Lateralus

Wednesday, 9th February, 2022

Deep, layered, complex, emotional.

Tool has been my favourite band ever since I was introduced to its music by a couple of bandmates during those troubled last years of the 90s. Tool was a big influence on our band (Skin.Veil / Void.Veil -- I'll write about why we changed the name sometime), even though we had our own distinct style. We were creating complex, long, and lyrically laden songs. Strangely enough, even though we never ended up recording or even having a concert, we had a cult following that included people from other bands watching our rehearsals, in a lull, eyes closed, just enjoying what we were doing.

As for Tool, I can't quite explain it to someone who doesn't get it; people who do are similary entranced. It doesn't leave anyone untouched.

Music has always been emotional for me. I've never been an easy-listener, it always has to mean something. And that's what Tool always brings me, there's always meaning, too much meaning, too much emotion -- down to tears, to rage, to compassion, to acceptance.

If I've grown to accept what my life has brought me, through all these winding roads, I owe a lot of it to Tool. It brought me perspective, and enabled me to accept the way things have turned out to be. More than that, it helped me value everything that has happened that led me to this very moment.

And parts of that come from lyrics such as this, from Tool's "Lateralus" (section starting at 4:50 in the video):

I embrace my desire to
I embrace my desire to
Feel the rhythm, to feel connected
Enough to step aside and weep like a widow
To feel inspired
To fathom the power
To witness the beauty
To bathe in the fountain
To swing on the spiral
To swing on the spiral to
Swing on the spiral
Of our divinity
And still be a human

Spiral out, keep going.