Hi Ellis! Great comment, thanks for sharing! Indeed, I’ve always felt that the album Lateralus is in itself a description of an entire alchemical journey. However, I also believe that the concepts present in Tool’s songs (including Schism) probably extend beyond Hermeticism and other esoteric teachings. I once watched an interview with Maynard in which he explained quite articulately the nuances of – if my memory doesn’t fail me – Saturn’s orbit, and how it related to “The Grudge”. Tool’s exceptional ability to combine these different pieces of knowledge, and create such harmonious music is truly unique in my view. Entire PhDs could be written about this 🙂