Tool is an alternative metal rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990. Being originally integrated by Danny Carey, Adam Jones, Paul D'Amour and vocalist Maynard James Keenan, the band has remained intact with the exception of Justin Chancellor replacing Paul D'Amour as the bassist in 1995.http://toolshed.down.net/bio/
The band released their first studio album Undertow in 1993. The sound styling for this first released compilation displayed certain progressive deviations from the traditonal "metal sound." Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times stated, "Instead of a steady diet of dense noise, guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Paul D'Amour and drummer Danny Carey play with definition, discipline and range of dynamics that gives Tool more dexterity than most straight grunge bands, without sacrificing impact." http://toolshed.down.net/articles/index.php?action=view-article&id=April_1993--Los_Angeles_Times.html Boehm further stated, "The singer and lyricist, Maynard James Keenan, knows that if you want to go for dramatic effect, it helps to do some murmuring and whispering before you let go a scream." http://toolshed.down.net/articles/index.php?action=view-article&id=April_1993--Los_Angeles_Times.html
This musical style, as described by Boehm, developed further in their subsequent albums. Aenema, which was released in 1996, Lateralus in 2001 and 10,000 Days in 2006. Tool's lyrics are often controversial, dealing with a range of topics from child abuse to spirituality and evolution. The visual style of their music videos often incorporates stop motion animation and CGI graphics to add surrealism to the interpretation of their songs.
Currently, Tool is working on a new album scheduled for release in 2011. The band last toured in August of 2009 and are not planning another tour until the new album is released. http://toolshed.down.net/tour/
Grammy Awards and Nominations
Tool has been nominated for a Grammy Award on seven occasions. Of those nominations, they have won three awards. Their first Grammy was in 1998 in the category of Best Metal Performance for their work on Aenema. They won again in the same category in 2002 for the song Schism. Finally, in 2008 they won for Best Recording Package for their album 10,000 Days.
Tool Music Video for the Song "Schism"
This video clip is the long version of the music video for the song Schism by the progressive rock band Tool. This is the song for which Tool won its second Grammy award in 2002 for the category of Best Metal Performance. Curiously during the acceptance speech for the award, bassist, Justin Chancellor, stated, "I want to thank my dad for doing my mom." That statement and the video imagery contained within this music video provide a good characterization of the image that is cultivated by the band.
