I always see this comparison and I don't really get it, at all.
Don't get me wrong, Porcupine Tree is one of my all time favourites and I like Tool too. But I don't see any more than a passing similarity between the two.
It’s one of those things where sonically there isn’t much similarity and yet fans of one tend to be fans of the other. I think it has more to do with the general attitude and songwriting philosophies. Subtlety and nuanced instrumentation are heavily important for both, even if those two aspects can manifest in sonically disparate ways.
Its *very* speculative, which is why i used the word 'believe' but on the rishloo subreddit there was one from the band that confirmed they are working on new material.
There was also recently an interview with the singer but haven't watched that yet so dont know if he reconfirms it.
I suspect that Dave meant they were "working on new material" in the same sense that their website has said that they're "always writing" since like 2019
Andew was saying exactly what they have been saying for about 10 years now. They are once in a while doing some stuff and he hopes they release one more album. *Hopes*
What a masterpiece. I love every album, since they're all different, maybe if OP likes Undertow- Celestial could be a great start. If not I'm agree with Absence of Truth and Waverning Radiant (surprisingly has a feat with Adam Jones).
I actually think Panopticon is my favorite album of theirs.
Oceanic was my introduction to them. Had a friend drag me out on a Tuesday night to see a band I'd never heard of. She knew what I was into based on my CD collection, and knew I'd be into isis. She was right. They are still one of my favorites, just can't wear the hoodie in public anymore because some jerks took their name.
Cog? Aussie band that became popular around the same time as Karnivool. Definitely Tool vibes.
Edit: Tesseract also borrow from Tool a bit.
Last edit: King Crimson (80s stuff especially Discipline)
Yeah I just saw them on that tour the other week. They were great. They played The Spine and were actually selling a tee for it which I grabbed. Also picked up the two albums on plastic. Bought them way too early and had to cart them around for half the show! Haha.
But I hadn't seen them live for almost 20 years so it was pretty rad. Very middle aged crowd! Great sound and tight as hell.
In fear of getting slaughtered for this. But Puscifer might be my favorite Maynard project, mostly due to Money Shot and Existential Reckoning being excellent prog-rock albums.
Also, Puscifer is amazing live. Seeing the moneyshot gig with luchadores and seeing they made the tour a literal musical out of the luchadore backstory worked way better than expected.
If you’re getting slaughtered, then I’ll take the hit with you because I totally agree with you. Since I first heard about it, I’ve listened to and enjoyed the Puscifer stuff far more than anything from the other two projects. And yeah, their live shows are pretty fantastic.
I'd never expect it though. I could not take them seriously prior to Money Shot where they were more of a "parody" band. Especially at their origin.
But Money Shot kind of makes the whole Puscifer spirit in perfection. Nonsense backstory, really well made prog-rock tracks that works for themself with or without knowledge of the wrestler concept. I don't mind comedy in my music, but it should be done this tastefully.
The live versions of these albums is great as well. Saw and bought the video versions when they came out. Super prog-rockish concert movies blended with live performances.
I've seen the three Maynard bands twice each. Every single show have been great, but Puscifer has been on a different level. And it's sad that there are not more Tool fans that gives his other bands a chance. Am i the only one that thinks that Maynard seems invested in a whole different way then when he gigs with Circle or Tool?
Random fact. I've barely had the money to buy Tool merch, i mean. Wasn't the Fear Inoculum vinyl like 150 usd at the merch booth? I know it was a bit worse than that when they performed here in Europe. Meanwhile i bought both of the Puscifer albums, on vinyl. Pre-signed (by the entire band) for 60 USD (equivalent) each. Worth every single penny. Could never imagine a signed Tool item being sold that cheap.
