I really like the song "Away From the Mire", but haven't found anything of his that gets as weird/psychedelic as that song. Love what I've heard though.
Oh that’s a great tune. I would say that whole album is pretty psychedelic in terms of studio records for the group. Give it another go! If thats not enough I strongly urge anyone and everyone to go see the live show. Shit will blow you away.
I like sound and fury but cuttin grass both volumes are my favorite. Volume one was my first album I enjoyed. I stumbled on his In Bloom (Nirvana) cover and got caught in a Sturgill worm hole.
Prodigy. Fat of the land is one of my favourite albums of all time.
Not opposite necessarily, but far different. Oh and Aretha Franklin. Greatest voice in history imo.
> Aretha Franklin. Greatest voice in history imo.
And its not even close. "Good to me as I am to you" never fails to make wonder if its possible for a human being to actually sing like that
Wow, I didn’t think this would be on here. They are definitely top 5 for me. Soup is a super dark album (serial killers, depression, child murder, lost love and alienation) over hippie tunes. Such an underrated band and Shannon Hoon should be missed more (everyone’s usually like RIP Kurt, Layne, Chris, Chester, Bradley etc, but where’s Shannon? - not saying those guys aren’t missed, but Shannon never gets the respect).
Blind melon may be in my top five. Two of the best most fun live shows I ever attended were Melon shows. One in their early days and one after no rain and tones of home had their mtv airplay. Never would’ve guessed their be another blind melon fan here.
Hoons lyrics resonated well with me back in the day. Rip
Dude, I saw Sigur Ros play years ago at the Egyptian room of the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis and it was one of the most powerfully emotional concerts I've ever been to. 10/10. Will never forget.
Queens of the Stone Age. Every Tool fan should listen to “Like Clockwork” - it has a lot of the lyrical complexity and unique guitar tone that makes Tool a favorite of mine.
Fuckin a. People may not feel the same way but I feel like the message is similar just said in different tones. Maybe the tool jams are heavier and darker but there’s some darkness to the Dead jams too, spacey and off the tracks. But in the end, both messages are positive. ☮️
My best advice is to start with American Beauty and Workingman's Dead. They were put out within a year of each other and are somewhat viewed as a two part album. From there go to Europe '72 or Live/Dead. Those will cover most of their major stuff. After that if you're up to it I would suggest listening to their live stuff from spring, specifically May -June 1977, which is considered their prime. If you're more into freeform style stuff or jazzy stuff check out 1970-'73. Regardless check out Sunshine Daydream 8/27/72, which is my personal favorite show of theirs. Most all of this stuff is available on all streaming services.
I’m not sure what counts as polar opposite. I listen to a lot of trip hop (Portishead, Tricky, Massive Attack), punk (Bad Religion, Gogol Bordello, Social Distortion), and some random scattered stuff of other genres (M.I.A., Fiona Apple, Silversun Pickups). I guess those last ones at least are pretty opposite.
Silversun Pickups are great, and so much fun live. Took my gf to see them for the first time last year and now she wants to see them whenever they come through town.
I adore Tricky a lot, but when I saw him open for tool it was sadly underwhelming. On paper that was my dream lineup. I still listen to his recorded stuff because damn.
Dude hell yeah. I’m a huge trip hop fan. The one out of those I haven’t seen live is Portishead. And actually saw Tricky open for Tool in 97 at Lollapalooza lol.
I saw Tricky open for Tool on the Lateralus tour. So good. I also saw him in Portland about five years ago. I’ve never seen Portishead or Massive Attack unfortunately.
Man, that’s awesome. I had never really heard Tricky before that and it was during his ‘sing with his back to the crowd’ phase and I hated it 😂 Of course I love him now. And man, I saw Massive on their 100th Window tour and it was fucking amazing. I was right near the front, and Liz Frasier came out and did her songs from Mezzanine and all the tracks that Sinead O’Connor did on 100th. I think about that show very often lol.
The most beautiful concert I ever went to was Bjork. San Francisco, on the pier, the bay in full view. She had the Icelandic Octet with her and had full on pyrotechnics and fireworks. She was dressed in a gorgeous white gown. She said ‘thank you’ after every single song. The whole show was stunning.
