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Today I'm not doing a review. instead I'm going to dissect and discuss an album. I'm not going to do an album I've never heard, I'm going to discuss an album I've probably listened to a hundred times if not more yet I've never once heard it before.

How could I have heard this album yet never have heard it? Well, let's get into the nitty gritty details shall we?

The title track of the album Lateralus has quite a unique characteristic. The song's main riff is played in 9 - 8 - 7 which corresponds with the thirteenth number in the fibbonaci sequence.

The lyrics for the verses are also performed in the Fibbonaci sequence.

1+1=2
** 1+2=3
***** 2+3=5
******** 3+5=8
*********** 5+8=13

While the fibbonaci sequence continues to go on forever the lyrics instead go back down the the spiral.

If you're still confused about the fibbonaci sequence, here's a video that explains it.



Someone else using this information claimed that lateralus as an album was purposefully given to the public out of order. This order he proposed is called The Holy Gift



Supposedly this track listing is the correct track listing. And listening to it this way will reveal what the album is about.

So, I've heard Lateralus more times then I care to count. But I'm yet to hear The Holy Gift.

So, is The Holy Gift real?

It's hard to say. The truth is that Tool is totally pretentious enough to present you with an album out of order then hide the correct track listing in one of the songs.

One issue is that the band said tracks ten, eleven, and twelve are one song that got split into three songs. The Holy Gift splits these tracks up.

The other claim about The Holy Gift is that this version of the* album flows better. So does it? I have to admit that I feel like it flowed better.

Now to answer the big question. Did I learn upon listening to this the deeper meaning. Frankly, whatever the meaning is, if it's even there, it's still hidden behind so much symbolism and imagery that you'd have to decipher all the albums lyrics to learn it. And I'm way to lazy to do that.

The Holy Gift is a unique concept, but really doesn't do much. It seems to me that a group of Tool fans took a song with some cool properties and over-analyzed it.

Which kind-of brings me back to the song lateralus. Specifically some lyrics from it.

The Holy Gift does exactly this. It's over-thinking and over-analyzing something. It's creating that separation* from your body and mind. The question becomes now, is it a positive or a negative to do so? The song almost says it's bad with:

Fuck, has my life really gotten so dull that I'm analyzing Tool lyrics.

I guess, what I'm asking is if The Holy Gift is a negative? Is it bad? It forces you to think and reach out towards more understanding. But is analyzing a song this much a good thing? I mean there are so many things that you could do with that time... but I'm being guilty of all these things that I'm saying are bad.

The band always says, they don't want to tell you what the song is about, they want you to draw your own conclusions. To experience their music, to find your own meanings and definitions in it. To stretch your mind beyond your own capabilities. To be like the fibbonaci sequence, always expanding, reaching out into the unknown.

So, in a sense The Holy Gift is exactly that, reaching out and going beyond the information presented to you, walking into the unknown. It forces you to ponder questions and learn new things.

I guess my biggest issue with the Holy Gift is the name. It puts Tool on a pedestal as some great philosophers that are beyond their time. I'd put Tool on a pedestal for a lot of things but not for being great philosophers. I mean what ideologies do they present us with? To always be out of your comfort zone and try new things? Yeah that's some brilliant **** right there (in case the Hemet heads think I'm being serious, that's sarcasm).

What do you think of the Holy Gift?

If anyone actually wants to read more of these let me know. Recommend an album with some interesting details to it and I'll look into discussing it. I'll try to do one of these a month (if anyone cares. It's a lot of work to do for nothing).