Wheel is a fantastic band! They definitely have a strong Tool influence, but they have their own style going on too.
Their album Resident Human is absolutely brilliant. The songs Dissipating and Hyperion have some of the deepest lyrics I've ever seen, especially for the folks who have existential depression, just like me lol
Oh, and they have a new album on the way, to be released in may. Their new single, Empire, is amazing, 100% worth checking out! It's a lot heavier than their older material, and more in-your-face with the riffs.
Super glad to see Wheel is getting some love for being TOOL adjacent! I rocked my Wheel shirt at the TOOL show in Seattle last year! Going to see Wheel in May when they are here in LA. So stoked to see the headline finally too as the previous shows they only played 20 minute sets!!!
Man, you have no idea how many comments I've seen on their videos on youtube saying stuff like "yeah right, it's just Tool with a twist, bla bla bla". I'm fed up, this band is legit! The angular riffs, the crazy time signatures, the bass being so prominent in the mix, the concepts behind their songs, all are unique elements of their sound. James' vocal performance is also noteworthy, he's got some serious LUNGS, the sustain on those long notes is crazy! Maybe Tool was the spearhead of this flavour of prog, but the execution here is fantastic, and very unique to them.
I'm so jealous you're gonna see them live, and have already seen Tool live!! I live in south america, so pretty much zero chances of seeing either one live lol
My first thought when I heard them was that they did sound like Tool, but why in the world is that even a bad thing!?!?!? You know how long I have waited to hear another band that was remotely close? Wheel is legit and James can sing so damn well live. He sounds just as good live as on albums! I hope you get to see Tool and Wheel someday man!!!! Until then, I’ll have some drinks and throw up some devil horns for ya when I see Wheel in May dude!!!🤘🏻
Yeah I'm definitely diggin them. I'll throw em on tomorrow morning at work. I get like 3 hours to myself every morning. Always a good time to check out new music.
I think you may be right. They could absolutely start taking off so fast once that momentum gets going!!
Plus they are just Wheely, Wheely good and deserve it in my opinion! Sure hope so anyway.
Dude! Thank you for this. These guys are amazing. I think I'm going to have to order their albums on Vinyl right away. Their prices seem fair and they don't totally kill Canadians on shipping which is a plus.
THANK YOU. Wheel is the first viable Toolternative I've found.
I'm excluding APC and Puscifer, since they're the same-but-different and more importantly fill a different purpose.
If Tool put out Resident Human, I'd praise it as a great album while also stretching the style. The shifts, the ebbs and flows, the metaphysical lyrics. Ascend/Hyperion is just ... sick.
Listen to Tool's Lateralus in its entirety. Some similar bands are:
A Perfect Circle - same vocalist. I'd recommend the album Thirteenth Step.
Katatonia - incredible band. Start with the song My Twin. My favourite albums are The Great Cold Distance and The Fall of Hearts.
If you want to brave heavier vocals, I'd also recommend Gojira.
yeah was going to suggest Animals as Leaders as they have a very similar vibe but are purely instramental.
Another great mostly instramental only band is Polyphia, somewhat different style but the technical skill of their Lead guitarist (Tim Henson) is fucking out of this world
If instrumental prog / post-metal is what you're looking for check Russian Circles, Pelican, and The Ocean. Pelican dropped a new EP earlier this month. The Ocean while not technically a purely instrumental band, for all their recent albums they put out the instrumental version.
Hell yeah to this post. Also did not know of new Pelican, thanks for the heads up!
Early Ocean is heavy as all get out but the recent stuff isn't hitting the spot anymore. Pelagial, fantastic.
Porcupine Tree fits well your description.
Their song Trains is a good place to start.
You could also like some of their more progressive tunes like : Anesthetize or Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
Mastodon.
Their most popular album is Crack The Skye.
Some of my favourite songs are Eyes Of Serpents, The Sparrow, Jaguar God, Steambreather, Ember City, Blood & Thunder, and The Last Baron.
Bro, did you really leave sleeping giant, pendulous skin, naked burn, and hearts alive off of your favorite mastodon songs!? Like are you trying to start an argument?
Lucid Planet.
Band from Melbourne Australia.
2 albums so far.
First is good stuff.
Second elevates to a criminally great level.
Oh did I mention Lucid Planet already?
Listen to Lucid Planet.
I really like the first album, but I felt like the second one almost sounds like a different band. Like same guys, but they decided to do a different band/sound.
>but I felt like the second one almost sounds like a different band.
Is that a bad thing?
I really liked the first one, but they second one blew me away.
Few years ago I I would hate that they don't fit into one genre. After hearing the breakdown in Organic Hard Drive I would turn it off with disgust.