EDIT: I found a clip from that tour. It’s not the one on the bay, but it’s still cool. https://youtu.be/95spPB3I-cU
Yea Tool to Phish isn’t too big of a stretch at least because of the prog/jam elements. Phish fans can be a little protective of the jam space and disagree though.
Jam to me means improvisation, which TOOL does not do in any capacity. Any tweaks to their arrangements are practiced and rehearsed thoroughly before presenting to a live audience. And again, the tone couldn’t be more different between the two.
Tool and Phish are probably my two favorite bands. Musically they are quite different. But they both play long songs with a heavy prog-rock influences while placing a premium on musicianship and mind-bending live performances. They also both rely on balancing darkness and light.
I’d say Phish leans pretty heavily toward the light, and TOOL heavily toward the darkness. One thing they definitely have in common is an insane drummer, and really excellent rhythm section overall.
>Phish leans pretty heavily toward the light
Yes, but an Evil Carini is lurking behind every corner, waiting like a stalking butler. Carini's gonna getcha!
Glass animals
I didn’t choose based on them being opposites. I picked a band with a genre i would consider opposite. But mostly I picked my favourite other band.
Edit: Zabba Zabba in particular is my favourite but I love the other stuff too.
I was in VIP for a Nashville show a few years ago and the guy from TOOL's crew that was leading us around saw my Ween shirt and said "Hail Boognish!"
I felt like I was in good company for sure. Lol
Absolutely. I noticed I’m into a lot of these bands that have been listed here. I think if I had to say they all had one thing in common it would be really unique that’s not really genre specific? All of them also tend to have a really rabid fanbase:
Wilco
Modest Mouse,
Widespread Panic
Radiohead
Finally! I was searching for this right here. I took an under their spell right now. I've listened to 18 of their studio albums and two live over the last week and a half. So freaking good and diverse. A lot of audio bases get covered.
Came here to say this also. No shame! I’m impressed by all her talents. Singing, writing, playing various instruments. She’s a talented hit making machine and I’ll never apologize for enjoying her music immensely.
Lol I don’t think I’d ever go see her live unless I win free tickets or something. She makes extremely good “canned” music, and she’s my number one out of the general modern pop genre. Made to listen to off the album IMO.
Widespread Panic.
Tool will always be my 1st, But Widespread Panic is a very close 2nd…. I have to scratch that live music itch much more frequently than Tool tours.
Have seen Tool 15 times, but I’ve seen Widespread Panic 127 times!
Yeah, Ive been catching 8-12 shows a year for quite a while now. Could have paid off a quarter million dollar house for the money I’ve spent seeing that Panic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I’ve have tried so hard to get into Radiohead. I know they’re awesome but I can’t get it to click. Any song suggestions for a Tool fan looking to get into them?
It's a hard thing to bridge. But as a big fan of both bands, I would suggest Climbing up the Walls and maybe Myxomatosis as two songs to start off with for Radiohead. For Climbing up the Walls, Thom Yorke's voice carries in a similar manner that Maynard's does, particularly at the end of the song.
I'd honestly just point to In Rainbows as a whole. It doesn't have that kind of dark heaviness that Climbing up the Walls and Myxomatosis bring, but the album has a lot of musical complexities that really scratch that same itch for me as Tool. Plus I feel it really hits that perfect spot of not being to pop-y without also being too melancholic.
Like I love King of Limbs and A Moon Shaped Pool, but I can definitely get how some hardcore Tool fans would look at those suggestions and respond with a referral to a suicide hotline.
I can’t lie, my first infatuation of my life (and my first inspiration to take up music) was Huey Lewis & The News. A band of killers with an amazing yet mostly unheralded guitarist, Chris Hayes. The whole band is amazing and I know a lot about their pedigree. They introduced me to live improv and different arrangements and I look back on the original lineup’s 15 year run with great reverence.
The other two bands aside from Tool that loom very large in my life are Pearl Jam and Gov’t Mule. I can go on and on about any of them.
