George Lucas' Sequel Trilogy Outlines Thrown Out: My Thoughts

Just as I released my piece on why Star Wars fans are absolutely horrible, this news comes out and the fan base goes nuts. So, let's do a quick summary, shall we?

So basically, Disney CEO Bob Iger released a book about his time as Disney, and released some interesting tidbits about Disney's Lucasfilm acquisition back in 2012. So, when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, George Lucas himself gave Disney outlines for a Star Wars sequel trilogy, with the hopes that Disney would adapt them. Disney even bought those outlines from Lucas, and he didn't merely hand them over. However, once the meetings for the story of Episode VII (aka The Force Awakens) took place, Lucas was present and what they had in mind was far away from his ideas, and he ultimately was disappointed and possibly betrayed by the lack of originality that Disney brought to the table.

Before we get into my thoughts, let's get into why some Star Wars fans are mad about this. First of all, it disrespects George Lucas; They should have stuck with Lucas' drafts because they were more original and they were overall better than The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Add to that Lucas is Star Wars' creator, and they should follow what he thinks is right for Star Wars, and second, Lucas wanted these made, and he should have all rights in order to make that happen.

Okay, so now that we've got that out of the way, I'll start with Lucas has every right to feel disappointed. After Disney bought his drafts, he may have been confident that they would adapt them, at least most of it, anyway, and that never came to be. I can imagine that would make you feel defeated after you spent time coming up with new, creative ideas. We already knew this from interviews he did back around 2016, but this just reiterates that it's acceptable (His white slavers comment back then was completely unnecessary though). However, with that being said, I don't see this as a betrayal to George Lucas.

While it may seem on the surface that Disney smacked Lucas in the face by buying his outlines and not using them, this was never a guarantee that they would buy them. In fact, Iger specifically said in his book that the Lucasfilm buying contract that they may use Lucas' ideas in future movies, but they WEREN'T forced to adapt them. I'm sure Lucas was aware of this, and he knew it was a possibility from the get-go. However, I think he was very confident his ideas would come to life and they just didn't. This kind of thing happens all the time in Hollywood; Ideas are thrown out because of a change of directors, writers, and producers who want to make something different. Lucas' ideas from my understanding were more out there and weird, while The Force Awakens was a safe movie to draw back Star Wars fans, and The Last Jedi, while different, still definitely felt like a Star Wars movie and had plenty of similarities to previous installments. I know a few of Lucas' ideas and honestly, I think they would've been hated on, even more than Disney's Star Wars has. I'm serious. I don't care for what I've heard, it doesn't feel very Star Wars to me. Could the execution made it good? Possibly, but I don't think it would've brought people back to Star Wars like The Force Awakens did.

Speaking of Lucas' outlines, people said they would've been better because they're different and would've been better. Just because something's different doesn't make it good. The Prequel Trilogy was different, but upon release, it was hated by fans (Don't @ me, prequel fans. Look up online forums at that time). It's gotten more praise with time, but many of those fans are people who grew up with them (That's why there's why more Prequel defenders now) and while many of those who hated them at the time may have warmed up to them, they are the reason Star Wars is owned by Disney. Lucas never made his Sequel Trilogy because of the hate they received. That's why Disney played it safe with the first film and saved the bolder, more original film for its sequel; It's familiar and brimming with nostalgic callbacks, and once audiences were invested, they made a second one that brought new ideas to the franchise, and it's hated onto death. I guarantee you if Lucas made The Last Jedi, it would've been hated on just as much, if not more. Fans would've said Lucas ruined Luke Skywalker and that Star Wars is dead because of him, not Disney. Think about it, and the hate the people involved with the Sequel Trilogy faced. This would've been no different.

So, those are my thoughts on this. Iger said he wished he would've handled this situation better, and maybe that's why Lucas felt betrayed. Still, I don't see this as a bad thing. Massive Hollywood productions like these movies go through multiple drafts, ideas are thrown around everywhere, and this were just ideas that Lucasfilm may have taken inspiration from for these new movies, but they were ultimately thrown out. If Lucas made his films, they would've been hated on just as much. That's just how the Star Wars fan base is, even if they were genuinely good movies. While I understand Lucas' frustration, he knew that this could happen. He has every right to be disappointed, but that's just Hollywood. Films evolve throughout production, and this was just an example of that.

