OT: Fear Inoculum - New TOOL Album

Submitted by The Fugitive on September 11th, 2019 at 6:32 AM

Clearly labeled OT and it's a bye week, Mods nuke if needed.  This may be relevant to the board as some members have some history in Michigan and weed is now legal.

Anyways, it's been 13 years since TOOL last released an album, Fear Inoculum seems to pick up where 10,000 days left off.  The shortest actual song on the album checks in at 10 minutes, six songs comprise 74 of the album's 85 minute run time, which is hefty.  Also noteworthy is that their entire collection is now available on most streaming platforms.  

Has anyone here given it a listen and if so what are your thoughts?

I really like it, I think Invincible is my favorite so far but there's a lot to unpack.

8/10.

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Larry Appleton

September 11th, 2019 at 7:16 AM ^

It’s good, but it’s so damn long that I have yet to listen to it all straight through.  The songs are all good, and for as long as they are none of them seem like a slog.

Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor do fine work as per usual.  I consider them the John Frusciante and Flea of the metal world with the way they so perfectly play off each other.

Danny Carey is, in fact, an octopus.  He’s also 58!!!

Unfortunately, Maynard barely came to play here.  He’s great on 7empest, but on every other song he does just enough to get by.  There are no “DAMN!” Maynard moments that I’m used to.

Overall, coming in as my least favorite Tool LP, but that’s still pretty good.

7/10

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Other Andrew

September 11th, 2019 at 8:50 AM ^

I was listening to it is I popped over here. I guess I've been listening to it a ton over the last 10 days, so that's natural.

I'm mostly in agreement with Cousin Larry's observations, but rating it a bit higher. Critics are lauding Maynard's voice, but I can't figure out why. I guess because he's 55 which is notable. A lid on his intensity (whether intentional or physical), holds the album back from being all that Tool has been capable of in the past.

But they have taken things forward. Whereas Lateralus and 10,000 Days (to me) felt like epilogues of AEnima, the maturity of composition here offers something new. Perhaps that's also part of the reason Maynard's vocals are scaled back a bit. For an album that most people figured would never happen by a bunch of dudes in their 50s, it's damn impressive.

And yes Danny Carey - holllly shit.

On headphones the album is about 30% better than not. And I've not had much headphone time with it yet.

Favorite tracks at the moment: 1. 7empest 2. Invincible 3. Descending, but there's not a dud here. Chocolate Chip Trip is phenomenal in its own way, especially if you compare to previous "jaunts" like Harry Manback or Faaip de Oaid.

I'd already put it as 2nd best after AEnima, and I imagine it will only age well as nearly all of their previous albums have. 8.5/10

 

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unWavering

September 11th, 2019 at 8:55 AM ^

Maynard can still go hard - I think it was his choice to be more restrained on this album, which fits the mood and lyrical content.  I think his voice sounds great on the album - while he doesn't scream at all, the 'traditional' singing voice he has here is better than on any of his previous work with Tool.

Largely agree with everything else you said.

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Darker Blue

September 11th, 2019 at 6:08 PM ^

Dude 

Everyone you said was spot on. 

The only minor quibble I have is that I think that this is their best album. I love Aenima but the new album has absolutely rocked my socks off in every way imaginable. 

My favorite track is 7empest, which has become my favorite tool song ever replacing Third Eye.  

And yeah Danny Careys drumming is out of this world 

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MattisonBlitz

September 11th, 2019 at 7:34 AM ^

I've listened to the album about 10 times all the way through now. I'm really mixed about how I feel. I like the album but I think it is the worst album they have done. For Tool that still means quality music. There just isn't anything memorable on the album, to me. I'm not sure that I dig the incredibly long songs either. At least not every track. That's a little much. I'd say 6/10 if I'm giving a rating.

Joined: 02/18/2013

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The Dubliner

September 11th, 2019 at 8:06 AM ^

It’s ok, it just sounds like more Tool to me.  Don’t get me wrong, more Tool is a good thing, but it’s not ground-breaking stuff; they’ve done a lot of this before.  Every song has parts that remind me of other songs they’ve done in in the past.  Pnuema is probably my favorite, being that it’s the one that tends to get stuck in my head the most.  I’ll give it 7/10.  Enjoyable, but I’ll be on to the next one as soon as another band I like releases a new one.

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corundum

September 11th, 2019 at 8:11 AM ^

This is the third thread I've seen about the album to date.

Their music isn't deep and the lyrics are pseudo-intellectual bleak bullshit, tailormade for basement dwellers and introverts. The whole nu-rock genre can go away already.

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MGoPoints: 47323

drjaws

September 11th, 2019 at 1:48 PM ^

I was kinda like "F this guy and his take on Tool" mostly because you can dislike a band without shitting on the people who enjoy them ..... but then you posted what you like and now it makes a TON of sense. 

 

I have seen SP at least 3 times live.  The song is Mayonaise (one N not two) and is not even in the top 10 songs written by SP

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echo_7

September 11th, 2019 at 8:41 AM ^

I think it is a very good album and I like it a lot. You can tell that they had 13 years to come up with ideas and polish them.  That being said, It does seem like it is missing something to me. It would have been nice if they got rid of the one of the longer songs and did 2 shorter, really Heavy songs. No intros, no build up, just straight into it. At times this album feels like a Rolls Royce when what you really wanted was a pickup truck.

