenema
14. [-] Ions
15. Third Eye

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3. Lateralus - 2001

Another step up from "Aenima". A concept album of the highest order. Driving yet atmospheric songs are joined together by atmospheric "filler" tracks. The opening track "The Grudge" shows Maynard at his best, with an amazing scream in the middle and a sharp yet sweet tongue which belts forth some of the most inspired and metaphorical lyrics on record.
1. The Grudge
2. Eon Blue Apocalypse
3. The Patient
4. Mantra
5. Schism
6. Parabol
7. Parabola
8. Ticks & Leeches
9. Lateralus
10. Disposition
11. Reflection
12. Triad
13. Faaip de Oaid

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4. 10,000 Days - 2006


1. Vicarious
2. Jambi
3. Wings for Marie, Pt. 1
4. 10,000 Days (Wings, Pt 2)
5. The Pot
6. Lipan Conjuring (instrumental)
7. Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)
8. Rosetta Stoned
9. Intension
10. Right in Two
11. Viginti Tres

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5. Fear Inoculum - 2019


1. Fear Inoculum
2. Pneuma
3. Litanie contre la peur (instrumental)
4. Invincible
5. Legion Inoculant (instrumental)
6. Descending
7. Culling Voices
8. Chocolate Chip Trip (instrumental)
9. 7empest
10. Mockingbeat (instrumental)

Salival - 2000

This CD/DVD set is an essential piece of any Tool collection. The video portion includes several of the band's acclaimed music videos. The audio portion includes a few fantastic live recordings, highlighted by an extended version of 'Pushit'. Other highlights include 'You Lied' (originally by Justin Chancellor's band, Peach), the Danny Carey showcase 'Merkaba', and a powerful cover of Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter', which, arguably outdoes the original version.
1. Third Eye
2. Part Of Me
3. Pushit
4. Message To Harry Manback II
5. Merkaba
6. You Lied
7. No Quarter
8. I.A Municipal Court
9. Maynard's Dick

Progressive Rock
Heavy Metal
Psychedelia
Art Rock

A Perfect Circle (Maynard James Keenan)
Pygmy Love Circus (Danny Carey)
Peach (Justin Chancellor)

"Music is about listening, the more you play, the more the magic spreads."

"I always believed that music should speak for itself, that people shouldn't see us as heroes, that our fans shouldn't concentrate on us, that they shouldn't try to feed our egos. Once your ego gets in the way, it is much more difficult to feel music."

"I just hope that our fans are people who are inspired by music, and just use our music as a background or inspiration for whatever it is they do. I hope they would be our fellow artists, rather than trying to emulate or idolize clowns like us."