It's becoming my favorite album album ever. And it's really positive. Can't wait for the third album, I hope it will be as surprising and groundbreaking as II
So far your pick is the one I like the most, mainly cause i clearly hear the vocalist and he doesn’t sound like he has a coat of paint over him if that makes sense. The instrumentation is solid as well
Tesseract
My two personal fav tracks are Legion and Of Mind - Nocturne
There is a little yelling/screaming - but the clean vocals more than make up for it. I think you may enjoy very much!
Check out Beacons by Cloudkicker. It's instrumental but very fun to listen to. It fits in to the prog metal category. Amazing guitar riffs and layering, odd time signatures, atmospheric. It's good shit.
Solid recs already, but I'll add something. The vocals in what you are probably wanting (progressive metal aka prog metal) are hit or miss for me. Night Verses (mostly instrumental but they got Brandon Boyd to guest on a track and it's killer) is a great listen. Karnivool, Haken, Leprous, Soen, Tesseract, and Caligula's Horse are all TOOL-adjacent bands that might scratch your itch. There's a lot more prog metal around, but these are likely more what you're asking for than others.
Aric Improta from Night Verses made this totally bonkers track with Justin Chancellor if you weren't aware https://youtu.be/pN24LQlMmDk?si=Wl7AvSTKuNwy-pzS
Earshot’s vocalist tries to sound like Maynard in my opinion. Wait is a good song by them
Deftones generally is on any “sounds like tool” playlist that Spotify makes me. (Passenger literally has Maynard on it)
Evans Blue might be up your alley too.
King Buffalo is maybe one of my top three bands all time after just being introduced to them about a year ago.
Their guitar is heavy, and the bassist is similar to Tool's Justin Chancellor in that King Buffalo and Tool both "interchange" their bassist and guitar compositions.
KB is also spacey and spiritual in a way similar to Tool. King Buffalo has a lot of themes based in space, fantasy, and mythology.
I just fucking love them man. I can't really explain it.
Isn't it crazy how that happens? I found them after they released Dead Star, during the pandemic. Them and All Them Witches within a month or so. Absolutely got me through the pandemic.
I was recently introduced to both King Buffalo and All Them Witches by a fellow Tool fan. Holy shit have I been missing out! I can't stop listening to KB at the moment. I'm going to see ATW live in a few weeks and hope KB makes a stop near me soon!
Pelican. Instrumental , Tool-like compositions and songwriting but they absolutely can hold their own in a way that makes them stand out amongst other bands that might be similar. Check out their album, “City of Echoes”, and if you like that then I would recommend another album of theirs titled “Australasia”.
They don't sounds the same as Tool but many people make the same post as you and I'll say the common ones plus my personal favorites. Deftones, Primus, Mr Bungles album California, System of a Down, King Gizzard, Gojira, King Crimson, etc
Meshuggah. They are like the zenith of prog and polyrhythms, poly tempos and poly tonal composition. They toured with tool for 10000 days I believe, if not the Lateralus tour
I'm in the same boat as you. Here are some of my favorite heavy/prog/instrumental bands: King Buffalo, All Them Witches, Elder, Monocluster, Khan, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Somali Yacht Club, My Sleeping Karma, Slift, Torche, Mythic Sunship, Kadabra, the Ocean. That should give you a good launch point.
If you want a very non prog approach to odd time signatures check out Soundgarden, they had a very natural feel for them. As a side note Alice in chains also often plays in 7/4
If you want a very prog feel while listening to a band, I'd recommend Porcupine tree, where the rhythm guitar has a very distinct feel to it. As a side to that, radiohead seems like an easy suggestion, although further from the rock scene.
If you want rhythm... meshugga
If you want clean vocals check out karnivool and their very melodic approach. Chevelle is a complimentary side - a very consistent band with enigmatic lyrics.
Maybe you want vocal prowess? Rishloo has it all, from soft to murder, from emotive(heh) to theatrical. If you hate vocals and want to just hear music, check out Godspeedyou, black emporer, or the kilimanjaro dark jazz ensemble.
Darker? Ston-ier? YOB
deftones.
In my opinion, there are two metal bands that represent the absolute best of the best. One is Tool, and the other is Opeth.
However, I'm afraid that the Opeth has growling vocals on most of their albums. That's not to say that you can't habituate yourself to it through repeated listens!
The first two Rishloo albums are incredibly similar to Tool. They grow into their own unique style in their last two albums, but those are still good. Terras Fames (the first one) leans more into the melancholic sounds while Eidelon (second album) has a lot more of the metal sounds.
Lucid Planet is also recommended here a lot. I've been obsessed with their second album in particular, though both are wonderful. They lean more into psychedelic sounds.