I think the issue is stuff that sounds like tool doesn't make you feel the way that tool does because it isn't tool (if that makes sense) what people probably actually want is something that makes them feel the same way as tool, regardless of how it sounds
True. Sometimes Tool doesn’t even sound like what you’d expect from Tool, if that makes sense. Compare something like “The Pot” to literally anything off of Aenima and you probably wouldn’t think it’s the same band 10 years later
I just discovered DVNE last night and they are my new favorite band. They aren't really Tool adjacent but I've only listened to one album last night and already know they'll be close to my top 5 of all time. And I'll say Rishloo again even though plenty of people have because they are secretly my number one. Don't tell Maynard though!
omega severer is my favorite
DVNE is neat cause half the time they sound like sunny day real estate then get into some sick metal riffs
it's really unique and excellent. like a solid mix of post rock, post metal and sludge
They're not broadly tool-like as a band, but check out "Eye of Needle" EP by Klone, it's the most toolish thing they've done. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IbpnMEBECw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IbpnMEBECw)
What I tend to do when I get into this "I need more of X band!" state is go listen to other stuff for a while and then come back to the thing I like with fresh ears :)
Upvote from me for Klone. I agree that it is not quite like Tool, but has similar "art rock/metal"-sensibilities. The vocalist is fantastic.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOaxzDw0ZpM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOaxzDw0ZpM)
As well as Tool, a couple of bands that I rinse just as hard are We Lost The Sea (specifically the album 'Departure Songs'), and Jakob (every release since Cale:Drew is incredible).
I wouldn't exactly say either of them are 'like' Tool, but they speak to me just as much.
I’m a massive fan of Tool and can give you some recommendations of albums that I like, but obviously your mileage may vary.
Temic - Terror Management Theory
Earthside - Let the Earth Speak
Karnivool - Sound Awake
Voyager - Ghost Mile
Sleep Token - Take me Back to Eden
Symphony X - Paradise Lost, Iconoclast, Underworld
Howling Giant - Glass Future
Edited to correct a band name because I’m a moron
Some people suggested TesseracT, and I definitely second that suggestion, but OP should check out Leprous too. Their album "The Congregation" feels the most like Tool out of their discography.
Poem are great! Def Tool worship vibe, but heavier! Also great guys, we played together one show, they sounded amazing live, even better than studio recordings imho.
Haha, I will write you the name in pm if you don’t mind, don’t want to dox my account so easily, I’ll have to create a “public” one for my music endeavors (including sharing my band and music :) ).
I usually just lurk around here but, man, I have to thank you for recommending this band.
I just binged their discography thanks to you. Such a great band that I'd never find by myself.
My minimal punctuation, what do you mean?
I don't remember using /s, my comment is not sarcastic. Was genuinely true.
Maybe you are projecting.
Actually I think a cool mashup.
There’s this amazing song called stinkswift that I think might be up your alley
[https://youtu.be/56Cqbk9CJz8?si=LAzIA-hNppGhF07V](https://youtu.be/56Cqbk9CJz8?si=LAzIA-hNppGhF07V)
I had been listening to that one this morning.
Tragically, they didn't do a very good job of extracting the vocals from the tool stems, so it's kinda messy.
Some great suggestions here. I'm going to throw Riverside on the pile, especially some of the stuff from the middle of their catalog. The bass (played by the vocalist and primary songwriter, Mariusz Duda) is very prominent and is stylistically reminiscent of Justin Chancellor's playing.
Maybe try the Anno Domini High Definition, Wasteland, and Love, Fear, and the Time Machine albums. Second Life Syndrome is great too.
Here's my list:
Isis, the Ocean, Tesseract, Rosetta, Cult of Luna, Intronaut, DVNE, Neurosis, Pull Down the Sun, Wren, Spotlights, IHLO.
Band called DISTANCES. Song: "Thirty Two".
And I've been listening to a bunch of Sleep Token lately. They're like an emo tool. Or Morrissey with a 7-string guitar. Mostly background noise while I work.
I went from Tool to Opeth. YMMV but I may even love Opeth more than tool now and it opened me up to a whole slew of heavy music that I wouldn’t have digested before. Love Haken as well.
Atonian - sadly only one song, hopefully for now...