"Less Artsy; More Fartsy" ~ Homer Simpson

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Don Brown’s Pinky

September 11th, 2019 at 8:43 AM ^

I love this album. I'm okay with Maynard not being as in-your-face as previous albums. I would have liked for Justin Chancellor to be more prevalent like he was in 10,000 Days, but he has his moments. He's too good a bassist to not use heavily for bass solo's. Danny Carey is excellent, don't know how he can still jam like that at 58. Adam Jones stepped it up quite a bit with his riffs. 7empest is a top 5 Tool song of all time in my book.

Hope they make another album, but word is that this will be the last. But who knows with these guys....

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Mjoeblue86

September 11th, 2019 at 9:08 AM ^

No thanks. I prefer my metal vocalists to purify themselves in the blood of the innocent, not weak ass cabernet from the desert. Listen to King Gizzard's new album instead.  

Joined: 11/18/2013

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Don

September 11th, 2019 at 9:10 AM ^

"Has anyone here given it a listen and if so what are your thoughts?"

I listened to the title cut for about a minute, found it boring as hell, and stopped.

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darkstar

September 11th, 2019 at 9:21 AM ^

Love it. Lucky enough to have scored the CD. Took a drive straight north of town with volume turned up really loud and drove until the album ended. Best decision of that weekend. Beautiful and powerful. Being a deadhead too I'm used to longer jammed out songs and this doesn't disappoint. Tight transitions. Intricate and technical instrumentation. But it doesn't feel overproduced - it just flows so well. I told my buddy that 7empest may be their best song ever after the 1st time I heard it which is a bold statement. For the most part I still stand by that.

Bonus is get to see them in concert in Chicago and Detroit and get to introduce my son to their music. Tool is definitely one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

Coincidentally enough, I was supposed to see Tool in Grand Rapids on 9/11/2001 but the show was obviously postponed to that Friday. Quite surreal show.

And I think I'm eskimo brothers with Maynard but that's a story for another time.

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Larry Appleton

September 11th, 2019 at 9:26 AM ^

I would love a physical copy (download quality is meh), but I wasn’t paying $45 for a single CD, packaging notwithstanding.

I’m hoping they come out with a no-frills CD and/or double-LP release, maybe by Christmas.

EDIT: I was also at the postponed GR show.  I shouldn’t have gone. I was NOT in the mood for a show and wound up not enjoying it.

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darkstar

September 11th, 2019 at 9:59 AM ^

I'm old and have a CD player in my car so that's still my go-to if I have the option. I went to local Target and they only had 4 copies so grabbed one for me & the last one for my cousin. Target had actually marked it down to $39.99 because it was a new release which cracked me up. Yeah the added feature of the video display w sound is cool but not really worth the additional cost.

But I'm at the point in life if I feel like saying F it and wasting my $ I'll do it.  $100-125 for concert tickets? F it. I'm still in.

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brose

September 11th, 2019 at 11:37 AM ^

Me and my best buddy will be at Detroit show - Center Center of main floor - its going to be awesome...as for new album - I need many more listens before I can say how I feel - for example when 10,000 days came out, Jambi and The Pot didnt do anything for me and after a few listens, I loved them both - but new tool always beats no new tool.

 

Cheers hombre

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Bodogblog

September 11th, 2019 at 10:12 AM ^

Thanks for the heads up, listening now.  Title track sounds like a Tool album, and by that I mean they've kept their sound, really enjoying it 

EDIT: Have listened more and really like the whole thing 

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drjaws

September 11th, 2019 at 1:39 PM ^

9/10

Tool is my favorite band of all time.  I have seen them  live as recently as this past spring.  This album is very Tool.  I love Tempest, Pneuma, Fear Inoculum and Invincible.  Danny Carey is one of the best drummers of all time.

I feel like 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum were "toned down" as far as Maynard and his screaming goes.  I remember much of the same criticism (Maynard is almost lost in this album etc.) for Fear Inoculum as there was for 10,000 Days.  That being said, he has gone on record stating that "the band is older and they just aren't as angry as they used to be" and because of that, the music has changed a bit, mellowed.  Also why they haven't played many of their older songs live (Prison Sex last played live in 2001 etc.).  Though they have recently been playing Intolerance and Sober which is nice, I hope they play Sober in Detroit, as well as Right in Two.  Maynard always tries to give his best performance and that's why it's hard for him ... when it is an angry song and you're 50+ years old and just not that angry as a person.  He can still do it (see unWavering's video above of Part of Me live).

As for people saying things like corundum ...

Their music isn't deep and the lyrics are pseudo-intellectual bleak bullshit, tailormade for basement dwellers and introverts

Tool (in particular Maynard) hates you.  He hates me.  He pretty much hates all fans and 99.999% of the human population.  He hates "deep, pseudo-intellectual bleak bullshit." When Tool fans delve into how "meaningful and deep" their lyrics are, he laughs.  Then hates them some more.  Anyone looking more into Tool's music besides "this is a group of guys trying to make good music" is ..... well ..... a tool.  The band never tried to be deep, pseudo-intellectual or whatever.  That's stuff their fans put on them.  Listen to Hooker with a Penis and it'll let you know exactly what Tool thinks of their fans and people in general. 

All you know about me is what I've sold you
Dumb fuck
I sold out long before you ever heard my name

I sold my soul to make a record
Dip shit
And you bought one

All you read and
Wear or see and
Hear on tv
Is a product
Begging for your
Fatass dirty
Dollar

So, shut up and

Buy my new record
Send more money
Fuck you, buddy
Fuck you, buddy
Fuck you, buddy
Fuck you, buddy

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Larry Appleton

September 11th, 2019 at 3:12 PM ^

My disappointment in Maynard's vocals on this record stem not from his lack of aggression, but rather from his lack of range.  He doesn't even touch his upper register.  And I also miss him holding a note like he did in Pushit and Parabola.  

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