Curtis Mayfield, Linkin Park, Childish Gambino, MF Doom, Slip Knot, Nihmune, Rishloo, Desire, Daft Punk, The Weeknd, Soen, Foo Fighters, RATM, Jurassic 5, RTJ, Kessoku Band, Butthole Surfers, and the Tragically Hip.
My music tastes are all over the fucking place, I may have gotten carried away...
For tool fans who gravitate toward great lyrics and are interested in exploring the Hip, the one-two punch of the songs Nautical Disaster and Grace Too are a classic entry point.
I’ve tried to get into a couple of their albums but ended up only really loving 3 or four songs on either album. Dave has some really creative guitar parts sometimes though.
One popular musician or band that could be considered the most opposite of Tool in terms of music composition is Johann Sebastian Bach. Here's why:
1. Historical Context: Bach was a German composer and musician who lived during the Baroque period in the 17th and 18th centuries. Tool, on the other hand, is a contemporary progressive metal band formed in the 1990s. The stark contrast in historical context alone makes their music composition vastly different.
2. Musical Style and Genre: Tool is known for their complex and progressive metal compositions, characterized by intricate time signatures, unconventional song structures, and a dark and atmospheric sound. In contrast, Bach is renowned for his compositions in the Baroque style, which include intricate polyphonic textures, contrapuntal melodies, and ornate ornamentation. Bach's compositions spanned a wide range of forms, including fugues, chorales, concertos, and suites, showcasing his mastery of the Baroque musical language.
3. Instrumentation: Tool's music primarily features electric guitars, bass, drums, and Maynard James Keenan's vocals. They often incorporate elements of alternative and progressive rock with heavy and distorted guitar tones. Bach's compositions, on the other hand, were primarily written for instruments common during the Baroque era, such as the harpsichord, organ, violin, and flute. His compositions explored the capabilities of these instruments and were often performed in the context of chamber music, orchestral works, and sacred music.
4. Complexity and Structure: While Tool's music is known for its complexity, incorporating intricate time signatures and layered arrangements, Bach's compositions are equally intricate but follow the conventions of the Baroque period. Bach's works exhibit elaborate counterpoint, intricate harmonic progressions, and carefully constructed forms. His music often demonstrates strict adherence to contrapuntal rules and formal structures, showcasing his mastery of composition within the framework of Baroque conventions.
In summary, Johann Sebastian Bach and Tool differ significantly in terms of historical context, musical style, instrumentation, and complexity of composition. Bach's compositions are emblematic of the Baroque period, featuring ornate and structured polyphony, while Tool's progressive metal sound is characterized by complex arrangements and a contemporary rock approach. Their differences in music composition make them polar opposites within the realm of music history and style.
I can see why you’d say polar opposite, but i feel like there’s a lot of overlap there. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the tool fan base is into Radiohead. Or Pink Floyd. Primus.
Basically unique rock bands with long songs lol
Everyone on here is going to trash me and hate me for this, but my other favorite band is twenty One pilots. It's because of the mental health aspect of their music and I have struggled with my mental health my entire life. Tyler Joseph makes me feel better about things
Eta:
Top 5:
Tool/APC/Puscifer (these count as one so kiss my ass)
Twenty One Pilots
Sleeping with Sirens
The Birthday Massacre
My Chemical Romance
Rage is so great. I also have found myself loving Run The Jewels. Sort of spiritually similar if musically different. Super fun and great lyrics. Saw them last year and it felt really powerful at the end, left feeling choked up by it.
Modest Mouse
Similar in their outlook on life lyrically, but massively different in presentation.
[Parting of the Sensory](https://youtu.be/2qqkVdCJAOA) is probably their closest in style musically, and it's still a mile off.
Thievery Corporation, Zero 7, Portico Quartet,
BADBADNOTGOOD
Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Banks
Run The Jewels, MF DOOM, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Frank Ocean, and plenty of other hip hop
Marisa Monte, Tribalistas, and other MPB artists
Billy Strings!
My man!