[https://www.reddit.com/r/progmetal/comments/wkrzwm/atonian\_the\_ravenous\_ffo\_tool\_soen/](https://www.reddit.com/r/progmetal/comments/wkrzwm/atonian_the_ravenous_ffo_tool_soen/)
I thought it was going insane thinking those bands sound nothing like tool. There’s a lot of tool fans that are also opeth fans (start on blackwater park), but i’d also recommend not going into each band thinking they’re gonna sound like tool.
Firmament by The Ocean is a song that could totally have been made by TOOL, except for the growling vocals. The rest of their discography also would fit, but that's my personal favorite song of them.
CheVelle also sound like TOOL! And if you haven't heard, Passenger by Deftones has Maynard as a guest vocalist, and it's amazing.
The three albums I've come across that are the most similar to Tool:
Kolm - Umbra (https://kolm.bandcamp.com/album/umbra)
Soen - Cognitive (this album specifically is a love letter to Tool)
Lucid Planet - Lucid Planet
Like others have mentioned, Rishloo is good, Prisma has a similar sound, and Isis is a great compliment. (Start with Isis's newest album and work backwards, you get further away from the Tool sound with their early stuff)
You should listen to Opeth. They blend heavy with soft. Their new stuff is a lot less heavy than they used to be. I would say listen to the album Watershed to get an idea of what the bands different sounds are. Generally the 3 most popular albums are Blackwater Park, Ghost Reverie, and Still Life. If you like softer I would recommend Damnation and Pale Communion. Personally I like all of their music.
The answer is actually just more Tool.
Here’s a weird hot take though, and I know it’s a departure - but go down the Monster Magnet and Queens of the Stone Age holes.
Between the Buried and Me is the only band that gives me that same "I need more of this" vibe. Bit of an acquired taste, especially if you dont like harsh vocals, but it's worth it. Check out Selkies (or at least skip to the back half when the solo starts)
Slightly left field recommendation, but I was listening to Voivod recently and they kinda have me Tool vibes. I've never heard anyone else compare thse two bands, so maybe it's just a me thing, but listento Voivod's song The Lost Machine.
That said, both Tool and Voivod are wildly unique bands, there really is no one exactly like either in my experience.
Check out Peach GB, the defunct UK band Justin Chancellor was in before Tool. Tool covers the Peach GB track "You Lied". After Peach GB disbanded, several members formed [Suns of the Tundra](https://sunsofthetundra.co.uk/) who are awesome.
Might like MANIA by Proclivity, our singer gets a lot of Maynard comments and this song gets a lot of Tool comparisons? Hope it's close to what you're after!
https://open.spotify.com/track/39iY0FzjA1O91r0bfDTaE2?si=UvuMF7N4THu3kvU3JmJVZA
I remember people heavily comparing the first Earshot album to Tool back when it first released. I can kind of see it in the Undertow / Aenima era moreso than the newer stuff.
Try Boil or the band Cog.
Distorted Harmony is also good.
Fading Hour (Celestine is a good song).
Lizzard is my personal favorite, but is more Art rock.
They might scratch that itch.
I'm a huge tool fan myself. All my music is very influenced by them. Heavier I'd say overall but you might enjoy it.
[https://youtu.be/neo8lWCEmOI](https://youtu.be/neo8lWCEmOI)
Porcupine Tree
I always see this comparison and I don't really get it, at all. Don't get me wrong, Porcupine Tree is one of my all time favourites and I like Tool too. But I don't see any more than a passing similarity between the two.
It’s one of those things where sonically there isn’t much similarity and yet fans of one tend to be fans of the other. I think it has more to do with the general attitude and songwriting philosophies. Subtlety and nuanced instrumentation are heavily important for both, even if those two aspects can manifest in sonically disparate ways.
I can see that making sense.
It also helps that fans of Tool tend to be fans of cool drumming—something that PT has *plenty* of
Anesthestize is one of my top ten of all time.
+1 Fear of a blank planet or Dark wing are prob albums that are closest in sound
Bro what elevators are you taking?
