Song Of The Week: 5/6/12

Song: "Third Eye"

Artist: Tool

Album: "Aenima"

Year: 1996



"Third Eye" appears to be a song that is somewhat dedicated to comedian and satirist Bill Hicks, whom the bandmembers of Tool felt a very strong connection to. Both Hicks and the band felt that the meaning of existence was very much connected to seeing things through your own third eye. The third eye was a concept which has it's beginnings in Hinduism and it really implies of having a spiritual presence or being in a deep state of awareness or consciousness. Hicks and the band felt that hallucinogenic drugs only enhanced this state, Hicks calling psilocybe mushrooms the "squeegee" to keep one's third eye clean. Tool formed as a band in Los Angeles, California back in 1990. They were a band that appealed to both the metal scene as well as the alternative rock scene. In fact, they were also very progressive with their brand of metal and also very much known for their use of visual arts both in their music videos as well as their live performances. Tool first broke on the scene with the release of their 1992 EP "Opiate", considered some of the band's heaviest recordings to date. 1993 saw the band release their very first full length album, "Undertow", which featured one of the band's biggest hits of their career, "Sober". In 1996, Tool achieved major success in the form of Grammy Award winning album "Aenima". Between 1996 and 2001 would also be the very first time that Tool would take a little break between albums. This was a time when the band members would begin also working on other projects most notably Tool frontman, Maynard James Keenan and Tool guitar tech, Billy Howerdel forming the band A Perfect Circle. 2001 saw the return of Tool and yet another Grammy Award winning album, "Lateralus". With the help of the popular single "Schism", "Lateralus" debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Again, there would be a five year break between albums until the band returned in 2006 for their "10,000 Days" album, also number one on the Billboards. A very dark and brooding band, Tool may like to stay in the shadows but there is no questioning their success over the years. By putting extreme focus on the music, rather than themselves, they have garnered a level of respect amongst rock circles and are clearly one of the major players in the metal and alternative rock scenes today. Since their last release in 2006, Keenan has been working on a new project called Puscifer, but the remaining members of Tool have been writing material for the next Tool project. The band has also committed to several tours during this time as well. Currently, it seems imminent that Tool will soon get together and create yet another masterpiece!