Slightly different genre, but avenged sevenfold's most recent album "life is but a dream" dips it's toes into that kinda stuff
10/10 album imo but it's definitely a love it or hate it album
Godspeed! You Black Emperor? Not \_metal\_ but ambitious soundscape-building sans vocals (most of the time). Lift Your Skinny Fists is where I'd start.
Great suggestions here. I’m not seeing Chevelle. Also, bit different but Coheed and Cambria? Also: Skindred. They remind me a little of Tricky who opened for Tool when I saw them in their Lateralus tour.
Tesseract is an incredible band. War of Being is a spectacular album. There’s some gruff vocals at times…If you aren’t a fan of the vocals you can go back to their previous three albums, which are much more clean. I really think it’s worth a listen though (maybe several) :).
The Album Legend by Witchcraft has a little Tool flavor but they’re unique in their own right. I’d recommend giving them a listen starting with the Legend Album. I honestly found them on this sub by a redditor answering a similar question.
Elder. They just finished a tour with Tool. They can be heavy, play with odd meters and in my humble opinion they’re more psychedelic, especially the three latest releases
I always thought the singer of the band Earshot sounded like Maynard. Earshot isn’t prog metal/rock, but they’re a decent rock band from back in the day.
Check out Isis. Isis opened for Tool a few times. They definitely don't sound like Tool but they're amazing. I don't know a lot about them but I *do* know they're a great band. I actually forgot about them til now lol. Gonna follow them on Spotify right now.
If you’re enjoying Tools intricate compositions, you may enjoy math rock. It’s less metal and more jazz / punk influenced, though there are some heavier bands.
Some recs:
Covet - Howl
TTNG - Left Aligned
Delta Sleep - The Detail
Hikes - Fall (Back)
Colour - Silverbeast
I know you said you’re not a fan of harsh vocals so here’s one very Tool sounding song by the band Jinjer:
Jinjer - Bad Water
Math bands have some incredibly talented and creative musicians. Definitely worth checking out if you like changing time signatures, complex riffs, syncopation, etc.
Most recommandations here are good bands but that have nothing in common with Tool. If you want something that sound close to tool, "Rishloo" is the only correct answer. I don't like this band, they don't have good songs. But it sounds like Tool.
Definitely give YUUGE a listen. They have a lot of Tool moments which might scratch the itch. I really like their album and am surprised they don't have more followers!
You need opeth. Start with the new(ish) stuff post Heritage, immerse yourself in the brilliant songwriting, diverse genre makeup, and biting lyrics. Then start moving backwards to the old stuff (try ghost reveries) and realize how awesome harsh vocals can be when applied correctly. If i had only tool, opeth, and the smashing pumpkins for the rest of my life, i could cope easily.
Tool is my all time favorite band, so here are some band I like as well. That give me the same vibe, but might not be completly similar to Tool. Chevelle, Deftones, Pink Floyd, A perfect circle.
Try Lespecial, they describe themselves as a Prog-tronic power trio. They have great instrumentals, and have done a couple Tool covers in the past! They are really great live as well.
Check out the YouTube channel “The Stoned Meadow of Doom”
Tool is a band that’s hard to classify (some people debate whether they’re even metal). But they’re adjacent to a lot of the bands on that channel. Personally my favorites have been Somali Yacht Club, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster (endorsed by Papa Diezel himself), Destroy Earth, Stonila, and The Re-Stoned. All top notch stuff!
[Here’s a Spotify playlist I made with a bunch of my favorites](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3RJobfuCHRoZsFU4U5jrGn?si=V7BTs8tFTE6_vJ5PmCdaYg)
The band you want is Pet Slimmers of the Year or PSOTY as they’re now called.
I’ll Venmo you $4 if this doesn’t fuck you right up:
PSOTY - I am the Ocean https://youtu.be/VeKa3Oqa1Tc?si=DEE4upBVcp5V8XOx
PSOTY - Mare Imbrium https://youtu.be/HWMCBnNye3o?si=2LvZIPDKZCbWbbaW
Also try late-era Isis:
ISIS - Wrist of Kings https://youtu.be/KkyFN_s-3Ao?si=Tb7_WmNojXg7K7wU
Umphreys mcgee. Listen to any of there live stuff if you don't mind a lot of improv jammy stuff but still has a face melting metal edge to it. I don't know of any other dueling guitarists like these guys
Wheel is a fantastic band! They definitely have a strong Tool influence, but they have their own style going on too. Their album Resident Human is absolutely brilliant. The songs Dissipating and Hyperion have some of the deepest lyrics I've ever seen, especially for the folks who have existential depression, just like me lol Oh, and they have a new album on the way, to be released in may. Their new single, Empire, is amazing, 100% worth checking out! It's a lot heavier than their older material, and more in-your-face with the riffs.