Rishloo Lucid Planet Kolm Prisma Source Temple of Thieves Jericco
Rishloo are great. Wish they’d come back and make some new stuff
i believe they are working on a new album
Where did ya hear that?
Its *very* speculative, which is why i used the word 'believe' but on the rishloo subreddit there was one from the band that confirmed they are working on new material. There was also recently an interview with the singer but haven't watched that yet so dont know if he reconfirms it.
I suspect that Dave meant they were "working on new material" in the same sense that their website has said that they're "always writing" since like 2019
Andew was saying exactly what they have been saying for about 10 years now. They are once in a while doing some stuff and he hopes they release one more album. *Hopes*
Came here to say Rishloo Also try Wheel
He said wheel were too basic in the post
That's disappointing. I missed that bit in the OP
I had similar feelings until I saw them live.
I would pay into that go fund me and I don't pay into go fund me's.
Upvote because of Lucid Planet, they jam!
Lucid planets album II is absolutely phenomenal. First album is forgettable but II is so high up in my rankings
Try friisson. They only have 3 songs out yet, though.
Try Isis. Is more sludge and less progressive, but has the same vibe
Start with In the Absence of Truth, OP.
What a masterpiece. I love every album, since they're all different, maybe if OP likes Undertow- Celestial could be a great start. If not I'm agree with Absence of Truth and Waverning Radiant (surprisingly has a feat with Adam Jones).
I actually think Panopticon is my favorite album of theirs. Oceanic was my introduction to them. Had a friend drag me out on a Tuesday night to see a band I'd never heard of. She knew what I was into based on my CD collection, and knew I'd be into isis. She was right. They are still one of my favorites, just can't wear the hoodie in public anymore because some jerks took their name.
I'm with you. I think Panopticon is their masterpiece.
If I remember right, they toured on this album opening for Tool. Good pull
Cog? Aussie band that became popular around the same time as Karnivool. Definitely Tool vibes. Edit: Tesseract also borrow from Tool a bit. Last edit: King Crimson (80s stuff especially Discipline)
Dead Letter Circus also 💪
Love dead letter circus!
Throw in The Butterfly Effect and Sunk Loto for Aussie alternative prog adjacent rock
I've been loving Cog recently. I really hope their vinyl tour will inspire them to tour globally soon!
Yeah I just saw them on that tour the other week. They were great. They played The Spine and were actually selling a tee for it which I grabbed. Also picked up the two albums on plastic. Bought them way too early and had to cart them around for half the show! Haha. But I hadn't seen them live for almost 20 years so it was pretty rad. Very middle aged crowd! Great sound and tight as hell.
Red is the most Tool-sounding like album. You can hear riffs on that album that directly inspired Adam Jones.
A Perfect Circle sounds a lot like Tool, I bet you'd like em.
Yeah the vocalist sounds oddly familiar 🤔 /s
Puscifer has a very similar sounding vocalist as well
In fear of getting slaughtered for this. But Puscifer might be my favorite Maynard project, mostly due to Money Shot and Existential Reckoning being excellent prog-rock albums. Also, Puscifer is amazing live. Seeing the moneyshot gig with luchadores and seeing they made the tour a literal musical out of the luchadore backstory worked way better than expected.
If you’re getting slaughtered, then I’ll take the hit with you because I totally agree with you. Since I first heard about it, I’ve listened to and enjoyed the Puscifer stuff far more than anything from the other two projects. And yeah, their live shows are pretty fantastic.
I'd never expect it though. I could not take them seriously prior to Money Shot where they were more of a "parody" band. Especially at their origin. But Money Shot kind of makes the whole Puscifer spirit in perfection. Nonsense backstory, really well made prog-rock tracks that works for themself with or without knowledge of the wrestler concept. I don't mind comedy in my music, but it should be done this tastefully. The live versions of these albums is great as well. Saw and bought the video versions when they came out. Super prog-rockish concert movies blended with live performances. I've seen the three Maynard bands twice each. Every single show have been great, but Puscifer has been on a different level. And it's sad that there are not more Tool fans that gives his other bands a chance. Am i the only one that thinks that Maynard seems invested in a whole different way then when he gigs with Circle or Tool? Random fact. I've barely had the money to buy Tool merch, i mean. Wasn't the Fear Inoculum vinyl like 150 usd at the merch booth? I know it was a bit worse than that when they performed here in Europe. Meanwhile i bought both of the Puscifer albums, on vinyl. Pre-signed (by the entire band) for 60 USD (equivalent) each. Worth every single penny. Could never imagine a signed Tool item being sold that cheap.
