Fear Inoculum; A long wait for a bus that doesn't come
Tool, and Maynard James Keenan by extension, was a major part of my musical education and upbringing. At a time when the airwaves and my buddy’s CD players were blasting such acts as Korn, Blink-182, and Incubus, it was hard to cultivate my own identity as a “Rocker-But-Also-A-Nerd.” Enter the prog-metal. Tool was an alternative to the overbearing and jokey antics of acts like Disturbed and Slipknot; the music was also a tad more melodic and interesting, albeit still depressing and gothic in aesthetic. I was obsessed for a time. I admit fully to delving ‘down the spiral’ of Lateralus’ alternate track sequence (inspired by the fibonacci sequence) and to playing Aenima on repeat (‘Hooker with a Penis’ was my meta-jam for years). However, we all grow up and our tastes do evolve. I moved onto more energetic groups like The Mars Volta (which deserve their own post in their own right). I found myself drawn to the more wilder sounds of psychedelic jam bands and their chaos-flavored pale