I agree with Lateralus being by a long way the best Tool album. For one, it tries and achieves more than Aenima does. But I also believe it's got the best (and most rocking) songs.

I thought that while Aenima's a great record, many of the songs seem come across as almost grandiose, containing plainly superfluous moments and unnecessary prolongations that do nothing for them. Lateralus on the other hand is the one album where Tool make every second count.

I seriously think this is one of the coolest rock songs created in the past 20 years. Just the way it changes and evolves from minute to minute is just astonishing. To me at least.

Lateralus is good
My favorite is Undertow
Aenima and Lateralus both have a lot of filler tracks on them, which are good, but personally I love the fact that I can put on Undertow, and every song on it is awesome.
btw, agreed 3rd Eye-awesome, Eulogy my other favorite, it's like Flood how it starts very slowly and builds to pulsating finish.
I don't think any other band can quite raise the hairs on your arm, and they always do it at the end of a lot of songs.

I think Lateralus is flawless. When you're talking about filler, do you mean the little tracks like Mantra, or are there some 'real' tracks you don't like too much?

Honestly, I've never heard a Tool song that I didn't like. I usually like all of their stuff the more I listen to it. But, yeah, like the track on Lateralus, where his cat is moaning, or Aenima, the intro to Eleven, or whatever, they get kind of annoying after a while, but all the same, they do give the albums a little better personality.

Tool
 

I can't believe I haven't been listening to them before now. I always knew they were there, but I guess I just wasn't interested. I've heard like 6 of their songs on Pandora tonight and I just decided I love them.

So help me out here, what's there best stuff?

Go backwards from Lateralus.

Everything except 10,000 Days.

But do check out 10000 days... I liked it.

10,000 Days is good, but man compared to their previous efforts it ain't ****.