31LATERALUS TOOL

(2001)

What happens when alt.rock and advanced mathematics collide

The title track from Tool’s 2001 masterpiece perfectly demonstrates why they are the masters of time, using alternating metres to add pushes and pulls where least expected. The song has ties to the Fibonacci sequence or ‘Golden Ratio’ found in sacred geometry, from singer Maynard James Keenan’s rhythmic syllables in the verses to the shifts in the signatures themselves. As guitarist Adam Jones explained to TG, the song’s main riff came from bassist Justin Chancellor via drummer Danny Carey. “Justin brought in a riff, and Danny saw it had a connection to the Fibonacci, so he started trying to work in elements of it,” Jones said. “Then Maynard came in and we started telling him about the sequence.” For a heavy song, a heavy subject. “It came from trying to relate to those things in life or nature we all have in common,” Jones elaborated. “It’s something that people have been studying since the beginning of time... That’s why we got more into the idea behind science, metaphysics and the myth of communication.” For the recordings, Jones was using his 1979 silverburst Gibson Les Paul Custom and an array of amps including his modded 1976 Marshall JMP Super Bass, a ‘blue face’ Diezel VH4, and a Sunn Beta Lead through Mesa/boogie cabinets.