10 Rock Bands That Outshine Their Lead Singer

It almost feels wrong putting a band with Maynard James Keenan in it as being something worth overshadowing. Ever since emerging on the scene with both Tool and A Perfect Circle, Keenan's approach to vocals has always gone for the throat, from the soothing side of his baritone to reaching into his screaming register with a volume intense enough to crush your skull. Then again, Tool was never about having some singer doing the talking for them.

For most of the group's career, the entire aura of Tool has held dominion over most of the musical side of things, with any press being considered an afterthought. Hell, even Maynard himself seems to welcome the idea of keeping the music somewhat faceless, electing to be in the back of the stage every time the group plays. At the same time, it might be a blessing to have nothing to look at given all of the other crazy parts you have to put up with.

Across every single Tool song, the music pretty much speaks for itself, as Danny Carey's drumming switches time signatures on a dime while Justin Chancellor's bass and Adam Jones's guitar settle you into a morose mood across tracks like Parabola and Forty Six and Two. Many tend to forget that aside from the occasional one-off, Tool never had that much press or interviews for most of their albums until 10,000 Days in 2006. As they continue to go strong with Fear Inoculum, Tool have developed a foolproof way of evading the media circus.