Opiate Review
Tool have become one of the most popular metal bands in the world by developing a distinctive sound merging progressive rock and heavy metal. They are especially noted for their elaborate song structures and irregular time signatures, industrial rock and gothic leanings, and taboo-breaking stance.
Forming in LA in 1990, their first EP released two years later earned them support slots with the likes of Rage Against The Machine. Debut album Undertow (1993) sold platinum thanks to the single "Sober" and more successful touring. Ænima, dedicated to comic and friend of the band Bill Hicks, sold triple platinum and received widespread praise from reviewers. Legal problems with their label followed, leading singer Maynard James Keenan to form A Perfect Circle as a side-project. Tool weren't to release a new album until 2001, but despite the long break they had lost none of their creative touch. Lateralus was also released to acclaim and sold double platinum, although some commentators were unimpressed by the perceived self-indulgence of the 80-minute record. While Tool toured extensively, it took another five years for a follow-up: 2006's 10,000 Days sold over half-a-million copies in its first week, but was less well-received by reviewers than their previous albums.
Paul D'Amour (born May 12, 1967 in Spokane, Washington) was the original bass guitarist for Tool. His bass sound was recognized by the aggressive picked tone he developed with his Chris Squire Signature Rickenbacker 4001CS, which can clearly be heard on Tool's first full length album, Undertow.
Originally a guitar player, D'Amour became Tool's bassist after being introduced to the band by guitarist Adam Jones. Like Jones, D'Amour was in Los Angeles because of his wish to enter the film industry.
Justin Gunnar Walter Chancellor (born February 4, 1971) is a British-American musician, best known as his position as the bass player for Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool, and formerly of the band Peach. He has the mental illness Synesthesia. Chancellor is of Norwegian and English descent. Since settling in the US, along with his engagement in his musical projects, he and his wife Shelee run a store called Lobal Orning in Topanga, California, dedicated to music, literature and film "that shaped and changed" both of them. Some of Justin's favorite musicians include Jimi Hendrix, Fugazi, The God Machine, and Swervedriver.
Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan on April 17, 1964) is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1988 to pursue a career in interior design and set construction. He formed the band Tool with Adam Jones shortly thereafter.
Keenan is best known as the lead singer of the multi-platinum rock bands Tool and A Perfect Circle with whom he has released four and three studio albums, respectively. In 2003 he created Puscifer as a side project, financing and releasing its first studio album in October 2007. Since rising to fame, Keenan has been a noted recluse, although he does emerge to support charitable causes.
In addition to his music career, he has performed improvisational stand-up comedy and ventured into acting. He is the current owner of Merkin VineyardsRead full review
