I think that they would still be doing what they are doing without us,” says Maynard. Regardless of whether or not you actually hear the direct influence of Tool in these bands, they probably wouldn’t exist if Tool hadn’t been there first. They all agree, however, that they are big fans of The Mars Volta. “All the time I’m told that this band or that band are inspired by Tool but as one of the biggest fans of this band, I have to say that I don’t get any of the emotional feel from them that I get from Tool.” “I don’t hear that,” says Justin Chancellor. There are also hundreds of Tool impersonators, bands such as Mudvayne who seem to lurk in their wake, providing vaguely acid-tinged metal with a touch of the enigmatic and esoteric when Tool are in one of their now-frequent retreats. The range of the new prog is immense and very diverse: from the emotional Mahavishnu Orchestra-plays-bossa-nova thrills of The Mars Volta to the snarling polar intensity of Opeth, they all, to some extent, owe something to Tool. Yet the most important bands around at the moment are all, arguably, neo prog bands. The term ‘prog’ still elicits sneers and lame jokes about wizards and elves.

Tool, more than any other band, have been responsible for inspiring a new wave of hard rock that isn’t ashamed to call itself progressive. Tool at Club Lingerie in LA, Decem(Image credit: Lindsay Brice / Getty )

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