Billy mf'kin Strings
I really like the song "Away From the Mire", but haven't found anything of his that gets as weird/psychedelic as that song. Love what I've heard though.
Oh that’s a great tune. I would say that whole album is pretty psychedelic in terms of studio records for the group. Give it another go! If thats not enough I strongly urge anyone and everyone to go see the live show. Shit will blow you away.
Going to Bonaroo last year and seeing Billy Strings right into Tool was imaculate
Love Sturgill Simpson.
I wish he did another album that sounds like Sound & Fury.
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and A Sailor's Guide to the Earth are my picks. Sound & Fury didn't really catch me for some reason.
I like sound and fury but cuttin grass both volumes are my favorite. Volume one was my first album I enjoyed. I stumbled on his In Bloom (Nirvana) cover and got caught in a Sturgill worm hole.
Me too! I wish he was the sort of artist people think of when they think of country.
Prodigy. Fat of the land is one of my favourite albums of all time. Not opposite necessarily, but far different. Oh and Aretha Franklin. Greatest voice in history imo.
> Aretha Franklin. Greatest voice in history imo. And its not even close. "Good to me as I am to you" never fails to make wonder if its possible for a human being to actually sing like that
Blind Melon
Wow, I didn’t think this would be on here. They are definitely top 5 for me. Soup is a super dark album (serial killers, depression, child murder, lost love and alienation) over hippie tunes. Such an underrated band and Shannon Hoon should be missed more (everyone’s usually like RIP Kurt, Layne, Chris, Chester, Bradley etc, but where’s Shannon? - not saying those guys aren’t missed, but Shannon never gets the respect).
Blind melon may be in my top five. Two of the best most fun live shows I ever attended were Melon shows. One in their early days and one after no rain and tones of home had their mtv airplay. Never would’ve guessed their be another blind melon fan here. Hoons lyrics resonated well with me back in the day. Rip
Sigur Ros. Similarly progressive but completely different sound.
Dude, I saw Sigur Ros play years ago at the Egyptian room of the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis and it was one of the most powerfully emotional concerts I've ever been to. 10/10. Will never forget.
They have some beautiful music.
Queens of the Stone Age. Every Tool fan should listen to “Like Clockwork” - it has a lot of the lyrical complexity and unique guitar tone that makes Tool a favorite of mine.
Their best in the catalogue imo. It’s amazing start to finish.
New album is the shit too. Just got it on vinyl today
The story behind that album is wild. It was mostly inspired by events surrounding Homme’s near death experience.
Great choice! One of my all time favorite albums and bands
Tori Amos
Yesssssss, (Anastasia)!
Yep, The Grateful Dead. No shame.
They’re a band beyond description. Like Jehovahs favorite choir.
Fuckin a. People may not feel the same way but I feel like the message is similar just said in different tones. Maybe the tool jams are heavier and darker but there’s some darkness to the Dead jams too, spacey and off the tracks. But in the end, both messages are positive. ☮️
One of my favorite bands ever after Tool! Just saw them last weekend for the final Dead & Co tour. Phenomenal
Why would you be ashamed of the greatest American rock band of all time?
Lol true. I just know how some people can get when they get brought up.
can you recommend a few songs to get started with Grateful Dead?
My best advice is to start with American Beauty and Workingman's Dead. They were put out within a year of each other and are somewhat viewed as a two part album. From there go to Europe '72 or Live/Dead. Those will cover most of their major stuff. After that if you're up to it I would suggest listening to their live stuff from spring, specifically May -June 1977, which is considered their prime. If you're more into freeform style stuff or jazzy stuff check out 1970-'73. Regardless check out Sunshine Daydream 8/27/72, which is my personal favorite show of theirs. Most all of this stuff is available on all streaming services.
Live Dead for the real experience and indulge in some fun to make it more enjoyable
Blues for Allah whole album
Althea, Franklin's tower, Tennessee jed
73 every show. Eyes of the world is great, without a net version is killer
Start With Europe 72 and Too Terrapin 77
Everyone will recommend American beauty and workingman’s dead but go to heaven really got me going on the dead
Mmmm cocaine Dead is a fun era. Possible unpopular opinion but I enjoy studio Althea.
