With ‘Lateralus,’ Tool Reclaims the Good Old Excessive Sound

Tool’s first album in five years is no great surprise--neither a lesser version of the old Tool model nor a massive step forward. Its ambition lies in recapturing and refining the band’s fanatical commitment to substance--literal, bone-crushing substance in the form of oppressive guitars and chilling ruminations on decay and dementia.

“Lateralus” seems vaguely more accessible than Tool’s earlier prog-metal recordings, but maybe only in context with the uneven crowd of rap-metal acts that rose in Tool’s absence. Like contemporary Nine Inch Nails, Tool bridged that ‘90s gap between tortured alternative rock and the darkest corners of metal, probing various human nightmares with a grinding vocabulary.

The same distinctive rumble begins the new album with “The Grudge,” a track building from hard tribal beats and Maynard James Keenan’s bitter diatribe against an unnamed adversary’s own bitter diatribe. Likewise, “Schism” describes a disintegrating relationship with typically grim Goth-industrial flair.

Keenan wails across the frayed guitars with conviction, both during the darkest moments or while celebrating life on “Parabola”/”Parabol.” Guitarist Adam Jones remains as deft with subtle passages as he is at shattering eardrums.

Many tracks stretch beyond 8 minutes, building slowly from long, mantra-like introductions. But “Lateralus” is intentionally excessive, looking to reconnect with the Tool faithful while being true to its mental machine music.

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