Lateralus | ||||
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Released | May 15, 2001 | |||
Recorded | October 2000 – January 2001 | |||
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Length | 78:51 | |||
Label | Volcano | |||
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Tool chronology | ||||
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Singles from Lateralus | ||||
Lateralus (/ˌlætəˈræləs/)[2] is the third studio album by the American rock band Tool. It was released on May 15, 2001, through Volcano Entertainment. The album was recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood and The Hook, Big Empty Space, and The Lodge, in North Hollywood, between October 2000 and January 2001. David Bottrill, who had produced the band's two previous releases Ænima and Salival, produced the album along with the band, and became the last Tool album produced by Bottrill to date. On August 23, 2005, Lateralus was released as a limited edition two-picture-disc vinyl LP in a holographic gatefold package.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 555,200 copies in its first week of release.[3] It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on April 15, 2021.[4] On February 13, 2015, the album was certified Gold by the BPI.[5] It was also certified double platinum in both Australia and Canada.[6][7] The band won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Schism" in 2002.[8] Lateralus was ranked No. 123 on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200" list.[9]
Background
Lateralus emerged after a four-year legal dispute with Tool's label, Volcano Entertainment.[10] In January 2001, the band announced that their new album's title would be Systema Encéphale and provided a 12-song track list with titles such as "Riverchrist", "Numbereft", "Encephatalis", "Musick", and "Coeliacus". File sharing networks such as Napster were flooded with bogus files bearing the titles' names.[11] At the time, Tool members were outspokenly critical of file-sharing networks in general due to the negative impact on artists that are dependent on success in record sales to continue their career. During an interview with NY Rock in 2000, Keenan stated:
I think there are a lot of other industries out there that might deserve being destroyed. The ones who get hurt by MP3s are not so much companies or the business, but the artists, people who are trying to write songs.[12]
A month later, the band revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus (supposedly a portmanteau of the leg muscle Vastus lateralis and the term lateral thinking)[13] and that the name Systema Encéphale and the track list had been a ruse.[14]
Lateralus and the corresponding tours would take Tool a step further toward art rock,[15][16][17] and progressive rock[1][18][19][20] territory, in contrast to the band's earlier material, which has often been labeled as alternative metal.[21] The album has also been described as progressive metal.[22] Rolling Stone wrote in an attempt to summarize the album that "Drums, bass and guitars move in jarring cycles of hyperhowl and near-silent death march ... The prolonged running times of most of Lateralus thirteen tracks are misleading; the entire album rolls and stomps with suitelike purpose."[1] Joshua Klein of The A.V. Club in turn expressed his opinion that Lateralus, with its 79-minute running time and relatively complex and long songs—topped by the ten-and-a-half minute music video for "Parabola"—posed a challenge to fans and music programming alike.[23] Drummer Danny Carey said, "The manufacturer would only guarantee us up to 79 minutes ... We thought we'd give them two seconds of breathing room."[24] Carey aspired to create longer songs like those by artists he grew up listening to. The band had segues to place between songs, but had to cut out a lot during the mastering phase.[24] The CD itself was mastered using HDCD technology.
Just as Salival was initially released with several errors on the track listing, early pressings of Lateralus had the ninth track incorrectly spelled as "Lateralis".[10] The original title of "Reflection" was "Resolution" before being changed three months prior to the album's release.[11]
The track listing is altered on the vinyl edition, with "Disposition" appearing at track 8. Because of the long running time, the double vinyl edition could not be released like the disc since the songs would not fit on each disc side in that order. By moving "Disposition" to an earlier point, the sides were balanced and could fit the material. This edit breaks the segue that occurs between "Disposition" and "Reflection", however, which, along with "Triad", are linked together on the tracklist.[25]
Two of the singles from the album, "Parabola" and "Schism", are featured in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
The insert is translucent and flips open to reveal the different layers of the human body. Disguised in the brain matter on the final layer is the word "God". The artwork was done by artist Alex Grey, who would later design the 3D edition cover for the followup to Lateralus, 10,000 Days.
Composition and content
Drummer Danny Carey sampled himself breathing through a tube to simulate the chanting of Buddhist monks for "Parabol", and banged piano strings for samples on "Reflection".[26] "Faaip de Oiad" samples a recording of a 1997 call on Art Bell's radio program Coast to Coast AM.[27] "Faaip de Oiad" is Enochian for The Voice of God.