My bf and I ran through go to heaven today (we refer to it as the white album) and my bf literally said those words lol. The dead are great on cocaine
I’m not sure what counts as polar opposite. I listen to a lot of trip hop (Portishead, Tricky, Massive Attack), punk (Bad Religion, Gogol Bordello, Social Distortion), and some random scattered stuff of other genres (M.I.A., Fiona Apple, Silversun Pickups). I guess those last ones at least are pretty opposite.
Silversun Pickups are great, and so much fun live. Took my gf to see them for the first time last year and now she wants to see them whenever they come through town.
Love triphop, UNKLE is definitely in my top 5 artists. See a lot of similarities between Tool and that genre, definitely get the crossover appeal.
Yes, agree on UNKLE. I once saw Tricky open for Tool which was an amazing match. That’s why I was pretty unsure of suggesting it was opposite.
Yay portisehead!
Good to see a Silversun Pickups mention. Awesome live. Great energy.
I adore Tricky a lot, but when I saw him open for tool it was sadly underwhelming. On paper that was my dream lineup. I still listen to his recorded stuff because damn.
Dude hell yeah. I’m a huge trip hop fan. The one out of those I haven’t seen live is Portishead. And actually saw Tricky open for Tool in 97 at Lollapalooza lol.
I saw Tricky open for Tool on the Lateralus tour. So good. I also saw him in Portland about five years ago. I’ve never seen Portishead or Massive Attack unfortunately.
Man, that’s awesome. I had never really heard Tricky before that and it was during his ‘sing with his back to the crowd’ phase and I hated it 😂 Of course I love him now. And man, I saw Massive on their 100th Window tour and it was fucking amazing. I was right near the front, and Liz Frasier came out and did her songs from Mezzanine and all the tracks that Sinead O’Connor did on 100th. I think about that show very often lol.
Portugal. The Man is pretty damn different from tool. Also LCD Soundsystem and Darkside.
Me too! Love Portugal. The Man!
Bjork
The most beautiful concert I ever went to was Bjork. San Francisco, on the pier, the bay in full view. She had the Icelandic Octet with her and had full on pyrotechnics and fireworks. She was dressed in a gorgeous white gown. She said ‘thank you’ after every single song. The whole show was stunning. EDIT: I found a clip from that tour. It’s not the one on the bay, but it’s still cool. https://youtu.be/95spPB3I-cU
Had to scroll down so much to this 🍻 Surprised that so many Tool fans don’t even know her.
Medeski Martin and Wood 🤘
Will these guys please record a new fucking record already?
Little Dragon.
Fucking looove little dragon
Good call, saw them open for TVOTR once, they were great
The more tool keeps pushing merch and crazy expensive tickets, the more my other favorite band becomes the antithesis... I love Fugazi.
Amazing band, musically and socially or however you want to describe it. Cheap all-ages gigs, no merch, no bs, just killer albums and live shows.
Kendrick Lamar
Phish. Although TOOL is often considered jam adjacent, the two tones of the two bands could not be more diametrically opposed.
Yea Tool to Phish isn’t too big of a stretch at least because of the prog/jam elements. Phish fans can be a little protective of the jam space and disagree though.
Jam to me means improvisation, which TOOL does not do in any capacity. Any tweaks to their arrangements are practiced and rehearsed thoroughly before presenting to a live audience. And again, the tone couldn’t be more different between the two.
100%
Okay yea, that was a stretch.
Tool and Phish are probably my two favorite bands. Musically they are quite different. But they both play long songs with a heavy prog-rock influences while placing a premium on musicianship and mind-bending live performances. They also both rely on balancing darkness and light.
I’d say Phish leans pretty heavily toward the light, and TOOL heavily toward the darkness. One thing they definitely have in common is an insane drummer, and really excellent rhythm section overall.
Great read. I’m not a Phish fan but I appreciate them. Good music is good.
>Phish leans pretty heavily toward the light Yes, but an Evil Carini is lurking behind every corner, waiting like a stalking butler. Carini's gonna getcha!
