The conceptual album “Ænima” by “Tool”: features of artistic design

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the album “Ænima” by the American rock band “Tool” as a bright example of a concept album marked by deep philosophical content, sharp social criticism and original musical solution. The content-thematic and musical levels of the album’s concept are characterized, and the key ideas that shape its artistic integrity are identified.Particular attention is paid to the means of musical drama that ensure the unity of the album – through development, compositional arches, repeated musical motifs and sound interludes.The semantics of the lyrics, which are full of metaphors, allusions and ambiguous images that allow for different interpretations of the content, are also discussed. The album “Ænima” is marked by a combination of genre characteristics of progressive metal, alternative rock and art rock, which is reflected in complex rhythmic patterns, variable sizes, polyphonic texture and atypical vocal techniques. In addition to the musical aspect, the paper focuses on the ideological load of the album, which touches upon the topics of alienation of the individual in modern society, emotional growth, spiritual purification, and criticism of conformism. The analysis of the album’s lyrics and music shows that “Ænima” is a holistic conceptual statement that requires deep comprehension from the listener. The results of the study allow us to fill the gap in the scientific consideration of the Tool’s work and expand the understanding of the musical drama of the concept album as a phenomenon of non-academic art.