Ongoing History Daily: What’s that sound that Tool song?
Tool is a band that takes a years and years to record new albums. A bit part of that is their insistence on experimenting with sounds and arrangements—and sometimes those experiments get a little weird.
If we go back to the Lateralus album, there’s a short instrumental track called “Mantra.” It features an ominous sound, a sort-of hum that sounds almost demonic. What the heck is that?
It’s singer Maynard James Keenan, gently squeezing his pet cat. The cat was recorded and those sounds were slowed down to sound dangerous. Tool would like to make it clear that no cats were harmed in the creating of “Mantra.”