Love or Hate?

Trollheart · 08-12-2015, 08:36 PM

Title: Lateralus
Artiste: Tool
Genre: Progressive Metal
Familiarity: Zero

1. The grudge: Sort of a robotic-like chant before the proper vocal starts. Good guitar work but I have to admit I was quite bored with that. Seemed a bit indulgent?
2. Eon blue apocalypse: Instrumental it says. Very little in it.
3. The patient: No, I'm still bored. Nothing about this is grabbing me at all.
4. Mantra: Another instrumental, with very little instruments. Yawn.
5. Schism: There is, finally, something in this. Still not enough to turn it Green though.
6. Parabol: Vocal is so low I can barely make it out.
7. Parabola: God I am so bored with this album!
8. Ticks and leeches: Honestly, if I hadn't promised to listen to every album all the way through (and I've had to sit through some awful ones in order to honour that promise) I would be stoppping this now. It's like listening to paint dry.
9. Lateralus: I continue to be bored; hard to even keep track of where I am in this godddamn snoozefest...
10. Disposition: Jesus! Finally! A track I can say I like!
11. Reflection: Dear God this is eleven minutes long! Save me! Ok, in fairness this is not too bad. In fact it's quite good. But it's not going to change my mind about this album. It's way too late for that.
12. Triad: Yeah, that's pretty cool too. Way too long for an instrumental though, especially after what I've had to suffer though. Oh and can anyone tell me why some bands though feel the need to add TWO MINUTES OF BLANK FUCKING SPACE after a track? It's so fucking pretentious and very very annoying, and yes I'm aware Marillion did it with fifteen minutes of blank space, and I took them to task over it in the review of their album. I'm not above calling them out if they piss me off.
13. Faaip de Oiad: So what's this? Just some random noise and drums while someone talks about crap? Jebus!

Thank god that's over!

End result: I honestly don't see why this album gets such praise. I found it stultifyingly boring, devoid of any really decent songs and I've already forgotten about it. Guess I'll never be a fan of Tool. Yeah, go on, say it: just a tool, I know....

So, Love or Hate? Not even interested enough to Hate it, it's a pure Meh.

TechnicLePanther · 08-12-2015, 09:18 PM

I really just don't understand how you were bored by it. I would expect disinterest, bot not plain boredom. Perhaps you're just not getting into them the same way most fans do. Maybe you were bored because all of their songs sound pretty similar. That is a common argument against the band, and I can totally see it like that. But the way it is, I'm just hoping for a bit of further explanation.

By the way, try listening to some of their songs on their own. Their music videos tend to receive a lot of accolades, so you may want to watch those with the songs to add some depth. The videos are a bit strange, but the tend to work well with the songs. Also, I don't know if you're interested at all, but their earlier songs are a bit heavier, and at the same time tend to be a bit easier to get into. Try some of their other stuff out if you find the time.

Key · 08-12-2015, 09:19 PM

^you gotta be in a certain mindset for that album.

**Frownland** · 08-12-2015, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ki

^you gotta be in a certain mindset for that album.

I agree. It's a great album to zone out to, but for me I'm somewhat with TH when I say that it loses a bit of its luster on intensive listens.

The Batlord · 08-12-2015, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechnicLePanther

I really just don't understand how you were bored by it.

Because it's a boring ****ing album by a boring ****ing band. Good job, TH. Occasionally you do show some semblance of taste.

YorkeDaddy · 08-12-2015, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ki

^you gotta be in a certain mindset for that album.

In the mindset to listen to mediocrity maybe

Machine · 08-13-2015, 12:24 AM

I hold Lateralus on a really high ****ing pedestal, and when someone dosent like it I always wonder why. That being said, thinking about it I could see why the vast majority would find it unappealing.

**Frownland** · 08-13-2015, 12:30 AM

It's obviously not the case with everyone, but I honestly think it's the metal tag that leads people into thinking it's boring since they go into the album with inappropriate expectations. Reminds me of when I was a teenager and someone recommended Albert Ayler to me because they heard I like avant-garde music. At the time, what avant-garde music meant to me was Mr. Bungle, Naked City, Frank Zappa, Beefheart, Zu, and a few other bands that were all a little more rock based. When I heard Ayler for the first time I wrote it off as boring noodling since it wasn't the avant-garde music I was used to.

grindy · 08-13-2015, 12:36 AM

I've tried to get into Tool countless times and always ended up just being bored.

Trollheart · 08-13-2015, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

I could send you the album and provide some info if you want.
(Also the very first link google finds for me is his website in english.)
Or just leave it be, if you prefer to. You're the boss.

Okay send me the details. I don't like to dismiss anyone's selection. Meantime I'll push on if that's ok.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micco

The Brothers Johnson - Blam!!

Added. I'll have the whole list updated very soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechnicLePanther

I really just don't understand how you were bored by it. I would expect disinterest, bot not plain boredom. Perhaps you're just not getting into them the same way most fans do. Maybe you were bored because all of their songs sound pretty similar. That is a common argument against the band, and I can totally see it like that. But the way it is, I'm just hoping for a bit of further explanation.

