Chamber Made: Baroque Tribute To Tool

CD Details

Tool is a common muse for Vitamin’s string tribute albums. For example, 2004’s Anotomica: The String Quartet Tribute to Tool actually combines two previous tribute recordings. That said, Chamber Maid: Baroque Tribute to Tool manages to come up with a new twist, shuffling the instrumental lineup to include harpsichord, acoustic guitar and bass; violin and viola, and percussion. (The typical string quartet tribute emphasizes violin, viola, and cello.) The harpsichord is immediately distinctive on “Sober” and “Parabola”; it’s the solo instrument on “Lateralus,” which has its arrangement slightly tweaked to resemble a near-minuet. “Eulogy” uses the percussion as a means of accentuating tension, and “Undertow” joins all the instruments together for a rousing, stylized take on the chorus. Tool fans might be getting tired of the string tributes to their favorite band. But Chamber Maid: Baroque Tribute to Tool does offer a few surprises, particularly in the inventiveness of “Lateralus” interpretation. ~ Johnny Loftus, Rovi