Tool is the name of a band that is hard to boil down to just a few words. When they made their first release in 1992, Opiate, which was an EP containing six of their heaviest songs, it helped to establish them as a force to be reckoned with in the music scene. The line-up for Tool at this time consisted of Maynard James Keenan on vocals, Danny Carey on drums, Adam Jones on guitar, and Paul D'Amour on bass. In the following year Tool released their first full length album, Undertow. Their second album proved that Tool was capable of a more dynamic and diverse style then what they presented with their first release (although Undertow included songs not released on Opiate.) The new image that Tool created for themselves with Undertow paid off. In 1993 it was certified gold by the RIAA in September of that year and then eventually went on to achieve platinum status in 1995.
Eventually, after beginning to write and record their next album, Paul D'Amour was replaced by Justin Chancellor on bass. This is the only line-up change that Tool has experienced to this day. Then, from 1995 to 1996, they worked on their second full length album. The album's name, Ænima, was a mix of the words anima, which was a term frequently used by Carl Jung to express the true inner self, and the word Enema, which referred to the medical term. Ænima also met with great success and eventually reached triple platinum in the spring of 2003, while the song Ænema went on to win a Grammy. After extensive touring for Ænima, Maynard James Keenan went off to work on his side project, A Perfect Circle.
In 2001, Tool released their album Lateralus, which featured more complex musical structures, longer songs, and a style that would continue on into their next album 10,000 days. 10,000 days, which was released in 2006, marked 15 years from when the band had started.
As a quick note about attending Tool concerts, make sure that you order your Tool tickets well in advance of the date of the event; these tickets are some of the most sought after tickets in the industry and generally sell out faster than any other concert will sell out.