By the way, try listening to some of their songs on their own. Their music videos tend to receive a lot of accolades, so you may want to watch those with the songs to add some depth. The videos are a bit strange, but the tend to work well with the songs. Also, I don't know if you're interested at all, but their earlier songs are a bit heavier, and at the same time tend to be a bit easier to get into. Try some of their other stuff out if you find the time.

I like progressive metal but I also like to be engaged. This album did not engage me. It almost seemed like the same drony effort all the way through, interspersed with technical wankery for good effect. The instrumentals were virtually nothing at all, and other than the last few tracks there's nothing I would want to listen to again. I don't care about the videos: the only reason I had to listen to it on YT was that GPM hadn't got it and my Spotify membership has lapsed thanks to that credit card fraud, and I haven't yet decided whether I want to renew it.

It was also far far too long and I saw no interesting ideas in the melodies or lyrics. Didn't like the singer either. Nothing about it made me want to listen to more of their music. I'm aware that they're something of a polarising band: you either love them or hate them, but I just didn't feel it. I didn't hate the album, I just couldn't wait for it to end. Bored out of my skull, as I said. I'm not saying it was necessarily a boring album but it bored me. Batty thought War of the Worlds was boring in a lot of places, and though I strongly disagree, I accepted his personal view. You're just gonna have to accept mine on this. A clear, boring, big white MEH.

08-12-2015, 08:36 PM	#1551 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Title: Lateralus Artiste: Tool Genre: Progressive Metal Familiarity: Zero 1. The grudge: Sort of a robotic-like chant before the proper vocal starts. Good guitar work but I have to admit I was quite bored with that. Seemed a bit indulgent? 2. Eon blue apocalypse: Instrumental it says. Very little in it. 3. The patient: No, I'm still bored. Nothing about this is grabbing me at all. 4. Mantra: Another instrumental, with very little instruments. Yawn. 5. Schism: There is, finally, something in this. Still not enough to turn it Green though. 6. Parabol: Vocal is so low I can barely make it out. 7. Parabola: God I am so bored with this album! 8. Ticks and leeches: Honestly, if I hadn't promised to listen to every album all the way through (and I've had to sit through some awful ones in order to honour that promise) I would be stoppping this now. It's like listening to paint dry. 9. Lateralus: I continue to be bored; hard to even keep track of where I am in this godddamn snoozefest... 10. Disposition: Jesus! Finally! A track I can say I like! 11. Reflection: Dear God this is eleven minutes long! Save me! Ok, in fairness this is not too bad. In fact it's quite good. But it's not going to change my mind about this album. It's way too late for that. 12. Triad: Yeah, that's pretty cool too. Way too long for an instrumental though, especially after what I've had to suffer though. Oh and can anyone tell me why some bands though feel the need to add TWO MINUTES OF BLANK FUCKING SPACE after a track? It's so fucking pretentious and very very annoying, and yes I'm aware Marillion did it with fifteen minutes of blank space, and I took them to task over it in the review of their album. I'm not above calling them out if they piss me off. 13. Faaip de Oiad: So what's this? Just some random noise and drums while someone talks about crap? Jebus! Thank god that's over! End result: I honestly don't see why this album gets such praise. I found it stultifyingly boring, devoid of any really decent songs and I've already forgotten about it. Guess I'll never be a fan of Tool. Yeah, go on, say it: just a tool, I know.... So, Love or Hate? Not even interested enough to Hate it, it's a pure Meh. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-12-2015, 09:18 PM	#1552 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	I really just don't understand how you were bored by it. I would expect disinterest, bot not plain boredom. Perhaps you're just not getting into them the same way most fans do. Maybe you were bored because all of their songs sound pretty similar. That is a common argument against the band, and I can totally see it like that. But the way it is, I'm just hoping for a bit of further explanation. By the way, try listening to some of their songs on their own. Their music videos tend to receive a lot of accolades, so you may want to watch those with the songs to add some depth. The videos are a bit strange, but the tend to work well with the songs. Also, I don't know if you're interested at all, but their earlier songs are a bit heavier, and at the same time tend to be a bit easier to get into. Try some of their other stuff out if you find the time. __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

08-13-2015, 12:30 AM	#1558 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	It's obviously not the case with everyone, but I honestly think it's the metal tag that leads people into thinking it's boring since they go into the album with inappropriate expectations. Reminds me of when I was a teenager and someone recommended Albert Ayler to me because they heard I like avant-garde music. At the time, what avant-garde music meant to me was Mr. Bungle, Naked City, Frank Zappa, Beefheart, Zu, and a few other bands that were all a little more rock based. When I heard Ayler for the first time I wrote it off as boring noodling since it wasn't the avant-garde music I was used to. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

08-13-2015, 12:36 AM	#1559 (permalink)
grindy . Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: . Posts: 7,201	I've tried to get into Tool countless times and always ended up just being bored. __________________ *A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.*

08-12-2015, 09:19 PM	#1553 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	^you gotta be in a certain mindset for that album.

08-13-2015, 12:24 AM	#1557 (permalink)
Machine moon lake inc. Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Detroit Posts: 2,125	I hold Lateralus on a really high ****ing pedestal, and when someone dosent like it I always wonder why. That being said, thinking about it I could see why the vast majority would find it unappealing.