Prepare for the invasion of the Tool T-shirts.

Look around at any hard rock show, music shop, or even out in the street. Chances are good that you will see at least one black shirt, poster or bumper sticker with that familiar one-word moniker in all-white block letters.

And now, as the innovative alterna-rockers prepare to take the stage at Hilton Coliseum on Friday, the invasion of the T-shirts will be as heavy and surrounding as the band’s music itself.

Bringing with them a rabid following and the experience of three full-length album releases, the Los Angeles foursome is expected to draw devotees from far and wide.

“The Tool fan base will find Tool,” says Wes Burns, junior in history and international studies. “A significant portion of the crowd will be from Ames, but I think you’ll see fans from all over.”

Burns says Tool maintains such a loyal following by not underestimating the intelligence of its fans. He says unique sounds and lyrics have prevented the band from being pigeonholed into one particular sound.

“This is mind-blowing, intelligent heavy rock, which is a rare commodity in popular music today,” Burns says.

“The music is heavy, but they are definitely not hard like Pantera. Then again, they are way too multifaceted to confine into any one style of music.”

While the music may be an enigma, Burns is quick to point out that Tool’s live shows are a different story.

“I saw them twice last fall; once in Madison, Wis., and once at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids,” Burns says. “I ended up in the emergency room both times because of the pit – once for a bruised rib, and once for what they thought was a bruised lung.”

The veterans may have their battle scars, but the newcomers are just as ready for the invasion.

“I had to work when they came to Cedar Rapids last year,” says Katie Alpers, senior in writing at Wartburg College, who is traveling two hours for the show. “My friends all said they were awesome, but it’s just one of those things I have to experience for myself.”

Alpers says Tool’s lyrics are what originally made her a fan of the band.

“On [their second album] `Aenima,’ you could listen to mellow and hard shit, all on one CD,” Alpers says. “There are a variety of sounds on all of their albums, which is great because they don’t just stick with one tune and go with it.”

Tool’s musical explorations seem to find a voice with many fans. Bret Tucknott, senior in aerospace engineering, says the musical elements that Tool combines are what keep him interested in this 11-year-old band.

“I am just amazed at how rhythmic these guys are,” Tucknott says. “It’s amazing how four people can switch time signatures three or four times in one song and still keep things together perfectly.”

Tucknott says that the band’s independence as musicians has also kept their music fresh and intriguing.

“Tool never sold out, not at all,” Tucknott says. “They got pretty big after `Aenima.’ Nowadays, rock music isn’t that big at all: It’s all pop, but they stuck to their roots.”

Burns agrees, noting that Tool isn’t “out to help themselves.”

“They never slipped into that commercial pop world,” he says. “They just stuck to the sound that they created.”