[[quoteright:347:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tool347_6454.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:347:Clockwise from lower left: Danny Carey (drums), Justin Chancellor (bass), Maynard James Keenan (vocals), and Adam Jones (guitar).]]
[floatboxright:
Influenced by:
+ Music/KingCrimson, Music/{{Melvins}}, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/FaithNoMore, Music/MikePatton, Music/JanesAddiction, Music/{{Slayer}}, Music/{{Queensryche}}, Music/NineInchNails, Music/BlackSabbath, Clutch, Music/{{Helmet}}, Music/LedZeppelin, Music/{{Danzig}}, Biohazard, Music/PinkFloyd, Prong, Therapy?, Neurosis
]

Founded in Los Angeles in 1990, Tool is a ProgressiveRock/[[ProgressiveMetal Metal]] group mostly known for their use of unconventional time signatures and rhythms, [[EpicRocking long songs]], MindScrew-tastic imagery, and emphasis on personal interpretation of their music. Like many bands in the 90's music scene, Tool started out as an underground group, and was signed by a record company after only three months of playing as a group. On March 1992, their first EP ''Opiate'' was released. Since then, four studio albums have been released, all of which have gone platinum and have achieved widespread success worldwide.

Tool incorporates many different styles and influences in their music, but the one theme they keep constant is the importance of personal interpretation of their songs, making it possibly the only band that runs ''solely'' on TheWalrusWasPaul. To emphasize this even more, Tool does not release official lyrics with any of their albums, so that what the lyrics ''actually'' mean (or even ''are'') never gets in the way of what the listener ''thinks'' they mean.

Confused yet? Good.

A few factors remain constant throughout their work however. They love using weird time signatures that shift throughout the song, and one track ("Lateralus") even has the rhythm and syllables of the lyrics arranged in a Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13). The members of the group have unique styles, and Maynard James Keenan's vocals are instantly recognizable, not only for his voice but for his skill with the MetalScream. Danny Carey is also one of the most acclaimed contemporary drummers going, and Adam Jones's guitar tone on ''Opiate'', ''Undertow'' and ''Lateralus'' is just as iconic as Keenan's vocals. Not to mention Justin Chancellor's strong bass lines (and on ''Opiate'' and ''Undertow'', Paul D'Amour), which often make a Tool song instantly recognizable.

Another important part of the band's music is the inclusion of collaborated works of art and music videos that echo themes presented in their songs and albums. These pieces of art usually involve disturbing (if not straight-up horrifying) imagery, play with the UncannyValley, and aren't necessarily supposed to tell an actual story, but evoke certain feelings from the viewer. They [[MindScrew definitely]] [[DerangedAnimation succeed]].

Over the band's career they've addressed many diverse topics, such as religion, the music industry and media censorship, child abuse, drug use, transcendence, and even FanDumb ''from their own fans'' who started complaining that ItsPopularNowItSucks. This various subject matter has also made Tool the subject of much controversy and censorship, including one incident with their song "Stinkfist", which was renamed and edited to run on MTV, due to "Offensive connotations", as well as Walmart not selling their first LP ''Undertow'' with the original cover art. Despite (or possibly because of) that controversy, they have remained a hugely successful group and continue to actively tour both in the United States and internationally.

Three of the group's songs ("Schism", "Parabola", and "Vicarious") also appeared on ''GuitarHero: World Tour'' as playable tracks.

'''Discography:'''

* 1992 -- ''Opiate'' (EP)
* 1993 -- ''Undertow''
* 1996 -- ''Ænima''
* 2000 -- ''Salival'' (box set with an 8-song CD and a DVD or VHS with the videos for "Sober", "Prison Sex", "Stinkfist", "Ænema", and on the DVD version, "Hush")
* 2001 -- ''Lateralus''
* 2006 -- ''10,000 Days''

'''Grammy Awards'''

* 1998 Best Metal Performance ("Ænema")
* 2002 Best Metal Performance ("Schism")
* 2007 Best Recording Package (''10,000 Days'')

----
!!Tool provides examples of the following tropes:

