Justin Gunnar Walter Chancellor (born November 19, 1971) is a British-American musician, best known as his position as the bass player for Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool, and formerly of the band Peach. Chancellor is of Norwegian and English descent. Since settling in the US, along with his engagement in his musical projects, he and his wife Shelee run a store called Lobal Orning in Topanga, California, dedicated to music, literature and film "that shaped and changed" both of them. Some of Justin's favorite musicians include Jimi Hendrix, Fugazi, The God Machine, and Swervedriver. Chancellor is the youngest member of Tool being aged at 37 years old.

Justin first met Tool in New York, and kept in touch with band members for a couple of years until Justin's band in England "Peach", did a tour with Tool in Europe in 1994.

When original bassist Paul D'Amour left, Tool gave Justin a call. At first Justin turned them down. Peach had broken up about six months before, and he was forming a new band with the guitarist. Justin felt very loyal to his friend who he'd played with since he was 14. But then decided he couldn't deny himself the opportunity. Justin flew to the US, auditioned, and got the job. He beat out some stiff competition, which included Filter's Frank Cavanagh, KYUSS's Scott Reeder, Zaum's Marko Fox (who did the voice on Die Eier von Satan), and Pigmy Love Circus's E. Shepherd Stevenson. After settling in the US, Justin married Ariadne Chancellor, on top of Mingus Mountain in Arizona on January 12, 1997. They later separated.

Playing Style
Justin uses many guitar techniques which include using a pick, chords, harmonics, effects, and hammer ons and pull offs. He uses his many effects to create guitar like textures. For example, in the song "The Pot", he uses a delay, wah, whammy, and fuzz to create a guitar-like solo in the breakdown. The intro to the track "Schism" off of Lateralus demonstrates his use of hammer ons and pull offs. He often plays harmonies with Adam Jones; the intro to "Vicarious" is a good example of his harmony work. Also, in the track "Rosetta Stoned", he often plays completely different riffs than Adam Jones, giving the song a "push and pull" feel. He also often plays odd and complex rhythms, working with Danny Carey to create an interesting rhythm section.

Appearances


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