Ad Astra - Movie Review

So, I haven't reviewed a movie on here in over 4 months. Honestly, it seems like this has just become Zay's Music Blog, but the reason for that is I haven't too many movies recently. I saw Spider-Man: Far From Home, which was really good (Probably a B+), but I didn't feel the need to review it because I didn't have a whole lot to say about it. I was on the fence about doing It Chapter 2, which was decent (Probably a B, maybe a B- on a bad day) and I had enough to say for a review, but at the same time, I was working on a couple other projects on here and I didn't have room for it. So, with that out of the way, I wanted to review something special, something that I feel deserves a review, and well, I found it. This is Ad Astra.

Ad Astra is directed by James Grey and stars Brad Pitt and is a movie set in an unspecified time in the near future. It's about Pitt's character, Roy, an astronaut, as he travels through space to find his father, whose experiments deep in space may have earth shattering consequences. So, I heard about this movie through people on Twitter saying everyone should see it because they didn't want it to bomb, like some modern space movies have (First Man for example). Reviews were strong for this one, but after I got home from seeing it, the audience reaction was pretty mixed, and I think I know why; It's the advertising of the film. The TV spots released before the film tease a fast paced, action-heavy space thriller, and that's not what this film is. It has a couple of those elements, but this movie is a slow-paced character study that involves space travel, and it's a shame that the reaction's are like this because for what this movie's going for, it's great.

What holds this movie together is two main things; The cinematography and Brad Pitt's performance. This movie looks absolutely stunning. The use of color, lighting, and camera movement make space feel massive and endless, as it is. This is the kind of film that has to be seen on the big screen to really understand what I mean. If you wait to see this film on your TV screen, you're really missing out on what the cinematography has to offer.

Now, let's talk about Brad Pitt. This man is incredible in this movie. His performance is subtle, but incredibly effective. If you pay close attention to his character, there are little things with his posture and facial expressions that make his character's progressive and emotion throughout the film makes his character very compelling and relatable. He definitely deserves high recognition for his performance and I wouldn't be surprised if he got an Oscar nomination for this role. 

I also really dug the themes of this movie. Going into them in full detail may be spoiler territory, so I'll be as vague as possible, but if I spoil something, you can't say you weren't warned.

This film touches on learning from your mistakes and having to deal with that. It ties in well to the plot, especially in the third act, and it adds emotion to the story. The way it's presented is not too much in your face and is more of something that's implied for the most part.

However, that's where my main problem with the movie comes in. While most of the storytelling is visual and subtle, there is narration used throughout the film to spell out certain elements of the plot. Sometimes it's necessary because Roy is a quiet character, but there are moments where it affects emotion that could've otherwise been shown through Pitt's performance or other storytelling techniques. It gets unnecessarily distracting, particularly in a couple scenes where the film lost potential impact.

With that being said, this movie is still a well-made and unique film. For those who like their slower paced sci-fi that makes you think, this is right up your alley. Pitt's performance and the cinematography alone make the theater experience worthwhile, and there's more than that here. This is sure to end up as one of my favorite movies of the year and it gets a strong recommendation from me.

Grade: A-

Star Wars: The Toxicity Beyond

Ah, Star Wars. So many memories attached for so many of us, and it's easily of the most recognizable names in the history in cinema and pop culture. It's my favorite franchise of all time, and while it's had its bumps and bruises, there's so much good in this series that I and many others can't deny. However, there's something that I can't get over; The fanbase. While there are definitely individuals who are respectable, there are people out there who spread hate because they either want to or because a movie didn't do what they wanted. To delve further into why I hate the Star Wars fanbase, let's start with the beginning of the sequel trilogy.

The year is 2015. The hype for The Force Awakens is in full swing. Everyone's excited, even people who generally don't care for Star Wars. I know what that was like; At that point, everyone around me and everyone online was just talking about this movie. Then it came out, and for about a week, everyone was raving about it. Everyone was saying that it revitalized the Star Wars franchise and how it was just a blast of fun. Then, the hate came in. They kept on saying that Star Wars was ruined by director J.J. "Jar Jar" Abrams because it was uninspired and just a rehash of A New Hope. While there are valid complaints to be had with this movie, I found it to be a very energized film, with just enough differences from A New Hope to keep it interesting, and it introduced Rey and Kylo Ren, who are two of my favorite characters in this franchise to date. Like I said, there are valid complaints with this movie; Starkiller Base does feel uninspired and just another Darth Star and there are a couple scenes that feel a bit forced or silly, but even then, what J.J. Abrams brought to the table here was entertaining, fast paced, and vibrant. Sure, it wasn't overly original, but Return of the Jedi wasn't either, and that movie's still well liked, even if it is generally considered the weakest of the original trilogy. The toxicity got pretty bad a little while after release, but not to the point where it hindered my love for Star Wars; I was very excited for what was coming next, and that was Rogue One. Most people liked it well enough, and there wasn't a lot of hate surrounding it. I liked it a lot, albeit not as much as Force Awakens, but it was still great. However, what came next would be the breaking point for me.

