Tool

Tool is an American progressive metal band formed in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, featuring vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey, and bassist Justin Chancellor, who replaced original bassist Paul D’Amour. Known for their secretive public presence and elaborate, often surreal music videos, Tool built a reputation on musical complexity, shifting time signatures, and lyrics steeped in psychology, mysticism, and mathematics.

After the Opiate EP and debut album Undertow, the band moved decisively away from straightforward alternative rock toward long-form, intricately structured compositions on Ænima, Lateralus, and 10,000 Days, drawing on progressive rock, art rock, and metal. Songs like «Schism», «Forty Six & 2», and «Stinkfist» showcase the band’s blend of heavy riffs, odd meters, and atmospheric tension.

Tool’s notoriously slow release schedule and reluctance to court mainstream media only heightened their cult status, culminating in the long-awaited Fear Inoculum in 2019. The band remains one of the most influential and critically respected acts in progressive and alternative metal.