

That’s why we got more into the idea behind science, metaphysics and the myth of communication.” … It’s something that people have been studying since the beginning of time. The band collectively has said, “It came from trying to relate to those things in life or nature we all have in common. The song ends with these words: “We’ll ride the spiral to the end, and may just go where no one’s been, spiral out, keep going.” These lyrics have a tie to the theory of the creation of the world being more than just what’s in front of us, but also reminding us that we have no control over what is there. In “Lateralus,” the lyrics, “To witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral to swing on the spiral, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be human.” This can also be called the golden spiral and it’s been linked to the creation of the universe being found in nature as well as the galaxy. If we also look at Grey’s artwork we will see the spiral on several occasions. The visual representation of the Fibonacci sequence is a spiral.

That’s difficult enough as is, but to make it even more interesting, the song references a spiral several times. With that being said, the syllables in the song “Lateralus” match perfectly with the Fibonacci sequence. Starting with 0 and 1, the sequence goes 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so forth.
#TOOL LATERALUS LIVE VISUALS SERIES#
The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where a number is found by adding up the two numbers before it. If you’re not familiar with the Fibonacci sequence, I’ll do my best to explain. But we’re also true to what we believe,” Keenan said in an interview with Hit Parader.Īs well as the name of the album, “Lateralus” is also the name of a song, a 9-minute track that is one of the most mentally pleasing songs for me. “ I heard fans say we sold out when the last albums became successful. Tool also doesn’t promote themselves, albums are randomly released and their website is more of a fan-page. This encourages the listener to focus on what is being said, and not to glorify Maynard as the lead singer. Maynard James Keenan, the band’s lead singer, performs certain songs in the back of the stage, while specialized artwork or claymation art is shown above, created by Grey or Jones. They don’t allow streaming for their music since they believe the music should be listened to as a whole, which is evident since most of their songs range from 5 to 9 minutes long.

Tool uses such an intricate vocabulary that it is in fact mathematical. With each listen, the lyrics seem to change the way we see the song, as well as music in general. “Lateralus” is a perfect album for people who like music with a deeper meaning. Grey is as much a part of Tool as the musicians thanks to their effortless connection between visual and musical art. The artwork for the album is by Alex Grey, an artist who connected with Adam Jones, the band’s guitarist. “Lateralus,” the alternative rock band’s third album, released in 2001, is 78 minutes and 51 seconds long, making it one of the longest single CDs ever recorded.

For those who haven’t been blessed by the sound and insightful lyrics Tool made with its five major albums throughout the ’90s and into the early 2000s, they missed out on some of the most primal artworks, exhibiting poetic protests as well as serene introspection.