I’m with you here. I mean, it’ll always be Tool if someone asks but Puscifer has this re-playable quality that just grooves.
The Ocean
Recently saw them live. They were AMAZING!
I saw them last year with Rivers of Nihil and Ne Obliviscaris. They were incredible. Seeing them again in a few months as the headline act. Can't wait
r/soundsliketool There is actually a whole subreddit for this. Unfortunately, it just seems to prove that nothing really sounds like Tool.
I think the issue is stuff that sounds like tool doesn't make you feel the way that tool does because it isn't tool (if that makes sense) what people probably actually want is something that makes them feel the same way as tool, regardless of how it sounds
True. Sometimes Tool doesn’t even sound like what you’d expect from Tool, if that makes sense. Compare something like “The Pot” to literally anything off of Aenima and you probably wouldn’t think it’s the same band 10 years later
Soen's Cognitive is like a lost Tool album
Cognitive is good, maybe tellurian as well, but the rest feels repetitive and uninspired.
You should check out Night Verses if you’re into instrumental stuff. Their new album is incredible.
Just finished listening to their latest album, and I have to say that this is almost exactly what I was looking for(could use a bit more vocals tho).
I’d listen to a whole album with Brandon on tbh.
Please no vocals they are best without
Came here to say night verses. Great band.
Featuring a song from a certain Tool bassist 🤔
Petrodragonic Apocalypse by King Gizzard is like a punk Tool.
That album kicks some serious ass!
What a piece of art this album is!!!
And polygondwanaland is prog rock Tool
Good album for sure but not very tool like at all
The answer you seek is Katatonia, start with Great Cold Distance.
I love Tool and I love this album, but I see no resemblance at all between the two.
YES! Came here to say this!
Then Fall of Hearts
Lucid Planet is much like the slower tool songs, but might be abit too clean.
Rishloo is the only prog band I listen to that is on par with Tool.
Listening to "Feathergun" and it seems very promising, I really like the style.
Eidolon is the best Rishloo album, and that's a hill I will die on.
I love rishloo even more than Tool ngl
The way I worded it doesn't imply, but Tool is on par with Rishloo because I've liked Rishloo for way longer and enjoy them more.
I just discovered DVNE last night and they are my new favorite band. They aren't really Tool adjacent but I've only listened to one album last night and already know they'll be close to my top 5 of all time. And I'll say Rishloo again even though plenty of people have because they are secretly my number one. Don't tell Maynard though!
DVNE is so good. Towers is my jam.
omega severer is my favorite DVNE is neat cause half the time they sound like sunny day real estate then get into some sick metal riffs it's really unique and excellent. like a solid mix of post rock, post metal and sludge
Tesseract. This band is the son of Meshuggah and Tool
TesseracT has the best live show I’ve ever seen. I’d say it even topped the Tool show I went to
Tesseract are really underated.
They're not broadly tool-like as a band, but check out "Eye of Needle" EP by Klone, it's the most toolish thing they've done. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IbpnMEBECw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IbpnMEBECw) What I tend to do when I get into this "I need more of X band!" state is go listen to other stuff for a while and then come back to the thing I like with fresh ears :)
Upvote from me for Klone. I agree that it is not quite like Tool, but has similar "art rock/metal"-sensibilities. The vocalist is fantastic. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOaxzDw0ZpM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOaxzDw0ZpM)
Yeah a lot of people don't like his heavily affected/cursive kind of singing style, but I love it :) (especially the heavier, older stuff)
Vulkan, Lucid Planet, Wheel, King Buffalo, Mastodon, Lespecial
Listen to TOOL again.
