10 Great Albums You Didn't Understand The First Time

Tool are regarded as one of the premier acts to come out of the 90's metal scene, and rightfully so. At a time when mainstream metal was floundering, these guys took the fundamental elements of the genre and expanded them into places they had never been before.

While any metalhead could get down with the band's first records, Lateralus may be seen as a trickier listen for some folks. Don't get me wrong, the album is absolutely stellar with its multiple prog epics and exquisite use of cerebral topics, but the initial listen does take some getting used to for newcomers. From the more sardonic perspective, these heavy topics could easily be seen as pretentious if not listened to under the proper circumstances.

With every listen, the album's riffs seep into your brain until you become more and more accustomed to the off-kilter time signature changes and the warped view of reality that comes from Maynard James Keenan's lyrics. After a while, these songs become less and less about music and feel more a part of your DNA, almost as if you've tapped into some higher plain of existence. It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite Tool album, but every new detail that comes with spinning Lateralus proves that it's the album that keeps on giving.