Tool: Salival

Salival is the collection of TOOL's work from 1991-2000.

Five videos including Hush, Skinkfist, Prison Sex, Sober and Aenima, it is a must get just because you simply see the evolution of metal and art before your eyes, you can capture 10 years of hard work and inspiration. Adam Jones the director of most of the videos is an admirer of the famous director jan Svankmajer and the Brothers Quay, he takes what they do best and puts his image and perception on it and just turns it from film to brilliant astonishing work. EVEN if you aren't a film buff, get this just because of the music, they are an awesome band, best out there.

It's unfortunate that Adam Jones has conjured up just a small number of videos to accompany his bands musical tracks (6 in total). While Tool's music has certainly gotten more eccentric, their videos have always been more abstract than the music itself. I would have never been able to think up the visuals Jones created for the Undertow tracks, which seem almost TOO bizarre and surreal for those songs. However they both end up complimenting each other so well, I can't recommend people see their videos. It's a damn shame they're so short, it's also even more discouraging that Adam Jones hasn't just made a full length, with a soundtrack to his film by the aid of his own band. I remember seeing the Sober and Prison Sex videos around 93 / 94 and I was highly captivated by the very similar stop motion style of Jan Svankmajer. Adam Jones seems particularly inspired by his surrealistic interpretation of "Alice in Wonderland", called "Alice" or "Neco z Alenky". If you are a fan of the disturbing, nightmarish stop motion creativity of Jones, it's a sure bet you'd be a fan of Svankmajer's works, especially "Alice" and "Faust". These videos are classics and highly recommended.

This is Adam Jones' own personal contribution. The entire band has stated that the videos are only Adam's view of the songs. The videos have a very big feeling of modern art to them, reminding me of some of Matthew Barney's work. The Salival box set is worth buying for this... The CD is pretty good, but its nothing without having this DVD.

Favorite Track: Stinkfist Rating: 9/10

There isn't anything by tool that I don't like and if you have only heard a song once or only seen a video once; listen or watch again. each time you experience this band it gets better and better. I love a lot of bands very much but very few bands have been able to make me feel as if music had a physical texture that I could feel. From rhythm blending between instrument to unimaginable time signatures in this style of music, It just make me want to proclaim my love for this band from the roof tops. I know it is a little off topic considering I'm not addressing the actual title "salival" which I own but that is because my point to all of this is that the band used the box set to really give there fans something that they knew they would love. The live push it track is one of the most amazing live songs I have ever heard and then I was even blessed enough to hear that version in person. I was ear banged by TOOL and I wanted more. You know you have something special when a concert is so amazing that it feels surreal. The reason I am writing this kind of review is because TOOL actually changed my life from how I interact with the world to how I perceive it. I really feel like if I had never found this band that I would not be the person I am today. So, If you are some one out there who doesn't feel much emotion when you listen to TOOL or watch their videos; listen or watch again. It will pull you in like an undertow. I am a more confident person because of this band. Thank you TOOL.

This video was a great reminder about why fans of Tool love them. I am one of them, and I have been one for some time (opium years), and never before have I felt a great appreciation for their art as a whole than when they released this collection of works. Sure the VHS owners (like myself) don't get to see the B&W film for an early song, but it still works my mind into a frenzy on how they came up with some of those images. Stinkfist and Prison Sex are two of my favorite, which I'm glad to have on there, and who care's if they keep releasing new videos that can't be on there? I love Schism and all, but this is about the evolution of the whole thing...you get the total experience of what their minds are like collectively, which is a great refreshment from modern-day metal and rock personalities all over.