Originally Posted by: suicidalmoose was listening to some tool songs my friend told me to download, no catchy riffs there either. It's just powerchords, or really fast solo's (even solo's are out!).

Are hard rock songs becoming way to simple and too unoriginal ? I hate to be stuck in the past but a catchy riff makes a classic in my mind and if hard rock songs are getting simpler will they end up as just one chord played over and over again whilst an emo singer passed off as a metal god scream about how crap his life is?

I don't believe that Tool has ever attempted to fit into any specific category... whether it be metal, hard rock, prog, or pop... They've never really sank into one genre. The closest you can come to generally describe them is hard rock... but I garauntee that 70% of people that like modern "hard rock" won't like them........ Some genres embrace the riff... but some genres there just isn't a place for them. I love Tool... if you want a lot of riffing check out Chevelle... every single one of there songs is riffed out. It's amazing to see Pete play live too because some of the riffs are pretty crazy to play while singing... But the point to my post is that Tool... along with RHC aren't bands known to chug out riffs like Metallica... or Megadeth would... they're a lot more free form rock... more prog than anything else.