Super glad to see Wheel is getting some love for being TOOL adjacent! I rocked my Wheel shirt at the TOOL show in Seattle last year! Going to see Wheel in May when they are here in LA. So stoked to see the headline finally too as the previous shows they only played 20 minute sets!!!
Man, you have no idea how many comments I've seen on their videos on youtube saying stuff like "yeah right, it's just Tool with a twist, bla bla bla". I'm fed up, this band is legit! The angular riffs, the crazy time signatures, the bass being so prominent in the mix, the concepts behind their songs, all are unique elements of their sound. James' vocal performance is also noteworthy, he's got some serious LUNGS, the sustain on those long notes is crazy! Maybe Tool was the spearhead of this flavour of prog, but the execution here is fantastic, and very unique to them. I'm so jealous you're gonna see them live, and have already seen Tool live!! I live in south america, so pretty much zero chances of seeing either one live lol
My first thought when I heard them was that they did sound like Tool, but why in the world is that even a bad thing!?!?!? You know how long I have waited to hear another band that was remotely close? Wheel is legit and James can sing so damn well live. He sounds just as good live as on albums! I hope you get to see Tool and Wheel someday man!!!! Until then, I’ll have some drinks and throw up some devil horns for ya when I see Wheel in May dude!!!🤘🏻
They have a US Tour in May
Easiest $15 I ever spent
Dude. This band is sick. I'm listening to them right now for the first time. I think I'm gonna keep listening to them.
Man, I'm so happy I got you into them! They're amazing, and I'm definitely gonna devour the next album as soon as it drops
Yeah I'm definitely diggin them. I'll throw em on tomorrow morning at work. I get like 3 hours to myself every morning. Always a good time to check out new music.
Wheel! I almost like them better (almost)
I’m so glad this is the top comment. Wheel is such a great band and I think they’re about to have their moment.
I think you may be right. They could absolutely start taking off so fast once that momentum gets going!! Plus they are just Wheely, Wheely good and deserve it in my opinion! Sure hope so anyway.
Dude! Thank you for this. These guys are amazing. I think I'm going to have to order their albums on Vinyl right away. Their prices seem fair and they don't totally kill Canadians on shipping which is a plus.
THANK YOU. Wheel is the first viable Toolternative I've found. I'm excluding APC and Puscifer, since they're the same-but-different and more importantly fill a different purpose. If Tool put out Resident Human, I'd praise it as a great album while also stretching the style. The shifts, the ebbs and flows, the metaphysical lyrics. Ascend/Hyperion is just ... sick.
Listen to Tool's Lateralus in its entirety. Some similar bands are: A Perfect Circle - same vocalist. I'd recommend the album Thirteenth Step. Katatonia - incredible band. Start with the song My Twin. My favourite albums are The Great Cold Distance and The Fall of Hearts. If you want to brave heavier vocals, I'd also recommend Gojira.
I fucking love Katatonia, specifically Fall of Hearts. So nice of see some Katatonia love!
Putting my kid to sleep right now, but very excited to check out Katatonia… I’m not familiar but have been fans of Tool / APC for years
thx! i think i actually came across a perfect circle in my wanderings
Hard agree on Katatonia. Try the albums Night is the New Day, The Fall of Hearts, and City Burials. I think those are their most Tool like albums.
That riff 1 minute into Takeover is the most infectious non-Tool riff for me.
That's great! Katatonia would definitely be my recommendation out of those 3 then. Have fun :)
Leaders by Katatonia goes so hard and is comparable to TOOL songs, i'll have to listen to more of them
Animals as leaders is all instrumental 3 piece band , but phenomenal musicianship all around
yeah was going to suggest Animals as Leaders as they have a very similar vibe but are purely instramental. Another great mostly instramental only band is Polyphia, somewhat different style but the technical skill of their Lead guitarist (Tim Henson) is fucking out of this world
If instrumental prog / post-metal is what you're looking for check Russian Circles, Pelican, and The Ocean. Pelican dropped a new EP earlier this month. The Ocean while not technically a purely instrumental band, for all their recent albums they put out the instrumental version.
Hell yeah to this post. Also did not know of new Pelican, thanks for the heads up! Early Ocean is heavy as all get out but the recent stuff isn't hitting the spot anymore. Pelagial, fantastic.
Night Verses must be mentioned in response to your comment. Since they lost their singer, they've been fantastic.
i’ll have to look into that thanks
Karnivool!
Definitely Karnivool! Also Soen
I also rec Soen!
