Peach

Loyal fans of Tool are given a chance to sink back into their grittier roots, not with a re-release of older material but with something complementary - an album by UK's Peach, the first band belonging to their second bassist, Justin Chancellor, prior to his joining Tool in the mid-'90s. Chancellor was discovered by Tool when Peach opened for them on a previous tour, and when they required a replacement, they found that his trademarked surgically "central nervous system-penetratingly deep" resonating plucking style of bass guitar suited Tool's sonic architecture. Also, the existence of an early King Crimson cover ("Cat Food") on GBtaS (from 1993) was nothing less than a shoo-in, providing proof that Peach and Chancellor were the missing genetic musical link to Tool, since Crimson are known to be an über-influence upon them. Although they sound a tad dated, harkening to the alternative rock of the early/mid-'90s, Peach are a lighter and somewhat more sinister sounding version of Tool, but they possess key English pop sensibilities, including those inspired by Pink Floyd and the sexy sounds of the Cure. And when you think a song has reached its molten peak, the band takes you on a stellar math groove psych journey that cheats the linear time counter of your CD player. This re-release features new artwork by Tool guitarist and visual guru Adam Jones, and includes the original studio version of "You Lied," which was covered by Tool on their live release, Salival. In a way, one wonders if Peach were also an influence on Tool?