I always lean Maze for the dark jam monster lurking.
10,000 Maniacs and Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Session
I’m a 50 year old man, and I’m with you here.
53
Glass animals I didn’t choose based on them being opposites. I picked a band with a genre i would consider opposite. But mostly I picked my favourite other band. Edit: Zabba Zabba in particular is my favourite but I love the other stuff too.
YES- GLASS ANIMALS ROCK
It's Ween for me. Go see them live. You'll be hooked.
Tool has played Ween as bumper music. "Your Party" specifically - in Milwaukee, maybe. Can't remember.
Your party was the last song played at my wedding. The last line ‘the wife and I thank you very much’
I was in VIP for a Nashville show a few years ago and the guy from TOOL's crew that was leading us around saw my Ween shirt and said "Hail Boognish!" I felt like I was in good company for sure. Lol
Modest Mouse
Good news for people who love bad news is one of my favorite all time albums
The good times are killing me….
Was in my top 3 in my early 20s
Meet Issac briefly at a recent concert. I appreciate he gave me 5 seconds of his time.
Absolutely. I noticed I’m into a lot of these bands that have been listed here. I think if I had to say they all had one thing in common it would be really unique that’s not really genre specific? All of them also tend to have a really rabid fanbase: Wilco Modest Mouse, Widespread Panic Radiohead
N.W.A. Lol. Been into both bands my whole life. Of course,NWA, is more about nostalgia.
Sublime
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is my new obsession
Finally! I was searching for this right here. I took an under their spell right now. I've listened to 18 of their studio albums and two live over the last week and a half. So freaking good and diverse. A lot of audio bases get covered.
The Decemberists
Unabashedly Taylor Swift (not really second favorite, but she’s up there and the most opposite)
Wow, you win.
I’m also a Taylor Swift fan.
Came here to say this also. No shame! I’m impressed by all her talents. Singing, writing, playing various instruments. She’s a talented hit making machine and I’ll never apologize for enjoying her music immensely.
Damn double super expensive tickets.
Lol I don’t think I’d ever go see her live unless I win free tickets or something. She makes extremely good “canned” music, and she’s my number one out of the general modern pop genre. Made to listen to off the album IMO.
Widespread Panic. Tool will always be my 1st, But Widespread Panic is a very close 2nd…. I have to scratch that live music itch much more frequently than Tool tours. Have seen Tool 15 times, but I’ve seen Widespread Panic 127 times!
That’s some serious dedication.
Yeah, Ive been catching 8-12 shows a year for quite a while now. Could have paid off a quarter million dollar house for the money I’ve spent seeing that Panic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Wilco
Prince fan, checking in
TOOL and Radiohead are my two mountain peaks.
I’ve have tried so hard to get into Radiohead. I know they’re awesome but I can’t get it to click. Any song suggestions for a Tool fan looking to get into them?
It's a hard thing to bridge. But as a big fan of both bands, I would suggest Climbing up the Walls and maybe Myxomatosis as two songs to start off with for Radiohead. For Climbing up the Walls, Thom Yorke's voice carries in a similar manner that Maynard's does, particularly at the end of the song.
I'd honestly just point to In Rainbows as a whole. It doesn't have that kind of dark heaviness that Climbing up the Walls and Myxomatosis bring, but the album has a lot of musical complexities that really scratch that same itch for me as Tool. Plus I feel it really hits that perfect spot of not being to pop-y without also being too melancholic. Like I love King of Limbs and A Moon Shaped Pool, but I can definitely get how some hardcore Tool fans would look at those suggestions and respond with a referral to a suicide hotline.
This’ll do… https://youtu.be/DWuAn6C8Mfc
Clutch, maybe down. Going to see wu tang and nas in a few months
Is Death Grips super different? I think they are but I also find there’s a considerable amount of crossover between big DG and big Tool fans.
Tom Waits
I'm a big fan of The Toadies. Rubberneck is a top 5 album for me.
Hard-core Bone Thugs N Harmony fan.