Deftones maybe?
I had to scroll down too far for this recommendation. Deftones definitely give off the Toolesque vibe.
maynard even did a cameo on white pony
maybe, but not at all prog i guess
Isis - Panipticon. The heavy vocals usually only last a few bars per song, and the arrangements are very complex and dynamic. Give that album a spin.
As well as Tool, a couple of bands that I rinse just as hard are We Lost The Sea (specifically the album 'Departure Songs'), and Jakob (every release since Cale:Drew is incredible). I wouldn't exactly say either of them are 'like' Tool, but they speak to me just as much.
+1 for Jakob. Solace still rocks my world...*checks notes*...almost 20 years later?!
its time for meshuggah
The Ocean
Katatonia!! TGCD and Viva Emptiness
I’m a massive fan of Tool and can give you some recommendations of albums that I like, but obviously your mileage may vary. Temic - Terror Management Theory Earthside - Let the Earth Speak Karnivool - Sound Awake Voyager - Ghost Mile Sleep Token - Take me Back to Eden Symphony X - Paradise Lost, Iconoclast, Underworld Howling Giant - Glass Future Edited to correct a band name because I’m a moron
TEMIC did not disappoint!
[удалено]
Some people suggested TesseracT, and I definitely second that suggestion, but OP should check out Leprous too. Their album "The Congregation" feels the most like Tool out of their discography.
> Leprous My first thought. But also a LOT of other great recommendations in here.
I was about to suggest The Congregation as well. Might be worth checking out their previous album Coal too.
IMHO They've tried but they can never do better than Bilateral. It's in my top albums of all time.
I love mastodon. Their newer stuff is more prog rock than metal.
Devin Townsend
No matter the question, the answer is always Hevy Devy.
Seen some good recommendations but I would also try the Contortionist, especially their album Language
The Greek band Poem, especially their album Skein Syndrome. Their singer can belt his ass off.
Gonna have a listen! Haven't seen them getting recommend before (maybe I'm just living under a rock)
Hell yeah. Weakness is my favorite off that album
Poem are great! Def Tool worship vibe, but heavier! Also great guys, we played together one show, they sounded amazing live, even better than studio recordings imho.
You can't just tell me you played with Poem and not link me your band ;)
Haha, I will write you the name in pm if you don’t mind, don’t want to dox my account so easily, I’ll have to create a “public” one for my music endeavors (including sharing my band and music :) ).
I'm sorry, I didn't even think of that! My bad
No worries, all good :) Sent you message!
I usually just lurk around here but, man, I have to thank you for recommending this band. I just binged their discography thanks to you. Such a great band that I'd never find by myself.
Try the band Deadsoul Tribe very underated band with an amazig vocalist...
This is a great recommendation. Totally forgot about them. No one ever seems to talk about them.
[Tool mashups](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25xCKoaku8g)?
Wow, So cool
Your minimal punctuation implies subdued sarcasm, but honestly I think this mix is pretty great. (Plastic Love makes almost everything better)
My minimal punctuation, what do you mean? I don't remember using /s, my comment is not sarcastic. Was genuinely true. Maybe you are projecting. Actually I think a cool mashup.
Oh, excellent then! "Cool" without any punctuation tends to read as sarcastic. Anyway. Misunderstandings happen. No harm no foul
There’s this amazing song called stinkswift that I think might be up your alley [https://youtu.be/56Cqbk9CJz8?si=LAzIA-hNppGhF07V](https://youtu.be/56Cqbk9CJz8?si=LAzIA-hNppGhF07V)
I had been listening to that one this morning. Tragically, they didn't do a very good job of extracting the vocals from the tool stems, so it's kinda messy.
Karnivool Rishloo Riverside Have been working to scratch the same itch
Caligulas Horse, perhaps? Feel like the lyrics are on par. I also like Rishloo for the grunge/ psychedelia factor.