* AlienAbduction:
** Addressed...sort of...in "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)" / "Rosetta Stoned"; see TheChosenOne below.
** "Faaip de Oiad" also mentions it, as part of a subversive societal takeover.
* AlternativeMetal / ProgressiveMetal: Their sound is hard to categorize; see NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly below.
* AnythingThatMoves: The second friend described in "The Gaping Lotus Experience," up to and including inanimate objects.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence:
** Sort of the point of "Forty Six & 2", which combines Jungian philosophy with an eccentric take on human evolution.
** ''Lateralus'' as a whole is heavily influenced by transcendentalism.
* BilingualBonus:
** "Die Eier von Satan" features vocals by Marko Fox delivered in an angry tirade of German. It features a heavy industrial production and a roaring crowd in the background, making it sound something like a Nazi rally. The lyrics are actually Fox's grandmother's recipe for brownies with Turkish hashish. She called them Die Eier von Satan, which means The Eggs of Satan, with "eggs" being common German slang for testicles. The chorus is "und keine Eier," which means "and no eggs." The Eggs of Satan contain no eggs.
** "Message for Harry Manback" features quite a lot of extravagant swearing in Italian, though you can assume as much based on the rest of the message, delivered in English.
* CaliforniaCollapse: What the song "Ænema" is about, with inspiration from Creator/BillHicks.
* TheCameo:
** Singers: HenryRollins in the breakdown of "Bottom", Marko Fox on "Die Eier von Satan", Statik on "Disgustipated" and "Triad" and Lustmord on "10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)".
** Musicians: On ''Salival'', additional musicians include: [[Music/{{Melvins}} King Buzzo]] on "You Lied", Vince [=DeFranco=] playing synths on "Third Eye", Alotte Duka playing tabla on "Pushit", producer/keyboardist David Bottrill on "Message to Harry Manback II", and the DVD version contains a live version of "Hush" with additional vocals by Music/ToriAmos.
* TheChosenOne: {{Subverted|Trope}} in "Rosetta Stoned" - the narrator describes being abducted by aliens, who have chosen him to deliver a message to the human race...but he forgot to bring his pen to write it down.
* TitleDrop: A good example in "Eulogy":
--> ''You've claimed all this time that you would die for me.''\\
''Why then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy?''
* ConceptAlbum: Regardless of whether or not the band views any of their record as such, ''10,000 Days'' is cited as an example all the same.
* CoverVersion: "No Quarter" by Music/LedZeppelin, "Demon Cleaner" by Music/{{Kyuss}}, and "You Lied" by Peach, Justin Chancellor's previous band.
* ClusterFBomb: Several songs, especially "Hush", "Hooker with a Penis" and "Ænema". "Rosetta Stoned" alone should have earned ''10,000 Days'' a Parental Advisory label, but the heavy distortion and layering on the vocals may have fooled the ratings board.
* EpicRocking: A large percentage of their discography consists of this; notable examples are "Pushit", "Third Eye", "Reflection", "Wings for Marie" (both parts), and "Rosetta Stoned".
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: "Lost Keys" / "Rosetta Stoned" has a lot of fun with this. The subject may have had a sanity-breaking encounter with aliens, or he may have just OD'd on hallucinogens. The lyrics make either completely plausible.
* GoodFeelsGood:
** "The Patient" suggests that being a kind and loving person is its own reward, even when it's difficult.
** Most of the ''Lateralus'' album appears to be hinting that the alternative (choosing to be bitter) won't make things any better.
* GratuitousItalian: "Message to Harry Manback" (both versions) feature a lot of Italian swearing.
* HiddenTrack: "The Gaping Lotus Experience" at the end of ''Opiate''.
* HumansAreBastards: "Vicarious"[[note]]humanity uses TV as a tool for {{schadenfreude}}[[/note]], "Right In Two"[[note]]two angels bemoaning our violent nature[[/note]], the demo version of "Rosetta Stoned".
* IndecipherableLyrics: A lot of "Rosetta Stoned"'s lyrics are heavily layered and electronically slurred, and are almost incomprehensible. The first lyrics of "Forty Six & 2" and sections in the middle of "Stinkfist" and "Eulogy" are buried underneath the music, also making them difficult to decipher.
* {{Instrumentals}}: The interludes on ''Ænima'', ''Lateralus'' and ''10,000 Days'' are this, plus "Triad" for a normal-length tune.
* IntercourseWithYou: "Maynard's Dick", the hidden track on the CD of ''Salival''.
* [[LastNoteNightmare Last Song Nightmare]]:
** "Disgustipated" from ''Undertow''
** "Faaip de Oiad" from ''Lateralus''
** "Viginti Tres" from ''10,000 Days''
* TheManIsStickingItToTheMan: ''Self-admitted'' in "Hooker with a Penis," which then [[TakeThatAudience mocks the listener for assuming otherwise]].
--> I sold my soul to make a record, dipshit, and then [[SchmuckBait you bought one]].\\
[=*later*=]\\
Shut up and buy - buy - buy my new record // Buy - buy - buy - send more money!
* MadnessMantra: From "Disgustipated" - "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis This. Is. Necessary.]] Life Feeds on life..."