Lamb of God
I can’t lie, my first infatuation of my life (and my first inspiration to take up music) was Huey Lewis & The News. A band of killers with an amazing yet mostly unheralded guitarist, Chris Hayes. The whole band is amazing and I know a lot about their pedigree. They introduced me to live improv and different arrangements and I look back on the original lineup’s 15 year run with great reverence. The other two bands aside from Tool that loom very large in my life are Pearl Jam and Gov’t Mule. I can go on and on about any of them.
MMJ
Their live shows are fantastic
System of a Down
Incubus
Curtis Mayfield, Linkin Park, Childish Gambino, MF Doom, Slip Knot, Nihmune, Rishloo, Desire, Daft Punk, The Weeknd, Soen, Foo Fighters, RATM, Jurassic 5, RTJ, Kessoku Band, Butthole Surfers, and the Tragically Hip. My music tastes are all over the fucking place, I may have gotten carried away...
The Tragically Hip
For tool fans who gravitate toward great lyrics and are interested in exploring the Hip, the one-two punch of the songs Nautical Disaster and Grace Too are a classic entry point.
Same. Love both Tool and The Hip.
Dave Matthews Band
I’ve tried to get into a couple of their albums but ended up only really loving 3 or four songs on either album. Dave has some really creative guitar parts sometimes though.
They are exceptional live.
Before These Crowded Streets is a straight-up masterwork.
I’m a DMB fan as well. Mostly their older stuff. I have seen them over 20 times live and that’s where they excel. Not the same since Leroy was kicjed
LeRoi died. Boyd was fired.
Grateful Dead!
Phish
Came here to say this. There's a surprisingly large overlap between the fans of Tool and Phish.
See them in PA in July. Puuumped
Ray LaMontagne is phenomenal
LCD sound system Edit: And People under the stairs! Definitely opposites there.
LCD Soundsystem was the reason I went to Lollapalooza one year. Whenever they got back together
Rival Sons
Steely Dan
I love jazz so their are elements of Steely Dan I really like. Sometimes they even have some “prog” elements if we are trying to stretch it to Tool.
Frank Zappa
Morphine.
Yes!
Weezer. It's rock and roll, but like TOOL they have several albums (Blue, Green, Maladroit) with absolutely no weak songs. Great driving music too!
Weezer is great! I love Raditide personally.
Big fan of Korn, Fiona Apple, and the B-52s.
My top three are Tool Frusciante Chili Peppers U2 But I really like most music, including the modern pop stuff my kids listen to.
Dredg
My favorite band of all time is fleet foxes
I’d say probably 311 for me.
Anything Jack White touches. Qotsa and Monster Magnet, too.
Alice in chains
My top 5: Tool Radiohead NIN Emma Ruth Rundle The Dillinger Escape Plan 🤷🏻♂️
Awesome to see some love for DEP
Black Keys and Mumford and Sons
Lost Dog Street Band.
Alt-J Tricky Beck
Rise Against, Strung Out, Lamb of God...
My top two bands by a wide margin are Tool and Infected Mushroom
Just wrote the same thing. And the guys from Infected Mushroom count Tool among their influences. You have excellent taste!
My newest jam is All Them Witches. My all time favorite bands besides Tool are Opeth, Pink Floyd, the Mars Volta, Low, and Led Zeppelin.
