Tool

After a four-year hiatus, Tool returns with the elaborately packaged Salival set, which includes a 70-minute CD of previously unreleased live and studio material, a 56-page book of photos and video stills, and a VHS/DVD collection of the group's impressive stop-motion videos. Live versions of "Hush," "Part of Me," "Push It," and "Third Eye" reaffirm the band's standing as one of alternative metal's most compelling live acts; unreleased studio tracks such as "Message to Harry Manback II" and "L.A. Municipal Court" definitely sound like abandoned material, but offer a look at Tool's quirkier side. Covers of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" and "You Lied" -- a song by bassist Justin Chancellor's previous group Peach -- round out the disc's better-than-average selection of odds and sods. The DVD version of Salival also includes a live duet of "Hush" with Tori Amos and singer Maynard Keenan. Salival's intricate, eclectic look and sound give it the feel of a "thank you" to patient Tool fans; fortunately for them -- and the band -- it was worth the wait. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide