Siftsem Tool

A lot has happened in Ville Laihiala’s musical career. The frontman/vocalist that most of us know as the former Sentenced vocalist and the frontman of Poisonblack made a sudden decision and disbanded Poisonblack 2 years ago. Many fans wondered what he was going to do… VL ended the discussion by forming S-TOOL in 2016. Some familiar names in the Finnish metal scene joined him in this project. They have managed to speed things up by launching a crowdfunding campaign which was a success thanks to many fans, friends and Radio Rock. The result? The debut album of S-TOOL named “Tolerance 0”. Let’s dig deep.

In an age where major labels dictate that new releases from bands appear on record store shelves every 18 months or so, rare is the artist given freedom and ability to reflect and stretch out to explore creative evolution and release music as an artist, rather than the prepackaged predictability of an entertainer. Thankfully, Tool has somehow managed to circumvent these rituals, releasing a record every four to five years as they so feel the need. This ability to patiently craft their musical direction has paid off for not only the band, but for listeners, as they've been able to expand their musical vocabulary from album to album with great precision, all the while remaining true to the foundations that built such a loyal, if not cult-like, following. But with this absence comes changes to the popular music landscape, as new bands and sounds (as well as a new generation of heavy metal fans to entertain) replace and stimulate the charts…

Just as grunge was reaching its boiling point and radio-friendly punk-pop loomed on the horizon, Tool released Undertow, which firmly reinforced metal's prominence as a musical style – but, for once, it had something worthwhile to say. At the forefront of Tool's commercial explosion were striking, haunting visuals that complemented the album's nihilistic yet wistful mood. Drawing equal inspiration from Black Sabbath, alternative theories of science, and Eastern religions, Tool's abrasive sonic assault begins from the opening notes and continues through the final moments of the last composition, an open mockery of organized religion and its incapacity for original thought. With its technical brilliance, musical complexities, and aggressive overtones…

After a four-year hiatus, Tool returns with the elaborately packaged Salival set, which includes a 70-minute CD of previously unreleased live and studio material, a 56-page book of photos and video stills, and a DVD collection of the group's impressive stop-motion videos. Live versions of "Part of Me," "Push It," and "Third Eye" reaffirm the band's standing as one of alternative metal's most compelling live acts; unreleased studio tracks such as "Message to Harry Manback II" and "L.A. Municipal Court" definitely sound like abandoned material, but offer a look at Tool's quirkier side. Covers of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" and "You Lied" - a song by bassist Justin Chancellor's previous group Peach - round out the disc's better-than-average selection of odds and sods. Salival's intricate, eclectic look and sound give it the feel of a "thank you" to patient Tool fans; fortunately for them - and the band - it was worth the wait.