If former Pink Floyd brainchild Roger Waters and Black Sabbath guitarist Tommy Iommi were to contribute to a joint musical project, the result would sound a lot like Tool. Alternatingly heavy and haunting, Tool has mastered the art of being a metal band without falling into the usual traps associated with the genre. While their music chugs along like many of their metal contemporaries, it often bucks convention by employing complex rhythms, odd structures, stark dynamic shifts, and soothing vocal melodies. Moreover, the band has remained mysterious and above the usual musical fray, releasing only five studio albums in 15 years, only rarely granting interviews, and featuring lyrics, artwork, and videos so cyptic that philosophical debates exist as to their meaning and purpose.

Bands like these tend to have small yet loyal followings. Not Tool. Their last two releases, 2006’s 10,000 Days and 2001’s Lateralus, debuted atop the Billboard charts, and their shows are regularly sold out (not to mention victims of notoriously greedy ticket scalpers). For all the times they are called prog- or art-rock, Tool still maintains a certain popular appeal, without ever really becoming “popular.”

Tool’s stop at the Verizon Center Saturday night was long awaited – they haven’t played the Washington area since an August 10, 2002 show in Baltimore – and the audience was well-rewarded. Drawing primarily from their most recent release, the band played 12 songs during a two-hour show that featured dramatic lighting and mesmerizing imagery. Doing what they do best, Tool flawlessly turned out a show that was low on traditional rock cliches (see Stapp, Scott) but high on musical depth.