Aenima is a landmark album. This album is one of the highpoints of 90's rock. Building on the mostly metal sound of their first two releases, Tool with Aenima released something much more. Abounding musically in the metal-drenched progressive rock sound formerly forged by such bands as King Crimson and Fates Warning, but with their own unique, minimalist spin, this album is of an accomplished musicality that few bands in this era are capable of equalling. Lyrically, we get topics such as the philosophy/life of Bill Hicks (of whom the band were admirers), and a lot of "freedom of thought" and anti-organized religion sentiments. This is all good in my view. Here we have a band playing with fire. Also, Keenan is very good at expressing his angst, and this album proves it. The only bands who come close to Tool in the 90's at doing that are Pantera and Rage Against The Machine, but Keenan does it better. The truly venomous lyrics coupled with his whisper/scream vocals make for one hell of a punch. The music on the album is just as interesting, with notable, though sparse, guitar/bass riffs, creative drumming, and long instrumental passages and song interludes. I reccommend this album for anyone looking for something above the norm in modern music, or for anyone looking for something above the norm, period.