The Last Jedi. These spark a fire fueled by rage in any comment section, website, or basically anywhere on the internet. When this movie came out, it was immediately meant by a storm of hatred towards director Rian Johnson, anyone who worked at Lucasfilm, and anyone who starred in it. In fact, it got so bad that Kelly Marie Tran, who portrayed Rose in the film, left Instagram because she was getting constant racist and rude comments, as well as death threats, and whenever you clicked on any post on Rian Johnson's Twitter account, no matter if it was Star Wars related or not, there would be people telling him to get away from Star Wars and that he needed to retire from directing in general. It got even worse when Solo came out a mere 5 months later and bombed at the box office, leading fans to conclude that the brand was dead. Okay, let's get this out of the way; Just because you didn't like a movie doesn't mean to have to harass anyone and everyone involved in its production. I don't care for musicals, but if I where to see a musical production and then crap on everyone involved on Twitter, that's only going to hurt people and potentially their mental health, and make you look like an idiot in the process. Also, while Solo was a massive box office bomb, it wasn't caused by The Last Jedi, at least not entirely; People simply weren't interested in the film. It was a film that didn't need to be made, and while it was received decently, it was considered inessential by both hardcore Star Wars fans and general viewers. The fact that it also didn't have the star power of Harrison Ford didn't help either, as I'm sure many people wouldn't accept a new Han Solo. Add to that massive production costs due to original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being fired during production and 70 plus percent of the film being reshot, and this movie bombing was inevitable. 

With that out of the way, how good or bad is The Last Jedi? Well, I have a controversial opinion; The Last Jedi is actually great. I found the character arcs in this movie extremely compelling, especially Luke's, which was a massive point of division. Luke's not the Luke you saw at end at the original trilogy, but it's been 30 years plus since that film in the timeline, and the reason why he changed makes sense. He failed to bring the evil out from Ben Solo like he did with his father, and that would have a big impact on him, and the scene where he's fighting Kylo at the end of the film is a fantastic resolution to his character arc, and his death scene felt satisfying to me. Rey and Kylo's force connections scenes are great as well. You can feel the tension between these two, as well as the sympathy they have towards each other. Heck, I don't mind the Canto Bight sequence. Sure, the horse escape scene was stupid, but I really like the message and it's only 11 minutes long, and it was never boring to me. Sure, it's the weakest plot in the film, but I enjoyed it well enough.

I also like Poe's arc here. It's actually one of my favorite parts of the movie, as it feels natural and earned. I don't think it's talked about enough. His transformation from "Destroy this, destroy that" to realizing the difference between having to do that and when to think differently is compelling and genuine.

I won't dwell too long on my thoughts on the movie; I liked this a lot, dare I say it's my favorite Disney Star Wars movie. Do I understand some of the complaints? Absolutely. Some of the pacing feels uneven and there are some silly moments, but as a whole, this movie is rich, different, and unexpected. A lot of the hate has to do with the movie not being what people expected, and that's really sad to me. Can they not appreciate the visual effects, the acting, the new ideas, and the surprises? Let me say this; You can absolutely dislike this movie. That's fine, and it sucks if you didn't like it, but don't hate it just because you wanted the vision you saw in your head. Like I said, there are legitimate reasons to not care for this film, just don't go bullying the people involved on social media. 

