Does Tool Write Their Own Music? Songwriting Credits & Scores

By the Numbers

5

Studio Albums

56

Tracks Credited

100%

Self-Written

over 13 million in the US

Records Sold

36

Years Active

4

Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 56 / 56 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 56 tracks: how many Tool wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Tool has a writing credit100%

98%

2%

Sole author55tracks98%

Co-written1tracks2%

Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Tool's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 56 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)89%

Composer (music)100%

Producer98%

Performer89%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 56 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

Member	Period	Lyrics	Music	Production	Performance
Maynard James Keenan	1990-present	89%	100%	0%	89%
Adam Jones	1990-present	0%	100%	0%	0%
Danny Carey	1990-present	0%	100%	0%	0%
Paul D'Amour	1990-1995	0%	25%	0%	0%
Justin Chancellor	1995-present	0%	75%	0%	0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Tool's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%

100%

1993Undertow

1996Ænima

2001Lateralus

200610,000 Days

2019Fear Inoculum

Early · 100% written

Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%

1990s

Undertow, Ænima

100%

2000s

Lateralus, 10,000 Days

100%

2010s

Fear Inoculum

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Tool sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Tool

Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%

Backstreet Boys25%

NSYNC41%

Boyz II Men51%

TLC59%

Usher74%

David Bowie88%

100%Tool

Pure Performer0%

Songwriter~50%

Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Fear Inoculum

Written by Maynard James Keenan, Adam Jones, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor

Wrote it

Discography 5 albums

1993100%

Undertow

Zoo Entertainment

10 tracks

1996100%

Ænima

Zoo Entertainment

15 tracks

2001100%

Lateralus

Volcano Entertainment / RCA Records

13 tracks

2006100%

10,000 Days

RCA Records

11 tracks

2019100%

Fear Inoculum

Tool Dissectional

7 tracks

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Tool56 tracks

DB28 SM10 HR1 HL1

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DB David Bottrill · SM Sylvia Massy · HR Henry Rollins · HL Henry Lawrence Garfield

The Writers & Producers Behind Tool 4 key collaborators

DB

David Bottrill

Producer

Ænima / Lateralus28 tracks

Henry Lawrence Garfield

Songwriter

Undertow1 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Tool's songwriting credits are entirely collective across all five albums, every song is formally credited to all four active members (or all five for early works with Paul D'Amour). Maynard James Keenan handles all lyrics and vocals while Jones, Carey, and Chancellor develop the musical architecture through extensive group improvisation. Keenan's lyrical themes, Jungian psychology, spiritual awakening, personal transformation, are consistent across the catalog, but the underlying music is always a product of band collaboration.

Quick Facts

SalesSold over 13 million albums in the US across just five studio records
GrammysWon four Grammy Awards, including Best Metal Performance three times
Fear InoculumTheir 2019 album debuted at number one after a 13-year gap between releases
Collective creditEvery song is credited to the whole band rather than individuals
Long songsKnown for sprawling, complex tracks and rare, carefully spaced releases

Creative Fingerprint

A band that credits everything to everyone: Tool are credited on 100% of their catalogue, with every song formally shared among all members, Maynard James Keenan writing lyrics while the band builds the music together.

The Story

Tool are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990. The quartet, vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey, and bassist Justin Chancellor, built a reputation for lengthy, complex compositions that blend metal intensity with progressive art rock structure. Their five studio albums span three decades, each released years apart, and they were notably absent from streaming services until 2019.

Awards & Recognition

Won four Grammy Awards, including Best Metal Performance for 'Ænema' (1998), 'Schism' (2002), and '7empest' (2020)

Won Best Recording Package for 10,000 Days (2007)

Fear Inoculum (2019) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200

Sold over 13 million albums in the US across only five studio releases

Frequently Asked Questions Tool

Does Tool write their own songs?

Yes, entirely and together. Tool are credited on 100% of their catalogue, with every song formally credited to the whole band. Maynard James Keenan writes the lyrics while Adam Jones, Danny Carey, and Justin Chancellor build the music collectively. Songs like 'Schism,' 'Sober,' and '7empest' are group compositions with no outside writers.

Who writes Tool's songs?

The whole band writes together, and the credits reflect that: every song is attributed to all members equally. Maynard James Keenan handles the lyrics and vocals, while the instrumentalists develop the intricate music through long jam sessions.

Who wrote 'Schism'?

'Schism,' from Lateralus (2001), was written by the whole band and credited to all four members. Known for its shifting time signatures, it won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2002.

How many Grammys has Tool won?

Tool have won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance for 'Ænema' (1998), 'Schism' (2002), and '7empest' (2020), plus Best Recording Package for 10,000 Days (2007).

How many albums has Tool released?

This catalogue covers five studio albums across nearly three decades: Undertow (1993), Ænima (1996), Lateralus (2001), 10,000 Days (2006), and Fear Inoculum (2019).

Why did Fear Inoculum take so long?

Fear Inoculum (2019) arrived 13 years after 10,000 Days, one of the longest gaps between major rock albums. The band is known for slow, meticulous writing, and the album still debuted at number one, their third US chart-topper.

Why are Tool songs so long?

Tool build complex, multi-part songs that often run well past normal single length, favoring progressive structures and shifting rhythms. Because the band writes collectively and slowly, each track is heavily arranged, which is reflected in the shared credits.

What genre is Tool?

Tool play alternative metal, progressive metal, and art rock, combining heavy riffs with odd time signatures and conceptual lyrics on songs like 'Lateralus' and 'Ænema.'

Sources

Wikipedia: Tool