Tool - Fear Inoculum

[playbyletters]

This is not a drill, new Tool album this month! First material since 2006, they've beat BoC in torturous waiting time.
Every track will be over 10 minutes long, and the CD packaging is their most elaborate yet.
You can preorder on Amoeba here.

Here's an official stream of the title track:

[Echelon]

This is not a drill, new Tool album this month! First material since 2006, they've beat BoC in torturous waiting time.
Every track will be over 10 minutes long, and the CD packaging is their most elaborate yet.
You can preorder on Amoeba here.

Here's an official stream of the title track:

I've never heard Tool before, but hearing that they haven't released something since 2006 makes me actually grateful to our boys for releasing anything past Trans Canada Highway (the remixes and Tomorrow's Harvest.) I shudder to imagine the parallel universe where those never happened and Boards just folded after Highway.

That said, I'm sure Hell has frozen over for Tool fans, and I'm very happy for them because I'm quite empathetic for their situation.

[mechanismj]

The new track is exactly what you would expect from them. Hasn't really grabbed me but it's definitely good. I am pretty excited for the album.

[Mexicola]

It's like nothing has changed since 1996 with them. They're fantastic at what they do, but this left me cold.

[drillkicker]

They still haven't strayed from the formula, I see.

[Josh]

It's like nothing has changed since 1996 with them. They're fantastic at what they do, but this left me cold.

Yeah. I like some of their songs, but starting with Ænima, they gained a great bassist, but started a trend of writing albums that have songs that are longer than necessary with a bunch of filler thrown in. Someone on the internets referred to them as "Rush for juggalos". Pretty harsh, but sort of on point. A hardcore Tool fan can be a real chore to talk to. Although, to their credit, like BoC fans, their loyalty and passion never waivers even when it takes ages for new material to be released. Then again, Tool tours regularly, unlike the bros. That has to make the waiting much easier.

[Mexicola]

Yeah, they attract a certain.....demographic don't they?

Saw them back in 1993 when they were promoting Undertow. They were brutal, much more aggressive and with songs that ripped your face off. These days..... I think the best description I heard was from Andy 'Falco' Falkous of Future of the Left / McClusky. 'At the end of the day, Tool are a bunch of hippies dressed like the cast of The Matrix.' Harsh, but fair.

[mechanismj]

Yeah, they attract a certain.....demographic don't they?

'Round these parts they would tend to be meatheads and jocks. Never could figure that out.

[SamuraiDrifter]

Idk I loved this track. It’s hard to evolve your sound while keeping what everyone loves about it but from the sound of it that’s what they’re doing. We’ll have to see how the rest of the album sounds.

[Mexicola]

Same tour I caught them on, so guessing the same set.
This from The Riverside in my beloved home city early 93.
Before they wrote 11 minute wandering epics and made wine.

[Jonse]

New LP was good.

Listen closely...and pretend you're nearing your 60's, still doing more than the motions.

J's not wrong but they show more than APC they can prove relevant way past due.

Spoiler: show

Better wait than TH.

[Mexicola]

I can't get my head round it. It's got everything a Tool album should, in all the right places. The syncopated rhythms, Maynard's soft, scream, soft vocals, thunderous drums from Danny Carey, huge riffs .... but I just can't warm to it for some reason? Where are the songs?!? The hooks? And the second those fucking tablas start I want to punch things. Seriously, they've been doing tabla since 1996 and it was shite then too.

So have I just moved on and no longer dig them? Nope. I still love their previous albums, despite them being unfashionable as fuck and almost laughably prog.

But for some reason this one isn't hitting home. It's washing over me. It's, dare I say it....a bit dull. I just don't know why? Perhaps it will grown on me. But right now, it's a record where the overall effect seems less than the sum of its parts.

[SamuraiDrifter]

I thought the album was fantastic. This is one of the year’s top releases for me.

Side note, as a drummer I’m in awe of Danny Carey.

[North by North]

I thought the album was fantastic. This is one of the year’s top releases for me.

Side note, as a drummer I’m in awe of Danny Carey.

He's amazing, especially on this album. I'm digging this one very much, like all of them, but this one of course is something a little different, which I like. I have only listened to it a few times, and the 13 year drought may be influencing my ear buds, but I'm not gonna analyze it, it's all thumbs up to me.

[Jonse]

I can't get my head round it. It's got everything a Tool album should, in all the right places. The syncopated rhythms, Maynard's soft, scream, soft vocals, thunderous drums from Danny Carey, huge riffs .... but I just can't warm to it for some reason? Where are the songs?!? The hooks? And the second those fucking tablas start I want to punch things. Seriously, they've been doing tabla since 1996 and it was shite then too.

So have I just moved on and no longer dig them? Nope. I still love their previous albums, despite them being unfashionable as fuck and almost laughably prog.

But for some reason this one isn't hitting home. It's washing over me. It's, dare I say it....a bit dull. I just don't know why? Perhaps it will grown on me. But right now, it's a record where the overall effect seems less than the sum of its parts.

I think exactly 56% of it will grow on you and the rest is apt in every criticism you and others have made.

They could have done more.

[Mexicola]

He's always on the money. Not a single word I disagree with. Sorry, this is identikit Tool. Tool-lite.

[Josh]

Sorry, this is identikit Tool. Tool-lite.

This. I've tried a handful of times to find a way into this album and I simply can't. The only thing that could make this interesting to me was if it turned out that the whole thing was an experiment in AI/machine learning and was created by an algorithm designed to produce Tool music. That would be something! It would also explain why it sounds so lifeless. Unfortunately, I'm sure that's not the case. I think these guys are sick of each other, getting old and are now boring.

The one upside to this for me is that it made me want to create a playlist of songs that sort of capture what I think they were going for, or songs that use elements from different tracks in ways that are actually compelling. Songs from artists ranging from Enslaved to Can to Neu! to Popol Vuh to Sleep to Swans and on and on. I almost want to make an alternate universe Fear Inoculum playlist and put it on Spotify for fans of Tool to check out. I don't use Spotify though.

[Mexicola]

Funnily enough I disappeared down a Swans rabbit hole on Friday. What a band.

[Jonse]

Do I exist anymore?

[mechanismj]

I haven't brought myself to listening to it yet. I actually watched the needle drop review before and it pretty well laid out what I was thinking it would end up being.

Funnily enough I disappeared down a Swans rabbit hole on Friday. What a band.

Not to derail, but I fully agree. They are incredible, and they have a new song out called It's Coming It's Real.