So, where are we now? Well, at the time this is written, it's been almost 2 years since The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker is just about 3 months away, and the fanbase has only gotten worse. I thought there would be a cool down period between Solo and The Rise of Skywalker, but nope. The rumors that Skywalker's a failure because they're still tweaking the movie is bullcrap because that's what J.J. Abrams does with all his movies, people saying this movie's going to bomb because The Last Jedi sucked have no weight because people didn't like Attack of the Clones or The Phantom Menace because Revenge of the Sith made a killing at the box office, and this feels no different to me with the exception that the internet's a thing and people can be vocal. Sure, Solo bombed, but that film was not seen as essential. That's it, really. I think most of these rumors are started by people who want it to fail, and honestly, while I think these rumors have little to no legitimacy, it makes it harder to get hyped for Star Wars going forward. I don't want to be in a fanbase that hates their franchise more than everyone else, and that's all I see everywhere. Like I said at the beginning of this post, there are reasonable Star Wars fans out there, but their voices are drowned out by this blatant toxicity within the fanbase that's only gotten worse with time. So, if you had no clue about this toxicity in the Star Wars fanbase, please continue to stay away from it best you can, and if you are a part of this fanbase and want reasonable discussion, I feel you. Maybe someday it will get better. 

Mini Albums Reviews: June 2019 to August 2019

Alright, time for mini reviews. This time, we'll be covering 8 albums from 8 different artists that I felt were worth talking about. Keep in mind this isn't everything I heard, and I reviewed two other albums in full length released in this time frame (Skillet's Victorious and Tool's Fear Inoculum), so those will not be covered here. If you want to know my thoughts, please check out my reviews of those albums. With that being said, let's get started with an album that'll give you one heck of a wake-up.

Oh, Sleeper - Bloodied/Unbowed

Metalcore band Oh, Sleeper return after a recording hiatus of 8 years to hopefully deliver a welcome comeback. I wasn't familiar with these guys before these album came out, and after checking out this record, I definitely need to, because this was really good. This album is filled with great lyric writing and striking technical guitar riffs. The opening track Let It Wave is one of the strongest here, as it shows off how good of a lyricist their unclean singer is with lines like "If all your heroes are martyrs, shouldn't you be the same?" and "The flag is more than a symbol... I live to die in its shadow". Fissure is an absolute barn burner from the opening second that is absolutely superb, as all the lyrics on the track are fantastic, the chorus is infectious, and the band's backing them up well. The low growls on Decimation and Burial are fantastic, Two Ships starts out like a ballad and it's pretty, but then it explodes in the second half rather unexpectedly, and it works startlingly well, and Oxygen has a great chord change in the chorus that makes a decent song a great one. I well say that this record is not paced the best in the best manner. They choose ballad The Summit as the album's closing track, and I'm not sure that was the best choice. It's a good song, but it doesn't give the ending the punch that it needed.  Two Ships, while I also like that track a lot, also comes out of nowhere. There's no warning, and all of a sudden you're dropped into a song that's very slow, and it feels a bit awkward. Some of the clean choruses also sound kind of similar to one another in parts and it gave me a bit of a hard time distinguishing the tracks. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I still give this album a strong recommendation, despite some of its shortcomings. If you're into metalcore, definitely check this out. This is one of the genres strongest albums this year.

Grade: B+

Moron Police - A Boat on the Sea

So, I heard about this album from my favorite music reviewer, The Rock Critic. He all of a sudden dropped a review of this album no one had ever heard of, and he gave it his highest of recommendations. I listen to it, and yeah, it's really good. This has a unique sound, a mix of progressive rock with some pop elements and even saxophone. It's a very fun, sugary sound that has intricate composition and catchy hooks. Tracks like The Invisible King and especially Captain Awkward (One of my favorite songs of the year) have strong production and great performances, but are also pretty accessible for those who don't want potentially unusual structure and just want a fun track. It's really a record that has something for everyone, and I appreciate that. However, the sound does get a little too sugary for me as it goes on. It's like eating a little sugar compared to a lot. A little sugar is delicious and is a nice treat every once in a while, but having too much sugar eventually makes you feel bloated and tired, and while this album doesn't get to a point where it gets annoying or tiring (It's a mere 32 minutes), it is a bit much for me. However, that's a personal preference and I still enjoy listening to this. Not an album of the year contender or anything, but I could totally see why this could be someone else's.

