This is my first review, so please be nice!
In 1990, there were four guys who moved to Los Angeles and were introduced to each other with the help of Tom Morrello from Rage Against The Machine.
They received immediate recognition of their first E.P, Opiate, which still to this day, one of Tool's heaviest material. From their first single, Hush, they received little airplay due to the high amount of editing that was necessary to meet FCC standards to play the song.
After that, a year later, Tool then released their first full length album, Undertow. At this point, Tool supported bands like the Rollins Band, Fishbone, and Rage Against The Machine until, eventually, they were playing to the main stage which set them for a huge boost in popularity. In September 1995, shortly after recording for their second album began, D'Amour left the band amicably. In November, he was replaced by Justin Chancellor, formerly a member of Peach, an English band with whom Tool had previously toured in Europe.
In 1996, Tool released their second album, Ænima, which was dedicated to late comedian, Bill Hicks, who died two and a half years before the release.
The next year, the members of Tool were faced with a hefty legal battle with Volcano Records for looking for offers from other record labels, which, to Volcano, was not allowed. After Tool filed a counter suit stating Volcano failed to use a renewal option in their contract, the parties settled out of court. The parties later agreed to a new contract, a three-record deal. This legal battle put a great strain on the band and delayed work on their next album. During this time, Keenan founded a new band, A Perfect Circle, with long-time Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel.
News then spread of Tool splitting up, but the rumours were crushed when in 2000, Tool released Salival, a CD/DVD box set with live versions of some of their songs and covers of Led Zeppelin and Justin Chancellor's old band, Peach.
In 2001, the rumour mill surrounding the band gained new life when Tool announced their new album, Systema Encéphale, along with a track list full of esoteric and obscure words such as "Numbereft", "Encephatalis", "Musick", and "Coeliacus". As anticipated, file-sharing engines such as Napster became flooded with bogus files disguised as those songs. During that time, Tool members were outspokenly critical of engines like Napster due to the negative impact on smaller artists that are dependent on success in record sales to continue their career.
Only one month later, they revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus and that the name Systema Encéphale and the track list had been a ruse, much to the dismay of music magazines and commercial websites who had committed headlong to the fake title.
The album was a massive success all over the world, reaching #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts on its debut week.
Now five years have passed since Lateralus, and after Maynard was done touring with A Perfect Circle, Tool have returned to the viewing public with their 4th full length studio album in 16 years, 10,000 Days.
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Well, I got the chance to listen to this album and I will now give you the track listing:
1 - Vicarious (7:06)
The first song on the album and the first single is all about how we all sit in front of our TV’s 24 hours a day gathering useless information instead of getting up and actually doing something meaningful. The song starts with a nice intro from Adam, which has a bit of a ring from Lateralus' Schism, then at 0:45, the main riff thrashes in with a force. The song has some deep, creepy lyrics as Maynard growls:
Quote:
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I need to watch things die.. from a distance. Vicariously I live while the whole world dies. You all feel the same so.. Why can't we just admit it?
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Justin's bass work is quite noticeable throughout the song, Danny's drumming is great, Adam shows his guitar skills really well. The song is an amazing starter to a superb album.
9/10
2 - Jambi (7:28)
The second track is just as brilliant. Jambi, which is also a province in Indonesia, has a deep riff from Adam and also shows Justin's bass skills at his best. Maynard's lyrics in it is about "wishing it all away", which is a funny coincidence, because Jambi is also the name of a genie character in Pee Wee's Playhouse. The song has a good set of lyrics as well:
Quote:
Here from the king's mountain view
Here from the wild dream come true
Feast like a sultan I do
On treasures and flesh, never few.
But I, I would wish it all away
If I thought I'd Lose you just one day
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The last minute has a great build up to the end and doesn't disappoint.
