When I saw Tool play live at Rock im Park this year and took photos of the show, I was reminded why I fell in love with the unique style of the band in the first place. From that day on I kept tiding myself over by listening to their former records and revisited all those moments that were connected to the songs of complex records like "Lateralus". When Tool released the title track of their new record, I was hooked after a few times of listening. I especially love the build-up and the end of the song. So of course I was excited to listen to the whole thing. And what a triumphant return it is.
The album starts with "Fear Inoculum", the song we already know. But it is fantastic to listen to it on a big stereo and not on your laptop. That is, if you are one of the people who invested in the pricey limited edition package that includes a small screen and a speaker inside the CD package. It's unclear if there will be a regular-priced CD without specials out, however a vinyl has been announced. But let's leave that discussion to the comment sections and instead focus on the music.
"A tempest must be true to its nature, a tempest must be just that": Maynard James Keenan repeats that line over and over in "7empest", the epic conclusion of their fifth studio album and their first after 13 years. The lyrics may be a hint to the way Tool think about themselves. They are true to their nature, they don't care about expectations or haters and their sound is just as unique as you can expect. "7empest" is a glaring gem of prog music, intertwining the utterly complex drumming of Danny Carrey, the sometimes soaring, sometimes beating guitar of Adam Jones, the pulsating bass of Justin Chancellor and the distinctive vocals by MJK. The 15 minutes are filled with everything you love about this band, and I don't see why you wouldn't dig it if you're into Tool. From the clean intro to the harsh interludes and the peaceful ending, this song itself would have been worth the wait. Just like it was the case with "Eat The Elephant", the 2018 return of A Perfect Circle.
But there's more: "Descending" lures you in with wailing twin guitars (reminding me of Iron Maiden somehow) and synth sound like straight from "Stranger Things". Just wow. If you're of the opinion that Tool sound boring and have not evolved, maybe you should think about this: What should they do differently? They found their trademark sound a long time ago, and for my part, I would not want them to experiment with sounds totally different from their characteristic oeuvre. Tool have been so great in the past that they just don't need any changes or experiments, they were ahead of their time back then and now they just do what they do best: write ominous prog epics like only they can. Very song is longer than ten minutes, from the bewildering "Pneuma" to the ethereal "Invincible". Three intrumentals can be heard on the digital version of the album, some people don't care about them, but that has been the case on former Tool albums.
So for now, excuse me. I have to listen to this piece of mindblowing music once more.
"Fear Inoculum" by Tool was released on Friday, August 30th via Sony Music. Here you can listen to "7empest".
"A tempest must be true to its nature, a tempest must be just that": Maynard James Keenan repeats that line over and over in "7empest", the epic conclusion of their fifth studio album and their first after 13 years. The lyrics may be a hint to the way Tool think about themselves. They are true to their nature, they don't care about expectations or haters and their sound is just as unique as you can expect. "7empest" is a glaring gem of prog music, intertwining the utterly complex drumming of Danny Carrey, the sometimes soaring, sometimes beating guitar of Adam Jones, the pulsating bass of Justin Chancellor and the distinctive vocals by MJK. The 15 minutes are filled with everything you love about this band, and I don't see why you wouldn't dig it if you're into Tool. From the clean intro to the harsh interludes and the peaceful ending, this song itself would have been worth the wait. Just like it was the case with "Eat The Elephant", the 2018 return of A Perfect Circle.
But there's more: "Descending" lures you in with wailing twin guitars (reminding me of Iron Maiden somehow) and synth sound like straight from "Stranger Things". Just wow. If you're of the opinion that Tool sound boring and have not evolved, maybe you should think about this: What should they do differently? They found their trademark sound a long time ago, and for my part, I would not want them to experiment with sounds totally different from their characteristic oeuvre. Tool have been so great in the past that they just don't need any changes or experiments, they were ahead of their time back then and now they just do what they do best: write ominous prog epics like only they can. Very song is longer than ten minutes, from the bewildering "Pneuma" to the ethereal "Invincible". Three intrumentals can be heard on the digital version of the album, some people don't care about them, but that has been the case on former Tool albums.
So for now, excuse me. I have to listen to this piece of mindblowing music once more.
"Fear Inoculum" by Tool was released on Friday, August 30th via Sony Music. Here you can listen to "7empest".