Tool

When Tool first broke out with 1993’s Undertow, it was seen as a lifeline for intelligent heavy metal, which had been more or less marginalized by grunge. These days, plenty of bands have picked up the slack on making dark, brainy rock that’s not afraid to drift into the outer realms of both experimentation and pretension, but few command the sort of fervent devotion granted to Tool—which is even more surprising considering the band’s tendency to go on hiatus for long stretches of time. Recently roused from one such respite and reportedly working on a follow-up to 2006's 10,000 Days, the band's current tour means someone else must be watching frontman Maynard James Keenan's Arizona vineyard for the summer.

Updated 06/09/2010