"Disposition", "Reflection", and "Triad" form a sequence[1] that has been performed in succession live with occasional help from various tourmates such as Mike Patton, Dave Lombardo, Buzz Osborne, Tricky, and members of Isis, Meshuggah, and King Crimson.[28]
The title track, "Lateralus", incorporates the Fibonacci sequence.[29] The theme of the song describes the desire of humans to explore and to expand for more knowledge and a deeper understanding of everything. The lyrics "spiral out" refer to this desire and also to the Fibonacci spiral, which is formed by creating and arranging squares for each number in the sequence's 1,1,2,3,5,8,... pattern, and drawing a curve that connects to two corners of each square. This would, allowed to continue onwards, theoretically create a never-ending and infinitely expanding spiral. Related to this, the song's main theme features successive time signatures 9/8, 8/8, and 7/8.[30] The number 987 is the sixteenth integer of the Fibonacci sequence.[31]
"Eon Blue Apocalypse" is an instrumental piece in-between "The Grudge" and "The Patient" [32] The track "Mantra" is the slowed-down sound of Maynard James Keenan gently squeezing one of his cats.[10]
Release and reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 75/100[33] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[34] |
Kerrang! | [35] |
Los Angeles Times | [36] |
NME | 7/10[37] |
Pitchfork | 1.9/10[38] |
Q | [39] |
Rolling Stone | [1] |
USA Today | [40] |
The Village Voice | C[41] |
Overall, Lateralus was met with generally favorable reviews by mainstream music critics upon its initial release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 75, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 15 reviews.[33] Many of their responses mentioned the album's ambition and ability to confound listeners, such as Spin's Ryan Rayhil's summarization of it as a "monolithic puzzlebox".[42] Rob Theakston reviewed the record for AllMusic, where he claimed that "Lateralus demands close listening from the first piece onward, as it becomes quickly apparent that this is not going to be an album one can listen to and accept at face value. Complex rhythm changes, haunting vocals, and an onslaught of changes in dynamics make this an album other so-called metal groups could learn from."[18]
Terry Bezer praised Lateralus in a review for Drowned in Sound by comparing it to the band's previous album, Ænima, calling it "more focused and cunning record than its predecessors that in many ways puts everything the band have formerly produced into perspective."[43] David Fricke of Rolling Stone also measured the album up to earlier works from the band's oeuvre; "Tool have everything it takes to beat you senseless; they proved it on 1993's Undertow and their 1996 Grammy-winning beast, Ænima. Here, Tool go to extravagant lengths to drown you in sensation."[1] In a review for Kerrang!, Dave Everly claimed "It's the most perfectly played, perfectly produced record you're likely to hear this or any other year" and that it was "one of the greatest albums you'll hear in your lifetime."[35][44] Writing for NME, Andy Capper also approved of it; "Lateralus has added a little more colour to their palette of chanting, drumming and high drama. Singer Maynard James Keenan has been unaffected by the comparative tunefulness of his side project A Perfect Circle, while the stripped-down nature of the instrumentation means that Tool's innate heaviness shines out in a world of production tricks and dodges. There's no trickery—Tool's progressiveness is all their own work."[37]
By contrast, in a review for Pitchfork, Brent DiCrescenzo claimed that, "With the early new century demanding 'opuses', Tool follows suit. The problem is, Tool defines 'opus' as taking their 'defining element' (wanking sludge) and stretching it out to the maximum digital capacity of a compact disc."[38] In the Village Voice, Robert Christgau lambasted the album, calling it "meaning-mongering for the fantasy fiction set."[41] The review published in Blender described the album as sounding like "Black Sabbath jamming with Genesis at the bottom of a coal shaft."[45][46]
Commercial performance
The album was a commercial success in the United States, debuting at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart with over 555,200 copies sold in its first week of release.[3] On August 5, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On April 30, 2010, the album was certified gold by the BPI for sales of 100,000 in the U.K.[5] In addition, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the ARIA and MC.[6][7]
Accolades
Tool received the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Schism".[8] During the band's acceptance speech, drummer Danny Carey stated that he would like to thank his parents "for putting up with [him]", and bassist Justin Chancellor concluded, "I want to thank my dad for doing my mom."[47]
Kludge ranked Lateralus at No. 2 on their list of top 10 albums of 2001.[48] Kerrang! placed the album at No. 1 on their 2001 "Albums Of The Year" list.[49] Q listed Lateralus as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[50]
