POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Tool Finds Answer to <i> Angst </i> Formula

The Angst- rock bandwagon is mighty crowded these days, blasting bleak, grinding sentiments about the problematical world in which we live. It’s a powerful formula, but without a dose of subtlety, it remains just that--formula. At the Olympic Auditorium on Saturday night, Tool demonstrated why they can rise above the formula.

Leading his group through terse tracts and elongated jams, Maynard James Keenan maintained an intensity that rivaled Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, but without the industrial trappings. On stage, the psychological intrigue coursing through the songs, Keenan’s crooning wails and the supple bluster of the music unearthed a richness and depth.

The captivating, corroded pop at the heart of “Opiate” blossomed from guitarist Adam Jones’ Hendrixian sprawl and the sobering strains of “Sober” swelled evocatively.

In a theatrical aside, the band emphasized the sexual intrigue of one song with a twist borrowed from “The Crying Game”--enlisting an exotic dancer who gradually revealed “her” true nature to the bemusement and bewilderment of the crowd.