Tool - Lateralus
I always found it surprising that Tool are as big as they are. Not because they aren’t great. They are. What makes it amazing is that they achieved all of this success without compromising at all. They are miles away from what is traditionally be considered an accessible and commercial sound. “Lateralus” was the album after their mainstream breakthrough and it is monumental. For one its sheer length: It is just seconds shy of the CD maximum of 79 minutes (yes, that mattered at the time) and every single moment is carefully constructed, a building block for a piece of art that’s meant to be experienced as a whole. They push and pull, they build, they release, they invite you into a world that’s completely their own. Tool achieved what few artists have. Their sound is utterly unique, they answer to no one but themselves and exactly because of that they became one of the biggest bands of their generation.