The album continued to gain accolades in the years following its release. In 2016, Loudwire named Lateralus the No. 1 hard rock/metal album of the 21st century.[51] The magazine also ranked it No. 6 on their "Top 25 Progressive Metal Albums of All Time."[52] The album was ranked at No. 32 on Rolling Stone's 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time list.[53] Louder Sound placed the album at No. 33 on their Top 100 Prog Albums of All Time list.[54]
Publications have also continued to praise the performances by the band members on the album. NutSie.com ranked the drumming performance by Danny Carey on the song "Ticks & Leeches" at No. 3 on their list of Top 100 Rock Drum Performances.[55]
Special editions
A vinyl edition and two DVD singles from the album were released later. The "double vinyl four-picture disc" edition of Lateralus was first released as a limited autographed edition exclusively available to fan club members and publicly released on August 23, 2005. Two music videos were produced; one for "Schism" (with the short ambient segue "Mantra" at the beginning) and one for "Parabol/Parabola". These were subsequently released as two separate DVD singles on December 20, 2005, featuring remixes of the tracks by Lustmord.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Maynard James Keenan; all music is composed by Adam Jones, Danny Carey, Maynard James Keenan, and Justin Chancellor.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Grudge" | 8:36 |
2. | "Eon Blue Apocalypse" (instrumental) | 1:04 |
3. | "The Patient" | 7:13 |
4. | "Mantra" (instrumental) | 1:12 |
5. | "Schism" | 6:47 |
6. | "Parabol" | 3:04 |
7. | "Parabola" | 6:03 |
8. | "Ticks & Leeches" | 8:10 |
9. | "Lateralus" | 9:24 |
10. | "Disposition" | 4:46 |
11. | "Reflection" | 11:07 |
12. | "Triad" (instrumental – song ends at 6:32, followed by silence) | 8:46 |
13. | "Faaip de Oiad" | 2:39 |
Total length: | 78:51 |
Personnel
- Maynard James Keenan – vocals
- Adam Jones – guitars, art director
- Justin Chancellor – bass
- Danny Carey – drums, percussion, samples
Additional personnel
- Statik (Collide) – machines on "Triad"
Production
- David Bottrill – production, engineering, mixing
- Vince DeFranco – neurocistance, engineering
- Alex Grey – illustrations
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
Charts
Lateralus sold 555,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200.[56] As of July 7, 2010, Lateralus has sold 2,609,000 copies in the US. It is ranked number 123 on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200" list.[57]
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Singles
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[6] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[7] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[5] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA)[4] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fricke, David (May 14, 2001). "Lateralus". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
- ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Section of MTV Riot Interview with Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor". YouTube. n.d. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- 1 2 "Tool's 'Lateralus' Leads Five Top-10 Debuts". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- 1 2 "American album certifications – Tool – Lateralus". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "British album certifications – Tool – Lateralus". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- 1 2 3 "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Canadian album certifications – Tool – Lateralus". Music Canada. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- 1 2 "Grammy Award Winners". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on April 13, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
- ↑ "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200."". c. 2007. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- 1 2 3 Akhtar, Kabir (July 16, 2001). "The Tool FAQ". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- 1 2 Akhtar, Kabir. "Old News. January — March 2001". toolshed.down.net. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2006.
- ↑ Gabriella (September 2000). "Interview with Maynard James Keenan of A Perfect Circle". NY Rock. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
- ↑ McIver, Joel (2002). Nu-Metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk. Omnibus. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-7119-9209-2. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- ↑ D'Angelo, Joe. "Tool Tinker With Album Title, Set Track List". MTV News. MTV.com. Retrieved March 6, 2006.
- ↑ "Lateralus review". E! Online. 2001. Archived from the original on December 18, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ↑ Bond, Laura (2001). "Tool Stretch Out And Slow Down In Show With King Crimson". VH1.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.
- ↑ Brett, Milano (2006). "Power Tool: Maynard James Keenan and band craft epic art-metal". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on June 29, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2006.