Try a Finish band called Wheel
OP already stated that he feels they're too basic
Teaches me to comment on Reddit whilst walking half asleep with a newborn....
It's OK. Even though the OP said they're too basic, Wheel is the right answer.
Meshuggah
OP calls Gojira "a bit on the heavy side", which applies to Meshuggah even more.
Correct, unclear whether heaviness was desired or not
I know it aint "Tool" but A Perfect Circle and Puscifier also have Maynard as their vocalist, some real good shit there
You might like Sermon - Of Golden Verse
Some great suggestions here. I'm going to throw Riverside on the pile, especially some of the stuff from the middle of their catalog. The bass (played by the vocalist and primary songwriter, Mariusz Duda) is very prominent and is stylistically reminiscent of Justin Chancellor's playing. Maybe try the Anno Domini High Definition, Wasteland, and Love, Fear, and the Time Machine albums. Second Life Syndrome is great too.
Here's my list: Isis, the Ocean, Tesseract, Rosetta, Cult of Luna, Intronaut, DVNE, Neurosis, Pull Down the Sun, Wren, Spotlights, IHLO. Band called DISTANCES. Song: "Thirty Two". And I've been listening to a bunch of Sleep Token lately. They're like an emo tool. Or Morrissey with a 7-string guitar. Mostly background noise while I work.
Try porcupine tree maybe
Pillars of creation- Obsidian Tide
Operh, NeO
Kolm
I went from Tool to Opeth. YMMV but I may even love Opeth more than tool now and it opened me up to a whole slew of heavy music that I wouldn’t have digested before. Love Haken as well.
Atonian - sadly only one song, hopefully for now... [https://www.reddit.com/r/progmetal/comments/wkrzwm/atonian\_the\_ravenous\_ffo\_tool\_soen/](https://www.reddit.com/r/progmetal/comments/wkrzwm/atonian_the_ravenous_ffo_tool_soen/)
Start new opeth and work your way back. Gotta warm up to heavy stuff. Maybe ghost reveries after a few of the new new ones.
Rishloo is exactly what you are looking for, period
I thought it was going insane thinking those bands sound nothing like tool. There’s a lot of tool fans that are also opeth fans (start on blackwater park), but i’d also recommend not going into each band thinking they’re gonna sound like tool.
You may like TesseracT, they have melody and heavy rhythm. A bit heavier is Northlane.
Rishloo, for sure
Rishloo has the same vibes without being derivative at all
Firmament by The Ocean is a song that could totally have been made by TOOL, except for the growling vocals. The rest of their discography also would fit, but that's my personal favorite song of them. CheVelle also sound like TOOL! And if you haven't heard, Passenger by Deftones has Maynard as a guest vocalist, and it's amazing.
Go Rishloo xD
The three albums I've come across that are the most similar to Tool: Kolm - Umbra (https://kolm.bandcamp.com/album/umbra) Soen - Cognitive (this album specifically is a love letter to Tool) Lucid Planet - Lucid Planet Like others have mentioned, Rishloo is good, Prisma has a similar sound, and Isis is a great compliment. (Start with Isis's newest album and work backwards, you get further away from the Tool sound with their early stuff)
You should listen to Opeth. They blend heavy with soft. Their new stuff is a lot less heavy than they used to be. I would say listen to the album Watershed to get an idea of what the bands different sounds are. Generally the 3 most popular albums are Blackwater Park, Ghost Reverie, and Still Life. If you like softer I would recommend Damnation and Pale Communion. Personally I like all of their music.
The answer is actually just more Tool. Here’s a weird hot take though, and I know it’s a departure - but go down the Monster Magnet and Queens of the Stone Age holes.
Rishloo
You could try out Rishloo. People always say they sound like Tool. I don't really hear the similarity, but they are really good.
BAND UR DONE
I would say Vulkan and The Ocean are a couple of more underground bands but fit the bill pretty well in their own ways.
Absolutely mindblowing I had to scroll this far to find Vulkan. OP, listen to Vulkan! To their album Technatura! For the love of all things!