Grade: B

Lil Nas X - 7

Yes, we're covering the guy who did Old Town Road's EP. Why am I covering this? Because this is genuinely pretty decent. There, I said it. Sure, it isn't great, but this is a fun little release and also unexpected to some degrees. Old Town Road is awesome, no matter how much of a novelty it is. It's just got a unique charm to it that never makes it get old to me. There's also a lot of other songs that are enjoyable. Panini is a fun little trap jam, even if it is way too short and it's nothing out of the ordinary. F9mily and Bring U Down are legitimate pop rock songs (No, I'm not joking) that are surprisingly really fun and likable, and C7osure is a great closer (Pun unintended) that closes the album on an emotional note (I don't count the original Old Town Road). This isn't perfect, however; There are two main issues I have with this project. First of all, I appreciate Lil Nas X branched out into other genres, but it shows he still hasn't truly found his identity as an artist yet, and it makes the EP feel somewhat disjointed in areas. The second issue I have is that this feels rushed, because it was. Sure, these songs are good for the most part, but what could've made them great is more time spent developing them. I'm sure the artist is not to blame here, but rather the label after Old Town Road became such a phenomenon. Still, I see potential for Lil Nas X here, despite the issues I may have with this release. I'm hoping he's more than just a one-hit wonder, because he's got talent, but I see this EP as a mere taste of what's to come, and here's hoping whatever's next is truly great.

Grade: B- or B (Depends on how generous I'm being)

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!

This one had a lot of hype around it, and by a lot, I mean A LOT. Even people who aren't fans of Lana Del Rey's music were hyped due to the singles such as Mariners Apartment Complex and Venice Bitch, which actually got me interested in this album as well. I've had no experience with Lana's music until now, and I do see the appeal of it. Her voice is very soothing, and the music is very pretty, shown on the title track and Mariners Apartment Complex, which open the album on a very good note and show that this album has a very calming but emotional vibe, and, well, it's complicated for me. You see, this is a record that is refined and well written with excellent production, but for me, it feels bloated. This record is 14 tracks and 67 minutes long, which is long and a lot to take in. While an album like Tool's Fear Inoculum (Which actually came out the same day) is an even longer record that has constantly different and interesting songwriting with basically every song, this record has a lot of tracks that blend together, and even if I really liked listening to them, they often faded from my memory pretty quickly. After those first three tracks, which are very solid, The Next Best American Record is the only song that stands out pretty well, but that's about it. Besides that, it's just drowning in similar piano notes and lyrical themes that don't feel very distinct to me. If this record was 40 to 50 minutes long, I'd be more forgiving, but the fact that this record has 14 tracks and I can only imagine revisiting 4 of them makes me feel rather disappointed. I'm still more positive than I am negative, since there's nothing offensive or even bad on here, it just could've been better. That's all.

Grade: B-

Plugs of Apocalypse - Stay

So, this was a random record I found while watching a YouTube live stream. Weird place to find a new album, I know, but I was intrigued by this band's sound. They have a sort of a poppy metal vibe to them. There's chugging guitars, but there's also electronics and synths infused into the sound these guys have crafted, and it's a very pretty sound. The instrumentals are all solid here, and create a potentially interesting backdrop for what could be something special. The instrumentals on the title track, Eyes Wide Shut, and Our Song remain particularly memorable to me, with the blending on the genres really coming full circle on those songs. These could've been great if it weren't for one thing; The vocals. There are two vocalists in this band, those being a male and a female vocalist. The female vocalist is good enough, but the male vocalist flat-out sucks. I don't know what he's doing on this record, because if he was gone, this could've been great. He's got a thick accent to his voice that the few people who've heard this record are polarized by, and I'm definitely negative on it. It sucks because there are legitimately catchy hooks on tracks like Eyes Wide Shut, Disappear, and Midnight which could've been so much better if it weren't for this singer. So, this is a complicated album to me; An album that could've been really solid, if not great if it weren't for one thing, and that just irritates me. If this band ever gets a different vocalist, I'll be interested in their future, but for now, I'm just frustrated.

Grade: B- 

Falls of Rauros - Patterns In Mythology

So, let's movie away from some of the poppier stuff that was presented on the previous couple of albums and talk about some really good black metal. This is a band that brings a nice blend of both atmosphere and heaviness to the genre. The opening instrumental Detourement sets the stage up the stage , with its atmosphere, then once the absolutely terrific Weapons of Refusal comes in, showing how stellar this album is at its best. It hits you with the heavy guitars, but is guided by an epic vicking-esque feeling in the instrumentation that is epic sounding. It's one of those songs that's a lot to take in, but it's worth it, as is the rest of the album. New Inertia's intro is strikingly beautiful, and the guitar solo at the midway point is one of the better ones I've heard this year. Last Empty Tradition kicks into full gear immediately with the aggressive guitars and, while it does slow down, it picks up the the last 3 and a half minutes, and that's where this track shines; In its absolutely terrific outro, which is both heavy but melodic, creating a mix that I absolutely love. Then Memory at Night happens and... Yeah, this is one of the finest moments on the album for sure. The guitar work is some of the best of the year, and the bass line that opens the song is really solid. So overall, I love this band's sound. It can get heavy and almost all the vocals are screamed, but it has melody and it's actually pretty accessible for an album like this. My only real problem with this album is with the track Renouvellement, which was mostly a forgettable shorter cut that could've not made the record and it would've helped the pacing. Also, a band called Saor released an album somewhat similar to this (I reviewed it back in February if you want to check that out), and it was better, and I honestly can't see pass that, no matter how stupid that sounds. Still, if you want to get into black metal, this is a very accessible release with some terrific guitar work that will bring you back over and over, and if you already like black metal, well, here's some more of that good stuff.