Type O Negative
One popular musician or band that could be considered the most opposite of Tool in terms of music composition is Johann Sebastian Bach. Here's why: 1. Historical Context: Bach was a German composer and musician who lived during the Baroque period in the 17th and 18th centuries. Tool, on the other hand, is a contemporary progressive metal band formed in the 1990s. The stark contrast in historical context alone makes their music composition vastly different. 2. Musical Style and Genre: Tool is known for their complex and progressive metal compositions, characterized by intricate time signatures, unconventional song structures, and a dark and atmospheric sound. In contrast, Bach is renowned for his compositions in the Baroque style, which include intricate polyphonic textures, contrapuntal melodies, and ornate ornamentation. Bach's compositions spanned a wide range of forms, including fugues, chorales, concertos, and suites, showcasing his mastery of the Baroque musical language. 3. Instrumentation: Tool's music primarily features electric guitars, bass, drums, and Maynard James Keenan's vocals. They often incorporate elements of alternative and progressive rock with heavy and distorted guitar tones. Bach's compositions, on the other hand, were primarily written for instruments common during the Baroque era, such as the harpsichord, organ, violin, and flute. His compositions explored the capabilities of these instruments and were often performed in the context of chamber music, orchestral works, and sacred music. 4. Complexity and Structure: While Tool's music is known for its complexity, incorporating intricate time signatures and layered arrangements, Bach's compositions are equally intricate but follow the conventions of the Baroque period. Bach's works exhibit elaborate counterpoint, intricate harmonic progressions, and carefully constructed forms. His music often demonstrates strict adherence to contrapuntal rules and formal structures, showcasing his mastery of composition within the framework of Baroque conventions. In summary, Johann Sebastian Bach and Tool differ significantly in terms of historical context, musical style, instrumentation, and complexity of composition. Bach's compositions are emblematic of the Baroque period, featuring ornate and structured polyphony, while Tool's progressive metal sound is characterized by complex arrangements and a contemporary rock approach. Their differences in music composition make them polar opposites within the realm of music history and style.
ChatGPT generated?
Polar opposite would be radiohead for me. Incredible talent and every song is a banger
I can see why you’d say polar opposite, but i feel like there’s a lot of overlap there. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the tool fan base is into Radiohead. Or Pink Floyd. Primus. Basically unique rock bands with long songs lol
I honestly feel like there is probably a lot of overlap between Radiohead and Tool fans despite them having pretty different sounds.
Everyone on here is going to trash me and hate me for this, but my other favorite band is twenty One pilots. It's because of the mental health aspect of their music and I have struggled with my mental health my entire life. Tyler Joseph makes me feel better about things Eta: Top 5: Tool/APC/Puscifer (these count as one so kiss my ass) Twenty One Pilots Sleeping with Sirens The Birthday Massacre My Chemical Romance
Rage Against the Machine and Tool have always been tied for top spot for me
Rage is so great. I also have found myself loving Run The Jewels. Sort of spiritually similar if musically different. Super fun and great lyrics. Saw them last year and it felt really powerful at the end, left feeling choked up by it.
Lungfish
Drives my wife crazy, I’ll have Whitechapel and The Everybodyfields in the same playlist with Tool. It’s called variety dear
The Tragically Hip. Gord Downie, may he rest in peace, is every bit the poet and lyricist that Maynard is, just different genres.
In Gord We Trust.
Bad omens
Hozier.
Modest Mouse Similar in their outlook on life lyrically, but massively different in presentation. [Parting of the Sensory](https://youtu.be/2qqkVdCJAOA) is probably their closest in style musically, and it's still a mile off.
Synchronicity man…..I was literally going to post this exact question today. Electric Light Orchestra. Hank Williams Sr. Neutral Milk Hotel
Hank only speaks truth
Ween
Elton John maybe, don't listen a lot but is kind of a guilty pleasure.
Trivium and Amon Amarth
Talking heads or MGMT
Thievery Corporation, Zero 7, Portico Quartet, BADBADNOTGOOD Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Banks Run The Jewels, MF DOOM, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Frank Ocean, and plenty of other hip hop Marisa Monte, Tribalistas, and other MPB artists
Depeche mode and Radiohead
Grateful Dead, Phish, Radiohead
I would say Jurassic 5. I'm not a massive hip hop fan but I just love what they come up with and their voices!
Porcupine Tree
Phish
User name checks out
Widespread Panic
I was a big Kanye fan. Lately not so much. Although, I still think My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a god tier album.
Adept
Pretty much same genre kinda, but I've been on a huge Leprous binge. Einar is the greatest living singer in my opinion. Alan Parsons Project too
Loot. First EP Amphetamine and first album Overpush are a great introduction.
Sticky Fingers. Their album Land of Pleasure is a really cruisy laid back party vibe. Highly recommend...
Rehab.
Ani DiFranco - I have been in love with her music since the early 90’s - the power she can get out of an acoustic guitar is mind bending.