For decades now, Tool has been crafting some of the most technically intriguing and demanding music in all of metal.
Tool’s material is far from straightforward, for many of their songs require tight and dedicated focus to perform perfectly. And while the members of Tool have more than proven themselves to be remarkable musicians, even they get tripped up on some of their own music. For band drummer Danny Carey there is one song that, for him, can be a hell of a challenge “endurance-wise.”
In a video he recently uploaded to his Instagram, Carey’s drum tech Joe Slaby asked the drummer what the hardest Tool song is for him to play.
In his replay, Carey ends up shouting out a track from the band’s 2001 album Lateralus. He says that the song is “real physical,” and if he isn’t in “tour shape,” his hands almost “cramp up” playing it.
Per Carey himself, this is the most difficult Tool song for the drummer to play (as transcribed by The Pit):
“For endurance-wise it’s ‘The Grudge.’ ‘Cause if we’re not in shape, in tour shape that is, my hands almost cramp up ’cause of all the swiss-triplets.
“It’s just a real physical song overall; there’s some double-kick stuff in it.”
“The Grudge” is an incredible song both stylistically and technically; just listening to it, we can’t even begin to imagine how Carey and the rest of the band pull it off so perfectly.
But “The Grudge” is not the only Tool song Carey struggles with; after talking about the track, the drummer goes on to talk about two other songs he finds difficult to play. Per Carey:
“The trickiest one might be “Invincible,” that or “7empest.” The new ones, ’cause I’m not as used to playing [them].”
If you have ever attempted to cover Tool’s music, which of the band’s songs do you think is the most physically demanding to play?
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