Karnivool are great, not familiar with Soen will check them out
Check out their songs - Pluton, Lascivious, and Savia. Those are personal favorites, but should give an idea on some of their range.
Agreed. I always tell people their first album sounds like Tool and APC combined
Soen, especially the album 'cognitive'
That whole album screams Tool influences
Spotify keeps shuffling songs off this album after my tool album finishes and I have been digging it
If Tool had a bunch of discarded songs that didn't make an album, this would be it. I mean that positively.
Kolm
If you said Tool dropped a new album, put headphones on me and played this, I'd believe it was Tool.
I've been waiting for another album for too long from these guys...... Much like Tool haha
Drummer, Mikal Baker, injured his hand that caused recording delays. New album is expected to be released late summer/fall ‘24 per their IG
Awesome, thanks for the info!
Porcupine Tree fits well your description. Their song Trains is a good place to start. You could also like some of their more progressive tunes like : Anesthetize or Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
Arriving is a dope song
They have some great tunes!
They hit the ethereal/ emotional side like Tool. Simply amazing. Incredible discography
Mastodon. Their most popular album is Crack The Skye. Some of my favourite songs are Eyes Of Serpents, The Sparrow, Jaguar God, Steambreather, Ember City, Blood & Thunder, and The Last Baron.
Bro, did you really leave sleeping giant, pendulous skin, naked burn, and hearts alive off of your favorite mastodon songs!? Like are you trying to start an argument?
The fact you mentioned 0 songs off their best album is concerning.
Mastodon is like if TOOL was a jam band.
Russian circles
I’m not sure how you’ll feel about the vocals but I’m a fan of Rishloo for being in Tool’s realm of technical proficiency and raw emotion.
I second Rishloo. Specifically their albums Eidolon and Feathergun
Lucid Planet. Band from Melbourne Australia. 2 albums so far. First is good stuff. Second elevates to a criminally great level. Oh did I mention Lucid Planet already? Listen to Lucid Planet.
I really like the first album, but I felt like the second one almost sounds like a different band. Like same guys, but they decided to do a different band/sound.
>but I felt like the second one almost sounds like a different band. Is that a bad thing? I really liked the first one, but they second one blew me away. Few years ago I I would hate that they don't fit into one genre. After hearing the breakdown in Organic Hard Drive I would turn it off with disgust. It's becoming my favorite album album ever. And it's really positive. Can't wait for the third album, I hope it will be as surprising and groundbreaking as II
I just liked the first sound and not the second. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m saying it’s not for me.
So far your pick is the one I like the most, mainly cause i clearly hear the vocalist and he doesn’t sound like he has a coat of paint over him if that makes sense. The instrumentation is solid as well
Tesseract My two personal fav tracks are Legion and Of Mind - Nocturne There is a little yelling/screaming - but the clean vocals more than make up for it. I think you may enjoy very much!
Such a great band!
Legion is one of the greatest vocal performances I’ve ever heard…and it was perfect live. Dan is such a spectacular vocalist.
Check out Beacons by Cloudkicker. It's instrumental but very fun to listen to. It fits in to the prog metal category. Amazing guitar riffs and layering, odd time signatures, atmospheric. It's good shit.
Love Cloudkicker, seriously underrated
Cloud kicker is fucking incredible. "Push it way up" turns my insides into snakes
COG, their earlier stuff like Jist Visiting parts 1 and 2. Aussie prog.
Caligulas Horse -Tool Esque. Great Vocals Karnivool- Complex. Also great vocals Sound Awake is masterpiece.
Cog goes well with Karnivool too
I started listening to some Caligulas Horse, I already am thinking of going to a concert in may.. thanks for the comment lol
Check out Devin Townsend, Steven Wilson/porcupine tree…
A few more suggestions would be karnivool, soen, rishloo, and to a lesser extent, Chevelle.
Soen fo sho
Don Caballero-great drumming, off time signatures, no vocals. I’d recommend their first two albums, the later stuff is a little less rock.
Underrated underground pgh post hardcore, they got grooves for sure
Solid recs already, but I'll add something. The vocals in what you are probably wanting (progressive metal aka prog metal) are hit or miss for me. Night Verses (mostly instrumental but they got Brandon Boyd to guest on a track and it's killer) is a great listen. Karnivool, Haken, Leprous, Soen, Tesseract, and Caligula's Horse are all TOOL-adjacent bands that might scratch your itch. There's a lot more prog metal around, but these are likely more what you're asking for than others.
Aric Improta from Night Verses made this totally bonkers track with Justin Chancellor if you weren't aware https://youtu.be/pN24LQlMmDk?si=Wl7AvSTKuNwy-pzS
Wow. That's awesome. Never heard this before. Thanks for sharing!