10/10
3 - Wings For Marie Pt 1 (6:11)
The first of two parts, in my opinion, are big highlights on the album. Wings For Marie and 10,000 Days are about Maynard's deceased mother, Judith Marie Keenan, and quite possibly, the most deep and meaningful song that Tool have made. Maynard shows in both parts that he is quite possibly the best song writer today, with deep lyrics such as:
Quote:
Vacant, broken
Fell at the hands of
Those moments that I wouldn't see
'Cause you, you pray for me too
What have I done to be a son to an angel
What have I done to be worthy?
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Also, at 4:13, after the song goes very quiet, Adam comes in with a riff that is similar to Reflection on Lateralus, but only for a few seconds.
As the outro finishes up, the song then blends into the next song...
10/10
4 - 10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2) (11:14)
The song starts with a mesmerizing bass riff from Justin, with a thunderstorm going on in the background, this was done by Brian "Lustmord" Williams. As the song goes on and the guitar kicks in similar to the previous track, the music gets gradually louder, as does the storm in the background. Maynard again shows his brilliance to his lyrics:
Quote:
Shake your fist at the gates saying:
I have come home now.
Fetch me the spirit.
The son, and the father.
Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended.
It's time now, my time now.
Give me my, give me my, wings.
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At this point, at 6:26, Adam comes in with a great solo, while Justin plays his bass at a nice setting. At 9:25, the songs quietens down as Maynard finishes the song in an emotional way.
Quote:
Daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence.
Difficult to see you in this light.
Please forgive this bold suggestion...
Should you see your maker's face tonight.
Look him in the eye
Look him in the eye, and tell him.
I never lived a lie, never took a life.
But surely saved one, hallelujah.
It's time for you to bring me home.
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One of the best songs on the album.
10/10
5 - The Pot (6:22)
This song is about Maynard calling out all the hypocrites that criticize stoners, but are just as lazy and worthless. As the song starts, Maynard starts singing at an unusually high pitch than usual, but that‘s a good thing! Anyway, as Maynard sings the next line, a sweet funky bass riff from Justin comes in as Maynard swipes in towards the general policies governing pot:
Quote:
Who are you to wave your finger?
So full of it.
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters
F***in’ hypocrite.
You’re a liar, lawyer, mirror show me what’s the difference.
Changed the rules and hung the guilty with the innocent.
Now, you weep all shades of crimson and a fool.
gotta lemon juice up in your … high, eye
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The track has a great bridge at about 3:40, followed back on track at about 5:00 mark. The outro kicks in as Maynard screams:
Quote:
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters.
Ganja please!!!
You must have been out your mind
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At first, I didn’t like this song as it seem repetitive at the time, but after a few listen, it really is a kick-ass track.
10/10
6 - Lipan Conjuring (1:11)
The first of two filler tracks on the whole album. It’s basically an Indian chant throughout, apparently from Danny, it is actually an Apache exorcism.
N/A
7 - Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann) (3:44)
The second of three double tracks. For 31 seconds, a long siren like sound comes in, then the riff comes in. There isn’t any singing in it and the riff is pretty much the same throughout the whole song, but there is something about that is so relaxing. At about 2:37, we hear a conversation between a nurse and a doctor. They bring in a patient who has a problem, but with no abnormalities. As the song ends with the doctor saying: “What’s happened? Tell me everything.” it blends in with the next track…
8/10
8 - Rosetta Stoned (11:14)
…and starts with a whine from the guitar and the patient speaks his mind. At this moment, the patient is saying he was captured by aliens or a mighty power that told him to tell everyone the world was going to end.
All I can say, is that this track is NUTS!! Maynard speaks in a really deep, raspy voice with riffs that are almost identical to Ænima’s, Third Eye, and what comes out is a track that is absolutely phenomenal. The lyrics are clearly from the eyes of the patient in the lyrics:
Quote:
And after calming me down with some orange slices and some fatal spooning the ET revealed to me his singular purpose he said:
"You are the chosen one. The one who will deliver the message. A message of hope for those who should choose to hear it and a warning for those who do not."
Me, the chosen one.
They chose me, and I didn't even graduate from f**king high school.
