There are songs that make you relax and think about the pleasant moments of life. But Tthen there are those that make you dig deeper into the human mind and get you thinking. And then there are those that make you close your eyes and stop categorizing and start listening writes Siddarth Ayyagari

Tool has dedicated itself to the third kind, pushing art for arts sake. They don't give the appearance of rock stars with their wrinkled T-shirts and not so “cool” jeans. But music is more about the auditory senses and they have changed lives of millions with the gift of sound. Tool has scored multi-platinum album sales and worldwide tours giving them every right to the title of rock stars.

Tool consists of guitarist Adam Jones, singer Maynard James Keenan, bassist Justin Chancellor and drummer Danny Carey. Unlike the ultra famous rock bands, Tool prioritizes control over its own music rather than the record companies doing so. The word “different” is used too often to describe them but they truly are different in every sense. The band members are gun shy around journalists refusing to don most interviews even as other rockers would usually kill for the attention. But they don't aim to be mysterious. They just don't ponder over their image and prefer their music to be the star.

The story began in Los Angeles in 1989 when Jones met Keenan and the others joined in through various jamming sessions. It had been merely 10 gigs when record companies were on the prowl for them. But at this point in time none of them wanted to pursue music for a living as they had full time jobs. But as record deals and offers started coming thick and fast, the band started visualizing a career changing options. Eventually they took the chance and have hardly any regrets.

When asked to comment on how the music usually comes into being, Tool credits it to the dynamics of the band. All the four members are completely diverse personalities, and this surely does create some friction but also helps them create a great variety of music. There is a lot of sacrifice of personal ideas for the sake of the unit but there is also much to gain.

The way Tool approaches writing of songs is more like an approach towards a journey. And the best part of the journey is traveling rather than reaching the destination. Again relationships with their record companies come along with the understanding that Tool will not compromise on their music.

In the early 90's the music scene was no totally conducive to their music as “glam bands” called the shots. But they stuck to their originality that has become a stamp of quality. The band has evolved a lot since then, which is inevitable but the trademark style and creativity is still intact. It takes a lot of courage, not just in the music business, to stand up for what you believe in and stick by it for so long.

Tools latest album 10,000 Days, came after a long interval but this is one more quality we attribute to Tool as they don't care for how long it takes as long s it is quality. And quality it is, from the graphics on the cover to every beat of the snare. The cover, in fact, is a piece of art in itself as innovations flow out of it. The music is no different, timeless, heavy, soothing, lyrically stimulating and adrenaline pumping, all in one album. “The Pot,” “Vicarious,” and “Jambi” can safely be called the highlights of the album.

To sum up, Tool is all about the music and this is evident in Adam Jones statement-“The songs not there for me, I'm there for the song.”