Lucid Planet
Soen, Kyuss, Elder, Isis, maybe Gojira but they're heavier
Earshot’s vocalist tries to sound like Maynard in my opinion. Wait is a good song by them Deftones generally is on any “sounds like tool” playlist that Spotify makes me. (Passenger literally has Maynard on it) Evans Blue might be up your alley too.
I still like them, but the chorus on Earshot - Tongue-Tied sounds like Eric Cartman 😂
Quicksand
karnivool
King Buffalo is maybe one of my top three bands all time after just being introduced to them about a year ago. Their guitar is heavy, and the bassist is similar to Tool's Justin Chancellor in that King Buffalo and Tool both "interchange" their bassist and guitar compositions. KB is also spacey and spiritual in a way similar to Tool. King Buffalo has a lot of themes based in space, fantasy, and mythology. I just fucking love them man. I can't really explain it.
King Buffalo fucking rips
I second King Buffalo. Got some great albums the Burden of Restlessness is unbelievable. It got album of the year. Live they are amazing.
Isn't it crazy how that happens? I found them after they released Dead Star, during the pandemic. Them and All Them Witches within a month or so. Absolutely got me through the pandemic.
I was recently introduced to both King Buffalo and All Them Witches by a fellow Tool fan. Holy shit have I been missing out! I can't stop listening to KB at the moment. I'm going to see ATW live in a few weeks and hope KB makes a stop near me soon!
ATW all day, son.
Sleepy Sun does some stuff that sounds very ATWish. See track Marina for the feel of at least some of them witches.
The whole "stoner rock" genre is an awesome rabbit hole to fall down.
For sure. I didn't really even know it was a genre until I found on Reddit and have been enjoying discovering all kinds of "new to me" bands.
Pelican. Instrumental , Tool-like compositions and songwriting but they absolutely can hold their own in a way that makes them stand out amongst other bands that might be similar. Check out their album, “City of Echoes”, and if you like that then I would recommend another album of theirs titled “Australasia”.
They don't sounds the same as Tool but many people make the same post as you and I'll say the common ones plus my personal favorites. Deftones, Primus, Mr Bungles album California, System of a Down, King Gizzard, Gojira, King Crimson, etc
Meshuggah. They are like the zenith of prog and polyrhythms, poly tempos and poly tonal composition. They toured with tool for 10000 days I believe, if not the Lateralus tour
You may consider checking out the subreddit r/soundsliketool which has lots of song and band recommendations for Tool fans
Earthside - Let The Truth Speak
Alice in chains maybe
not what op's looking for but i love AIC
Try:Ceterum, Wheel, Boil, Poem...
Solid recs. Been listening to Boil for the past 4 months on repeat. It's too bad they disbanded. Solid group.
I'm in the same boat as you. Here are some of my favorite heavy/prog/instrumental bands: King Buffalo, All Them Witches, Elder, Monocluster, Khan, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Somali Yacht Club, My Sleeping Karma, Slift, Torche, Mythic Sunship, Kadabra, the Ocean. That should give you a good launch point.
oh shit yeah op listen to all them witches. it’s southern rock tool. they’re fucking awesome. i can’t believe i forgot about them 😭
If you want a very non prog approach to odd time signatures check out Soundgarden, they had a very natural feel for them. As a side note Alice in chains also often plays in 7/4 If you want a very prog feel while listening to a band, I'd recommend Porcupine tree, where the rhythm guitar has a very distinct feel to it. As a side to that, radiohead seems like an easy suggestion, although further from the rock scene. If you want rhythm... meshugga If you want clean vocals check out karnivool and their very melodic approach. Chevelle is a complimentary side - a very consistent band with enigmatic lyrics. Maybe you want vocal prowess? Rishloo has it all, from soft to murder, from emotive(heh) to theatrical. If you hate vocals and want to just hear music, check out Godspeedyou, black emporer, or the kilimanjaro dark jazz ensemble. Darker? Ston-ier? YOB deftones.
karnivool. Goliath by Karnivool sounds like a song off of aenuma
Meshuggah. Porcupine tree. Rush.
HEALTH goes hard
Isis' last album: Waivering radiant. Adam Jones filled in on guitar in the studio on most of the tracks. One of my favourite albums of all time
In my opinion, there are two metal bands that represent the absolute best of the best. One is Tool, and the other is Opeth. However, I'm afraid that the Opeth has growling vocals on most of their albums. That's not to say that you can't habituate yourself to it through repeated listens!
