Tool - Fear Inoculum (August 30th, 2019)

Just played 10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2). 

I never gave this album a chance when it came out, same thing with In Rainbows. My frame of mind wasn't really in the right place when they were released. Busy working out other stuff at the time (probably Autechre hahah)

10,000 days is alright couple of their best songs on there (jambi & rosseta stoned) but is definitely their worst album overall.

I quite like wings for marie but feel like it fucks up the flow of the album. Right in two i find a tiny bit cringe 

The thing that bugs me most about 10,000 Days is that it's overlong and inconsistent so it feels even longer than it is. There's good material but also some cringy stuff. So yeah I think it's their worst. Fear Inoculum is less adventurous but at least it's consistent and lacks any cringe moments.

I like 10,000 days quite a bit but it is relatively weak. It's too all over the place, feels like 4 albums smashed together haphazardly. I also don't like how the slowest, quietest tracks are after rosetta stoned, it makes the album feel anti climactic, even though intension and right in two are really good...just not where they are on the album.

I feel like each of the 4 main sections work really well by themselves... I tend to listen to the album in bits rather than as a whole. 

i think for a lot of tool fans fear inoculum is a great gem. long songs, crammed into CD, downtempo and reflective while intricate and heavy, with a 16 minute butt-rock tool song. culling voices is interesting and different. cc trip and all the drumming are maximum carey. good mix - i think they chose some clipping as a trade-off. good lyrical theme. excellent flourishes and achievements by all. listenably cohesive as a whole, and with a good flow. of course i understand if it's not everyone's cup of tea. 

I don't hate it, just find it very boring/predictable.  Maynard sounds like autotuned Maynard being wheeled in last minute after not having any songwriting input for 10+ years.  It's not bringing anything new to the table, at least not to my ears, nor does it hit me on any emotional level.  But I'm glad other people are enjoying it.

*this was in response to the post that happened to be visible when I looked at this thread.... which I can no longer see through the wall of newer posts.

  On 9/27/2019 at 1:34 PM, kirm said:

So you hate it because it sounds to much like Tool, But also cause Maynard doesn't sound enough like Tool!?

To me this is very much tool but mature and different enough from earlier stuff to be interesting. I mean they were never going to break the mould and do something revolutionary at this point but its just a solidly amazing album!

I think its up there with their best, but each to their own and all that..

 

^there we go.

Just thought it was odd you had said there was not enough classic tool moments but also agreed it was to much like old tool.

Sure its not much of an evolution (but was anyone really expecting one? ) but the letting the music do more of the talking and maynard taking a bit more of a back seat really works for me, get why it maybe doesn't for everyone though

I find it highly unlikely that I said there were "not enough classic Tool moments".  But yeah, it's like what they've already done, but without the songs to back it up.

Think it was in the other thread about lack of classic chorus or something? But I could be mistaken, anyhow its fair enough you not enjoying it and understand your reasons, I was just messing really.

  On 9/27/2019 at 10:46 PM, kirm said:

Sure its not much of an evolution (but was anyone really expecting one? )

yes. and the thing is i think they did change rather significantly in some respects...going full in on long (all songs 10min + plus) winding song structures is a change. doing much more laid back noodly stuff is a change (they've done it before here and there but never so much all on the same album). bringing in some layered synth and guitar stuff is a little bit of a change (moreso than they've done usually in the past). maynard going for lots of airy vocals floating over the top of much of the music is pretty new, certainly to this extent. but the problem is that despite all this they also backslide heavily into some sad territory, falling back on very particular riffs, grooves, and sounds that they've used prominently before. 

  On 9/27/2019 at 10:46 PM, kirm said:

but the letting the music do more of the talking and maynard taking a bit more of a back seat really works for me, get why it maybe doesn't for everyone though

i like maynard's general angelic floaty stuff on the record, and he's still got some little bits of unique strange stuff here and there, i think he maybe sat back a little more than he needed at times, but that's more just my opinion...still a bit silly on some of the lyrics, moreso than ever before maybe, but some others are interesting and a bit odd which is good.....but honestly his work here was the least shameful of the four if we're breaking it down. 

  On 9/27/2019 at 6:13 PM, Richie Sombrero said:

Out of interest, does anyone actually like 10,000 Days? 

when it came out i was already on my away from tool and music like it, but being the fanboy i of course listened to it and much like other have said it kind of felt uneven. solid tracks certainly. got to see them live in concert too, which was nice. but it didn't stick with me as earlier albums did. but FI is certainly a way better album. purestrain tool...genuinely surprised how much i like it...

Pretty good. Could’ve used a couple more explosions here and there, but they definitely didn’t embarrass themselves, which was totally possible. 

It's a good album indeed, i keep returning to it

I don't like much of this except 7empest, which is the only time Adam's been inspired since Lateralus; also, Danny can still get it. 

Honestly think I'd rather just listen to Danny and I guess Justin jamming out together.  

Glad other people like it, but I can't keep up with the shit that's way more inspired than this and being released by other artists.  10,000 Days was absolute laughable tossed off ripoff shit, and this is better, but it's by no means interesting music for me.  Sorry.

Props for being pro-incoculumations tho

:baph hereby dishonorably discharged from the toolnavy:

I pretty much agree with baph. This album just sounds uninspired to me and I find it a chore to get through. I still dig the old stuff but these long drawn out jams kinda build to nothing too often, they kinda fell off after lateralus. 

Latetalus is so much better isn't it. 

Has anyone revisted this recently? Really enjoying again.

Oh shit, this happened all the way back in August.  I think I listened 3 times in October.  Should have another go I suppose.

  On 1/10/2020 at 11:22 PM, Polytrix said:

Has anyone revisted this recently? Really enjoying again.

yeah, man. still getting good enjoyment. 

the live show was incredible, too.

Nice! How did the new album translate live? 

I adore ''Descending'': incredibly epic stuff. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcSoLwFisaw

  On 9/27/2019 at 6:13 PM, Richie Sombrero said:

Out of interest, does anyone actually like 10,000 Days? 

Months later but yes I checked out that album again because of the new album and it's a good album, but I imagine people at that point expected nothing less of awesome.

  On 1/12/2020 at 8:33 PM, Polytrix said:

Nice! How did the new album translate live? 

I adore ''Descending'': incredibly epic stuff. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcSoLwFisaw

the fear inoculum songs were better live than on the CD. as good as the production of the album is, you can't capture the live sound. tool has always been noticably better than their counterparts at making use of live, arena sound. the bass, textures, and sound design make the pummeling performance that much more impactful. i think danny said something about how, with the new songs, they were trying to allocate frequency ranges to each-other... it was like hearing the real songs for the first time. invincible destroys.

I would like to see them proper live, no crap festival gig, in my neck of the woods but not holding my breath. I guess they need to arrange their international tour around Keenan's wine harvesting season.

totally underwhelming 

I've tried to get through the album three times but falter around track three or so. Just doesn't grab me at all.

In answer to an earlier question I love 10,000 Days but I heard the songs from that album live before I heard them on the CD, which I think really added to my enjoyment when I got the album eventually. It's still behind AEnima and Lateralus of course, but it's right up there. Fear Inoculum just sounds like a really  bored band. I'll give it another go soon and see if it grabs me.