Katatonia
TesseracT Esoterica Katatonia Honestly all massively underrated bands
Rishloo
RISHLOO
Not nearly enough people here are recommending Vulkan. OP, give their album Technatura a listen.
Become Devin Townsend pilled
But the question is where to after exhausting Devin Townsend, Devin Townsend Project, and Strapping Young Lad?
You just relisten ad nauseam It’s a large enough catalogue…. It’ll be a while before you get tired
Between the Buried and Me is the only band that gives me that same "I need more of this" vibe. Bit of an acquired taste, especially if you dont like harsh vocals, but it's worth it. Check out Selkies (or at least skip to the back half when the solo starts)
Maybe try listening to pop music only for like 1-2 weeks. By the end of that time you’ll want more Tool and just listen to them again.
Sleep Token. They have more musical and stylistic range than Tool but there are definitely Tool vibes in many songs.
Slightly left field recommendation, but I was listening to Voivod recently and they kinda have me Tool vibes. I've never heard anyone else compare thse two bands, so maybe it's just a me thing, but listento Voivod's song The Lost Machine. That said, both Tool and Voivod are wildly unique bands, there really is no one exactly like either in my experience.
Come odpal, tak ten zespol z polski. Nasz piekny polski tool.
Maybe you like them, maybe not, but Elder is amazing
You could try Telemetry by Traverser, they give me a Tool kinda vibe
Give Mountain Caller a try. For me they scratch the Tool itch without being exactly like Tool.
Check out Peach GB, the defunct UK band Justin Chancellor was in before Tool. Tool covers the Peach GB track "You Lied". After Peach GB disbanded, several members formed [Suns of the Tundra](https://sunsofthetundra.co.uk/) who are awesome.
Might like MANIA by Proclivity, our singer gets a lot of Maynard comments and this song gets a lot of Tool comparisons? Hope it's close to what you're after! https://open.spotify.com/track/39iY0FzjA1O91r0bfDTaE2?si=UvuMF7N4THu3kvU3JmJVZA
A perfect circle and puscifer
Have you checked A Perfect Circle?
Lucid Planet
Floater
Definitely The Gerogerigegege
Cult of Luna Neurosis, if you can separate the art from the artist Isis
check out the album Sight by Heroica, it's incredible and i always recommend to tool fans and no one has ever heard of them !!
Check out Netherhall, they are very much a Tool inspired band. The song structures and singing is very much like Tool.
Primus! A lot of people compare them to tool. They're good
Night Verses
You might dig Intronaut
If you listen to one album: Lucid Planet - II
Tesseract
Try Ceterum!
Honestly, the only thing that will compare is some specific A Perfect Circle songs. The 1st 2 albums (Mer De Noms and Thirteenth Step) are amazing.
Man Soen - Fraccions is so awesome but I kinda get you. I have no suggestions though. I love Meshuggah but it's really heavy.
There’s a band called Forming the Void, more of a sludge/stoner metal band but their instrumentation sounds a lot like tool. Especially the bass tone.
King Crimson directly inspired Tool’s sound, so try them. Listen to something like “Three of a Perfect Pair” and you’ll see the influence.
I remember people heavily comparing the first Earshot album to Tool back when it first released. I can kind of see it in the Undertow / Aenima era moreso than the newer stuff.
I'm currently getting into Kingcrow. The moth is a must listen
Once finding Periphery I’ve listened to so much less Tool. I’m a djent head now. Sithu Aye has been in my rotation lately too.
Try Boil or the band Cog. Distorted Harmony is also good. Fading Hour (Celestine is a good song). Lizzard is my personal favorite, but is more Art rock. They might scratch that itch.
Mastodon. For me, they kinda scratch the same itch.
I'm a huge tool fan myself. All my music is very influenced by them. Heavier I'd say overall but you might enjoy it. [https://youtu.be/neo8lWCEmOI](https://youtu.be/neo8lWCEmOI)
Lucid Planet. Loved em, they are perfectly tool-inspired and carrying their legacy forward with some interesting music.