- 1 2 3 Theakston, Rob. "Lateralus – Tool". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
- ↑ DeRogatis, p. 562.
- ↑ "Tool : Lateralus". NME. September 12, 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ↑ NOISE – Las Vegas Weekly Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Reed, Ryan (May 15, 2018). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Tool's 'Lateralus'". Revolver. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ↑ Klein, Joshua (May 15, 2001). "Tool: Lateralus". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- 1 2 J. R. Griffin (May 2001). "Interview with Danny Carey". Mean Street. p. 26.
- ↑ "Tool - Lateralus (2001, CD) | Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved June 5, 2020. (See artwork scans.)
- ↑ Micallef, Ken (June 2001). "Danny Carey: Demon On Drums". Modern Drummer, transcribed by Ruskin F. for The Tool Page. Retrieved April 17, 2007.
I also had a piano that was destroyed. I got some good samples from that, banging on the strings for 'Resolution.'
- ↑ Abbott, Jim (May 24, 2001). "Tool's latest a step ahead of the 'metal' mouths". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
- ↑ Kava, Brad (August 13, 2001). "Tool, King Crimson remind audiences how rock should be". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
"Tool shakes the walls". The Roanoke Times. November 5, 2002. Retrieved February 19, 2008. - ↑ "Fibonacci in Tool's Lateralus". UpVenue. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ↑ "Tool – Lateralus tab". GuitareTab!. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ↑ "Fibonacci and extensions". indigo.ie. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ↑ "The Tool Page: Articles". toolshed.down.net. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- 1 2 "Reviews for Lateralus by Tool". Metacritic. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ↑ Browne, David (May 25, 2001). "Lateralus". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- 1 2 Everley, Dave (May 9, 2001). "The Future Starts Here". Kerrang!: 44.
- ↑ Appleford, Steve (May 14, 2001). "With 'Lateralus,' Tool Reclaims the Good Old Excessive Sound". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- 1 2 Capper, Andy (May 31, 2001). "Tool: Lateralus". NME. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- 1 2 DiCrescenzo, Brent (May 15, 2001). "Tool: Lateralus". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Tool: Lateralus". Q (179): 141. August 2001.
- ↑ Gundersen, Edna (May 15, 2001). "They're just the right Tool for the thinking headbangers". USA Today.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert (November 27, 2001). "Turkey Shoot 2001". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ↑ Rayhil, Ryan (April 2002). "The Spin Top 40 (Only Bands that Matter)". Spin. p. 77.
- ↑ Bezer, Terry (May 14, 2001). "Album Review: Tool - Lateralus". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ↑ "Then And Now: Does Tool's Back Catalogue Hold Up?". Kerrang!. August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ↑ "Tool: Lateralus". Blender: 115. July 2001.
- ↑ "Mixed Critic Reviews for Lateralus by Tool". Metacritic. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ↑ D'Angelo, Joe (2002). "Alicia Keys Takes Five, 'O Brother' Gets Most At 44th Grammy Awards". MTV News. MTV.com. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
- ↑ Perez, Arturo. "Top 10 Albums of 2001". Kludge. Archived from the original on July 22, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Kerrang! End Of Year Lists". Rocklist.net. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
- ↑ "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.
- ↑ "Top 100 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 21st Century". Loudwire. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ↑ Hill, John (August 2, 2017). "Top 25 Progressive Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ↑ "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 17, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ↑ Henstra, Jeroen (August 6, 2014). "The 100 Greatest Prog Albums Of All Time: 40-21". TeamRock. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 100 Rock Drum Performances". www.nuTsie.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ↑ "Discography Tool Laterlaus". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2006.
- ↑ "The Definitive 200". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2007. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Tool – Lateralus" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tool – Lateralus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tool – Lateralus" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Tool Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tool – Lateralus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Eurochart Top 100 Albums - June 02, 2001" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18, no. 23. June 2, 2001. p. 12. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ↑ "Tool: Lateralus" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tool – Lateralus" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Tool". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Charts.nz – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Tool Polish Charting". olis.onyx.pl. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Tool Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Tool – Lateralus". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Tool Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ↑ "Tool Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2001". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2001". Ultratop. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 12, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2001". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Top 100 Metal Albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ↑ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Tool Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Discografie Tool". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
External links
- Lateralus at Metacritic
- Lateralus at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lateralus at MusicBrainz (list of releases)