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The riffs throughout the song are so deep as Adam shows his skills really well, mainly at the bridge at 8:13. Danny does a great job with his complicated drum timings and Justin still pulls strong on the song as well.
But what will stick out to you is one lyric that will stick to your head:
Quote:
The outro speeds the tempo slightly at 10:28 with a great feel, an exceptional ending to an excellent song.
10/10
9 - Intension (7:21)
The final part of the three double songs. This song is about the progression of mankind. In my opinion, I didn’t get into this song at all. At first, I really thought that this was a worthless song on the whole, but as I listened to it a bit more, it grew on me. The song begins with noise and guitar playing for a minute, then we hear a backward message from Maynard which translates:
Quote:
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Work hard, Stay in school, Listen to your mother, your father is right/rising/right, son... Jesus loves you... Work hard, Stay in school, Listen to your mother, your father is right/rising/right son…
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The lyrics come in with a nice soothing feel with Maynard humming the words:
Quote:
Pure as we begin.
Pure as we come in.
Pure as we begin.
Ruled by will alone.
Pure as we begin.
Here we have a stone.
Gather, place, erase so.
Shelter turns to home.
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At 3:52, a mesmerizing bridge by Adam comes in and is the best part of this song. At 4:22, Justin comes in with an equally captivating riff. The song fades out to the same sounds that came from the start and blends in with the next track. While it is a good song, it didn’t compare to the rest on the songs at that point.
7/10
10 - Right In Two (8:56)
This is a classic right here. The song is about Angels interpreting what they see in humans. They give them all the features that make them "better" than other animals yet the humans still act like animals. They then kill each other when there was no need to, fighting for land.
The track starts with calm guitar playing from Adam with Maynard, once again, shows how great he is as a song writer:
Quote:
Angels on the sideline,
Puzzled and amused.
Why did Father give these humans free will?
Now they’re all confused.
Don’t these talking monkeys know that Eden has enough to go around
Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys
Where there's One you're bound to divide it
Right in Two
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At 4:00, Danny comes in with a nice African-esque drumming that was similarly used in Salival’s version of Pu***. The song then has a big build up that explodes at 5:22 with Danny and Adam trashing their instruments with force. Then at 5:44, another build up at an exhilarating rate sneering in at 6:01 when Adam comes in with distortion that kicks so much ass. At this point, both Adam, Justin and Danny give their all and is such a tremendous experience with powerful riffs with no sign of stopping at that point. Maynard comes in with:
Quote:
Angels on the sideline again
Been too long with patience and reason
Angels on the sideline again
Wondering where this tug of war will end
Cut it all right in two
Cut it all right in two
Cut it all right in two
Right in two
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The outro hits with the same riff from the intro and is a great finish to the track. Phenomenal.
10/10
11 - Virginti Tres (5:01)
The title song, which means 23 in Latin, is the second filler track. The whole song is just nothing but noise, but there are some hidden messages though, e.g. at 3:24, you can briefly hear the words “The system…” but it is slowed down massively.
N/A
Track recommendations:
Jambi
Wings For Marie Pt 1
10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)
The Pot
Rosetta Stoned
Right In Two
Overall:
All I can say, is that this is possibly THE best album of 2006 so far, and I’m not saying that as a charade, I really mean it. The album is so different than anything Tool have ever produced and it shows.
A word of warning though: you will NOT get all of the songs digested in one go. You have to listen to each track one at a time and listen to the whole album a couple of times to sink in because that was the same for me. As soon as I heard this album, it did not sink in on the first go. After you give this album a good few listens, you will realise how utterly brilliant this album is.
Fans of Tool, do NOT hesitate to add this in your collection. For newcomers, if you like this album, check out the previous works from Tool from Opiate up to their previous outing, Lateralus.
Tool are (on this album)
Maynard James Keenan - vocals
Adam Jones - guitar
Justin Chancellor - bass
Danny Carey - percussion.
, gona get the album soon..
