Tool builds on three decades of metal music 

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Over its 33-year history, the band Tool has only released five studio albums. But all of them have resonated with audiences, reaching gold certification or higher. The four-piece outfit arrives in Rochester on November 6 to play Blue Cross Arena, touring in support of its 2019 album “Fear Inoculum.”

At the center of the music is the often-polyrhythmic heartbeat provided by drummer Danny Carey. The progressive metal band’s cerebral sound is owed in large part to their songs’ rhythmic complexity. The shiftiness of Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor’s grooves on tracks like “The Grudge,” "Schism,” “Rosetta Stoned,” and “Pneuma” pairs well with vocalist Maynard James Keenan’s cryptic lyrics and guitarist Adam Jones’s moody riffs.

In a recent conversation via Zoom, Carey said the creative chemistry between the four musicians is what keeps the project going. “It's the hardest thing to come by,” he said. “I guess when people say you're lucky to make it, I think the luck part comes in finding the members to play with the band.”

Unlike many rock bands, Tool’s songwriting process is a collective one, rather than the vision of a single songwriter. A hook is introduced and developed, and its evolution from improvisation into a full-fledged arrangement with cohesive sections takes place over days and sometimes weeks. Carey said the task can be boring.

“I think we all take ourselves a little too seriously,” the drummer said. “But that’s the process in the end. We’re a pretty good filter for each other. We find what works for us individually, and then we know what the band’s identity is and what we do.”

As forceful and heavy as Tool’s music can be, there’s an ever-present thoughtfulness, and a desire to do much more than barrage the listener with sound.

“There can't be loud without the soft, I suppose,” Carey said. “And I think it's all the little nuances in between that keep things interesting or make people want to keep listening. You have to have surprises, something clever to say here and there.”

Tool plays Blue Cross Arena on Monday, November 6. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Remaining tickets start at $115. bluecrossarena.com

Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer at CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].