‘The Pot’: The Tool song Maynard James Keenan said everyone should start with
Progressive metal is perhaps not the most inviting genre, and when bands like Tool are at the forefront of the scene making deliberately complex works that can easily ward off outsiders, finding a route in may seem tricky.
The thing is, if you’ve managed to find an entry point into any adjacent genres, then there has to be somewhere for everyone to start when attempting to get into other acts who make similar music, no matter how intimidating it may seem.
For example, you may have found an affinity for progressive rock through listening to Phil Collins’ more accessible solo work, and become intrigued enough to work your way back to his output with Genesis. Perhaps, if you’re feeling brave enough after that, you may have found a route through to Emerson, Lake and Palmer or The Soft Machine as a result.
This is generally how the expansion of one’s music taste happens, but even so, there are some artists who make music that is so impenetrable to the uninitiated that it becomes difficult to know where to start. Over the course of their five studio albums, Tool haven’t really compromised their intense dedication to making complex music, with songs that stretch over multiple movements and alter their structure on a whim, so where would one suggest that you start with their output.
The best person to ask may be a Tool fan, considering they’ve had to endure the struggle of finding their way into enjoying their music in the first place. It may have been straightforward for some, but for others, it may have been a laboured process where they’ve had to dig deep and decipher truly what it is that they enjoy about the band’s music.
However, if you were to ask Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan where someone might wish to start on their journey to Tool fandom, you might worry that his opinion would be skewed by the fact that he’s the person responsible for making the songs in the first place. Despite that, during an appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show with Daniel P Carter, Keenan revealed his choice for the best entry point for his band was ‘The Pot’, taken from their fourth album, 10,000 Days, released in 2006.
“To me, that’s one of the examples of some of our earlier energy blending perfectly with our more mature energy and kind of nods to our influences over the years,” he argued. “I feel like we really kind of struggle to make sure that all four of us shine as best we can on everything we do, to exhaustion. I feel like this one is one of the ones that felt, not effortless, but fresh and conscious,” he continued, before adding, “if you’re gonna play a song for people to kind of get them into our band, I don’t think you should start with the 27-minute one.”
While it’s still not exactly the most accessible song that they could wish to attract new fans with, with a constantly jumping rhythm, it’s nowhere near as intimidating as some of their other material can be, and for that reason, it’s perhaps a perfectly reasonable selection from Keenan.