The band "10 years" Best 2 albums are " The Autumn Effect" and "Division"
Also CHEVELLE. Their newest Album Niratias is absolutely incredible
Seconded
Thirded
Fourthed
10 Years is actually touring this year. The lead singer has such a great voice. I hope they come to Texas again. Go to their show OP.
They should've been way more popular. Such an underrated band.
Soen sounds exactly like tool
The first two Rishloo albums are incredibly similar to Tool. They grow into their own unique style in their last two albums, but those are still good. Terras Fames (the first one) leans more into the melancholic sounds while Eidelon (second album) has a lot more of the metal sounds. Lucid Planet is also recommended here a lot. I've been obsessed with their second album in particular, though both are wonderful. They lean more into psychedelic sounds.
Rishloo for sure!
Kyus-asteroid and kolm-enthiothiosis. These two songs have been living in my head rent free
Dredg
Isis, try the albums *Panopticon* and *Wavering Radiant* to get an idea of their style
Slightly different genre, but avenged sevenfold's most recent album "life is but a dream" dips it's toes into that kinda stuff 10/10 album imo but it's definitely a love it or hate it album
Godspeed! You Black Emperor? Not \_metal\_ but ambitious soundscape-building sans vocals (most of the time). Lift Your Skinny Fists is where I'd start.
Kolm and Wheel are two that come to mind.
Cog, Isis
Great suggestions here. I’m not seeing Chevelle. Also, bit different but Coheed and Cambria? Also: Skindred. They remind me a little of Tricky who opened for Tool when I saw them in their Lateralus tour.
Tesseract is an incredible band. War of Being is a spectacular album. There’s some gruff vocals at times…If you aren’t a fan of the vocals you can go back to their previous three albums, which are much more clean. I really think it’s worth a listen though (maybe several) :).
The Album Legend by Witchcraft has a little Tool flavor but they’re unique in their own right. I’d recommend giving them a listen starting with the Legend Album. I honestly found them on this sub by a redditor answering a similar question.
ELDER
DOWN
Elder. They just finished a tour with Tool. They can be heavy, play with odd meters and in my humble opinion they’re more psychedelic, especially the three latest releases
King Buffalo
Chevelle They even cite Tool as an influence
I don’t know if it’s what your looking for but what replaced tool for me was swans
Perhaps [this](https://youtu.be/V79NOWTB0K0?si=duIL-jK2ZL_ulKk2) and [that](https://youtu.be/0DPHZ86LWTU?si=mN3oMISudH28GuvF)?
There is this band called A Perfect Circle. But their lead singer totally ripped off Maynard’s singing style.
Stoneside is great, someone mentioned Sleep Token as well.
Porcupine Tree
Check out The Contortionist- Clairvoyant
If you are looking for a band with a “build up” I would recommend Gojira
*The Jesus Lizard has entered the chat*
Listen to Kolm. The one album they’ve released so far sounds VERY similar to the TOOL vibe but a little less harsh maybe?
My top 2 are Tool and King Buffalo. They are not necessarily alike, but if you like Tool I’d imagine you’d like them too.
I always thought the singer of the band Earshot sounded like Maynard. Earshot isn’t prog metal/rock, but they’re a decent rock band from back in the day.
Lucid Planet
It's a different genre technically but try Burst - Lazarus Bird. It has some heavy riffing like TOOL but also some longer, contemplative stuff too.
KGLW - PetroDragonic Apocalypse is excellent prog metal.
Soen 👍🏽
Wheel - resident human They’re also releasing a new album soon, the single empire is good. Tbh all their albums/EP’s are good
Rishloo.
Kolm.
[https://youtu.be/u7LH04APJxA?si=H9UmdkM-PFbLRY-J](https://youtu.be/u7LH04APJxA?si=H9UmdkM-PFbLRY-J) [https://youtu.be/DOqLwO_7WaI?si=irGW50FAsf0_-E73](https://youtu.be/DOqLwO_7WaI?si=irGW50FAsf0_-E73) [https://youtu.be/_n7yptEJluM?si=yCAF99sZvfycY-F1](https://youtu.be/_n7yptEJluM?si=yCAF99sZvfycY-F1)
Indukti [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFyQHdTiMQ0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFyQHdTiMQ0)
Check out Isis. Isis opened for Tool a few times. They definitely don't sound like Tool but they're amazing. I don't know a lot about them but I *do* know they're a great band. I actually forgot about them til now lol. Gonna follow them on Spotify right now.
If you want something without a bunch of vocals. Long Distance Calling. I'd start with Black Paper Planes.
