Tool is the one band I have the
most respect for over any other band, even more than my favorites like Judas
Priest and Opeth. Why? Because the band, against all odds, broke into the
mainstream playing 7 minute progressive metal songs which were mostly unedited
on the radio and they became hits - big hits.
Throughout the years they have refused to water down or pop up their signature
style, and despite that, their songs continue to top the rock charts and their
album sell into the millions. They pack arenas to this day (when they came to my
city in 2007 they sold out our arena two nights in a row) and only need to put
out an album every 5 years thanks to the phone book sized royalty statements
they receive on a monthly basis thanks to the fact that their music is
gratuitously played on rock and alternative radio all over the world. So how
can a band that plays music that sounds like this play bigger venues and make
more money than all those cookie-cutter radio rock bands like Hinder and
Shinedown who have a much more accessible and appealing sound? The world may
never know.
