9) Tool

Vocals: Maynard James Keenan
Guitar: Adam Jones
Bass: Justin Chancellor
Drums: Danny Carey

It's really tough placing this band on the countdown due to the fact they really haven't released all that much. A matter of fact, I actually had to change their position minutes before I started writing this. With only three full length studio albums Tool clearly possesses a major talent to contend with the rest of the bands on the countdown. Backed by the eerie and melodic voice of Maynard James Keenan and the sensational drumming of Danny Carey, Tool has created a sound which has never been heard before. Their unique sound is hard to clarify but if I was to place it into a genre I would say they would fall under the category of Progressive Metal. Many would like to compare the band with King Crimson an Pink Floyd but in the end it is safe to say that they have truly developed their own sound. With long and complex songs with extremely eloquent lyrics they defied the norm at the time. Their first full length album "Undertow" came out in 1993, during the grunge rock era. "Undertow" started off the bands life in a positive way but they were yet to show what they were truly made of. "Undertow" certainly displayed the direction Tool was going in with unique little mysteries (such as the image hidden behind the CD plate and the 69 tracks) and dark intricate music. Three years later Tool released their highlight album "Aenima." Aenima had a very abstract and innovative sound. The band sounded much more in sync and tighter than with their previous album. The length of the songs had grown along with the quality. Each song has such extreme detail which can only be appreciated the more you listen to it; every sound and note is perfectly crafted to create near perfect songs. Tracks such as "Stinkfist," "Eulogy," "Pushit," "Aenima" and "Third Eye" stand out as the best songs on the album. In my opinion this album is the best album released in the 90’s. After "Aenima," Maynard went on to record with the “super group” A Perfect Circle. As usual Maynard succeeded just like he always does and showed his vast versatility. Once returning from a long hiatus he recorded Tool's long awaited "Lateralus" which was released in 2001. It debuted at number one and was did not quite match the sound that "Aenima" had but none the less was incredible. Tool continued with their artsy, haunting and unique sound that continues to make the listener really reflect on what they’re listening to.
To basically sum up the goal of Tool; people should not just believe what they see or hear but rather they should take what they see and hear and formulate their own ideas and think for themselves. No band in history has made people really think more than Tool has, take for instance the way their fans had realized that the song Lateralus contains a drumming pattern that uses the Fibonacci Sequence and that is just the beginning of the many discoveries of Tool fans. With more time this band can easily move up this countdown, we have only seen the beginning of a band with a plethora of talent