During an appearance on the YouTube channel Sputnikmusic Reviews, Earshot vocalist Wil Martin addressed how since the release of their debut album in 2002, they have often been compared to Tool.
“Back in the early ‘90s when they came out, when ‘Undertow’ came out, I f*cking loved that record – as did millions of people. It was just such a raw, gritty, dark – but dark in a different way that everything that was happening at that time,” Martin started, expressing his admiration for the Maynard James Keenan fronted band.
“In those days, that record rarely came out of my CD player, along with all the other stuff I was listening to – Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails. That was a time for music, and Tool was one of the bands everyone was listening to.”
“No one else was doing what they were doing, the way they were doing it at the time,” he added.
Despite Martin’s early love of Tool, he became disinterested in them as time went on.
“Cut to moving forward throughout the years – They sort of started to lose me. Not because I didn’t like the band, but because their music became more of a commitment to listen to,” he explained.
“The song lengths, the different parts… I’m more of a song guy. I like things that are a little easier to digest. I don’t want to have to think so much all the time. That said, I still appreciate what they do. A lot of what they do is really artistic.”
In regards to fans and critics drawing comparisons between Earshot and Tool, Martin said:
“So, were they an influence? I’d say their early records probably had just as much influence on me as all the other bands I was listening to back then. I was never offended by the comparisons. In the beginning, I was a little off-put by it, only because as an artist we want to be identified as our own thing.
“It became such a focal point at the time, and I was resistant to it. But I came to understand that most people actually meant it as a compliment. Sure, some people mean it as a dig, but by and large, it was praise.”