* MeaningfulName: [[DontExplainTheJoke "Tool" means "penis"]]. WordOfGod is that this is only one interpretation, but some of the licensed artwork definitely goes down that particular route.
* MetalScream: Maynard really likes this, particularly the 25-second scream in "The Grudge" and pretty much all of his singing in "Ticks & Leeches".
* MindScrew: A ''lot'' of their songs, and just about all of their videos[[note]]"Hush" being the notable exception[[/note]], employ this.
* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Generally a 6 or 7, but they can also go as low as 4/5.
** Or as high as an 8, on a few occasions. Not often, though.
* MoodWhiplash: Can be induced by the middle tracks of ''Ænima'', from the introspective "Forty Six & 2" to the head-scratching "Message to Harry Manback" to the venomous snark of "Hooker With a Penis" to the bouncy, cheerful "Intermission", which is the main guitar riff of the next song, the rather somber "Jimmy", played on an organ.
* MushroomSamba: {{ZigZagg|ingTrope}}ed in "Rosetta Stoned". The subject first attributes seeing the aliens to "the [[Music/TheGratefulDead Deadhead]] chemistry", but later in the song he says "See, the Dead ain't touring / And this wasn't all in my head".
* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Tool is notoriously difficult to classify due to the sheer amount of genres they cover. Progressive rock, post-hardcore, math rock, post-rock, noise rock, ambient, art rock, and more all blend together to create something that really can't be conveniently labeled. "Progressive rock" and "progressive metal" are the most common labels applied to them, but even those are spotty at best.
* NonAppearingTitle: "H", "Jambi", "Hooker With A Penis", "Lateralus", and many other songs.
* ParentalAbandonment: Several of Tool's songs are about Keenan's mother, who passed away when he was still a child. Just about all of his endeavors reference her at some point.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Pushit", "Ticks and Leeches" (it's actually the only song on ''Lateralus'' that has any cursing), "The Pot".
* ProtestSong: "Right in Two".
* PunnyName: Harry Manback.
* {{Reincarnation}}: Arguably a theme to "H".
* RockMeAsmodeus: "The Gaping Lotus Experience" features Maynard singing "Satan, Satan" (forgoing any [[SubliminalSeduction backmasking]] at all).
* SarcasticClapping: Used tongue-in-cheek as the applause dies down at the end of "Pushit" on ''Salival''.
* SchmuckBait: "Hooker With a Penis" contains the line "I sold my soul to make a record, dipshit / Then you bought one!" This can be interpreted to mean that [[TakeThatAudience no true fan would ever believe in the band's stance against overt consumerism]] - because in order to have heard the song, ([[TechnologyMarchesOn presumably, as this was before Youtube]]) ''one would have first had to have bought the album!''
* ShoutOut:
** The most prominent is to Creator/BillHicks in ''Ænima'': inner artwork, clips of Hicks in the intro to "Third Eye", and the song "Ænema" being based on Hicks' "Arizona Bay" routine, with a TitleDrop in the chorus.
** The live version of "Third Eye" on ''Salival'' replaces the Bill Hicks material with clips of Timothy Leary.
** "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)" is a nod to Albert Hofmann, the creator of LSD.
* SignatureStyle: Complex (and often polyrhythmic) drumming, heavy guitars and bass, and the PerishingAltRockVoice of Maynard James Keenan make up a lot of the band's songs, making them one of the most distinct bands in the metal community.
* SpokenWordInMusic: "Faaip de Oiad", "Disgustipated", "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)", "Bottom" and "Third Eye" all use this. "Bottom" even drags Henry Rollins in for a cameo.
* TakeThat: A good chunk of their earlier catalogue is built on this ("Hush", "Eulogy", "Hooker with a Penis", "Ænema", and others).
* TooDumbToLive: Not the bandmembers themselves, but [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-wE5LtDKPU&feature=related a fan]]. When you run onto a normal stage, security will take you down. When you run onto a stage where Tool plays, [[BewareTheNiceOnes Maynard James Keenan himself]] will take you down, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome ''and keep on singing while he holds you down''.]]
* UncommonTime: Many of their songs, namely "Schism", which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_%28song%29#Time_signature has up to 47 meter changes]].
* ViewersAreGeniuses:
** Like you wouldn't believe, if [[http://www.peteofthestreet.net/sayz/C1151806467/E1494764863/ this]] is any indication.
** Somebody figured out that if you take the songs "Viginti Tres" and "Wings for Marie, Pt. 1" and play them in that order WHILE playing "Wings for Marie, Pt. 2", [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFjEp79zaNw they sync up into one super-song]].
* TheWalrusWasPaul: This is a fundamental tenet of the band's output, and one of the main reasons why they don't release lyrics with the albums.
* WordSaladLyrics: Most of their songs mean something, but it's usually pretty oblique.

----