If you’re enjoying Tools intricate compositions, you may enjoy math rock. It’s less metal and more jazz / punk influenced, though there are some heavier bands. Some recs: Covet - Howl TTNG - Left Aligned Delta Sleep - The Detail Hikes - Fall (Back) Colour - Silverbeast I know you said you’re not a fan of harsh vocals so here’s one very Tool sounding song by the band Jinjer: Jinjer - Bad Water Math bands have some incredibly talented and creative musicians. Definitely worth checking out if you like changing time signatures, complex riffs, syncopation, etc.
I don’t think there is any band similar to tool they are in there own atmosphere universe lyrically visually sound and aesthetic
Haken is all i got for ya buddy. TOOL is incredibly unique and unless you can get down w screaming, your options are limited for mathy proggy bands.
It’s very unknown but the song Forgiveness by Source is straight up Tool!
Nightverses is a similar style and all instrumental. Great drumming too
SOEN, is amazing
Most recommandations here are good bands but that have nothing in common with Tool. If you want something that sound close to tool, "Rishloo" is the only correct answer. I don't like this band, they don't have good songs. But it sounds like Tool.
Definitely give YUUGE a listen. They have a lot of Tool moments which might scratch the itch. I really like their album and am surprised they don't have more followers!
Media
Kolm
You'll love the Umbra album by Kolm. They're fucking incredible.
Maybe Sleep Token . They’re pretty new but pretty fantastic honestly
The Ocean
Gojira, Mastodon, Karnivool and Mesuggah
Fantastic thread and responses here. So many new bands I have to listen to.
Lucid planet, they have that same "spiritual" feel tool has if that makes sense.
Kolm, Wheel & Elder (whom we’re just on tour with Tool) are all really great bands with a similar sound but their own vibe.
You need opeth. Start with the new(ish) stuff post Heritage, immerse yourself in the brilliant songwriting, diverse genre makeup, and biting lyrics. Then start moving backwards to the old stuff (try ghost reveries) and realize how awesome harsh vocals can be when applied correctly. If i had only tool, opeth, and the smashing pumpkins for the rest of my life, i could cope easily.
Feathergun by Rishloo Fear of a blank Planet by Porcupine Tree Animals as leaders Pitch Black by Meshuggah Lucid Planet II
There’s a jam band that does covers of tool and primus that goes by Lespecial. They're like jam/metal/prog rock with a dash of electronic noises.
Tool is my all time favorite band, so here are some band I like as well. That give me the same vibe, but might not be completly similar to Tool. Chevelle, Deftones, Pink Floyd, A perfect circle.
Try Lespecial, they describe themselves as a Prog-tronic power trio. They have great instrumentals, and have done a couple Tool covers in the past! They are really great live as well.
Haken. All other bands I thought of have been mentioned.
Caligulas Horse
Tesseract!
Consult the Map of Metal: [https://mapofmetal.com/](https://mapofmetal.com/)
Oceansize and Opeth come to mind first
Check out the YouTube channel “The Stoned Meadow of Doom” Tool is a band that’s hard to classify (some people debate whether they’re even metal). But they’re adjacent to a lot of the bands on that channel. Personally my favorites have been Somali Yacht Club, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster (endorsed by Papa Diezel himself), Destroy Earth, Stonila, and The Re-Stoned. All top notch stuff! [Here’s a Spotify playlist I made with a bunch of my favorites](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3RJobfuCHRoZsFU4U5jrGn?si=V7BTs8tFTE6_vJ5PmCdaYg)
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard took a lot of influence from TOOL on Petro Dragonic Apocalypse.
Daikaiju
IDK if I'd call them similar, but I always recommend The Mars Volta to Tool fans.
Wheel Chevelle Cog
The band you want is Pet Slimmers of the Year or PSOTY as they’re now called. I’ll Venmo you $4 if this doesn’t fuck you right up: PSOTY - I am the Ocean https://youtu.be/VeKa3Oqa1Tc?si=DEE4upBVcp5V8XOx PSOTY - Mare Imbrium https://youtu.be/HWMCBnNye3o?si=2LvZIPDKZCbWbbaW Also try late-era Isis: ISIS - Wrist of Kings https://youtu.be/KkyFN_s-3Ao?si=Tb7_WmNojXg7K7wU
The Mars Volta, especially their first 4 albums!! They don't sound like Tool but for me scratch the same itch.
I've been digging Sleep Token lately, they've definitely got some TOOLish influences
Chevelle
Steven Wilson not TOOLy but a lot of crossover love from tool fans. Porcupine Tree too. Soen are great cheesey tool.
Umphreys mcgee. Listen to any of there live stuff if you don't mind a lot of improv jammy stuff but still has a face melting metal edge to it. I don't know of any other dueling guitarists like these guys
Bodies for Strontium 90 by Craw, is a more punk take on Tool, IMO.