Grade: A-

Sum 41 - Order In Decline

"So, Sum 41 are a thing in 2019?". That's what my reaction was when I heard they were releasing a new album. I was thinking this was gonna be another pop punk record. I was wrong. While the band still has pop punk-esque hooks, the album has a lot of hard rock and even metal influences that work extremely well, and the fact that there are very catchy hooks added to my enjoyment of the record. The aggression on this album isn't just from the instrumentals though; It's in the fiery, political lyrics which are clearly jabbing at the current political climate of the United States, and while I won't go into my thoughts on the topic, I think these lyrics are pretty solid for what they are. Tracks like The People vs..., The New Sensation, and 45 (A Matter of Time) are clear jabs at someone in particular (You know who), but it works for me because these tracks are loud and these "loud" statements fit with the music. The instrumentals are what keep me coming back, however. The riffs and solo on Out For Blood are top notch, as are The People Vs..., A Death In The Family, and The New Sensation, with moments that scream Metallica to me in a good way. That doesn't mean the album is just aggression, as the ballads Never There and Catching Fire give you a moment to catch your breath and they're genuinely very good. As for flaws, some of the songs sound kinda similar at points, and even if those tracks are good, it's sometimes kinda bothers me. Besides that though, this was way better than it had any right to be. It's fiery, fun, and purposeful hard rock that makes for one of the best albums of the year. Absolutely worth every minute of your time.

Grade: A-

Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

To close off this review, I needed a good album to review. No, not just a good album, a great album, a true album of the year contender, and well, this is it. This album's hype was only topped by Tool's Fear Inoculum is terms of hype for any metal record this year, and I'm happy to say it's everything I wanted and more. It's not just 63 minutes of your typical heavy, angsty Slipknot tracks; It's also full of successful experiments. It gets you invested with Unsainted and Birth of the Cruel, which are both incredible slices of Slipknot at their most "accessible" (For Slipknot at least), with the former having a great singalong chorus and a memorable bridge, and the latter having great riffs and a catchy hook. After that, it's some of the best, if not the best, material of this band's career. Nero Forte and Critical Darling are those first two songs of steroids. Like holy crap, this is one of the best two punch tracks I've heard in a while. Nero Forte comes in swinging immediately with Corey Taylor's aggressive delivery and fantastic guitar riffs, and Critical Darling is even more aggressive, with the best elements of Nero Forte put on steroids and a great chorus reminiscent of Stone Sour. After this, the album gets experimental with cuts the haunting and dark A Lair's Funeral, which is one of 2019's greatest songs. The lyrics and acoustic guitar used in the first half are haunting and dark, and when it kicks into full gear, it becomes face meltingly amazing with the chants "Burn the liar" being something I could totally see being chanted in the mosh pit. The industrial and endlessly fun Spiders is catchy and, despite being so different, fits really well in the album, the bizarre atmosphere of My Pain is easily the album's weirdest moment but it works really well for reasons I can't quite explain, and the fantastic and aggressive closer Solway Firth is one of the album's most unconventionally structured, and it works as both a closing track and as a singular track. There's so much to love here, and I can't praise this album enough. Don't be surprised if this ends up as my favorite album of 2019 (And if it isn't number 1 it'll definitely be in the top 3), because so far, this may be the one to beat. I'm serious. It's really that good.

Grade: A+

Tool - Fear Inoculum Album Review

Tool - Fear Inoculum Album Review

13 years and 4 months. That's how much time it's been since Tool released their last album. To give some perspective, I was in preschool when 10,000 Days (Their last album) came out. Now, I'm an 18 year old college student. That's absolutely insane, especially considering at the height of their popularity, Tool was one the most recognized bands in the metal scene, cementing their sound of records, in particular 1996's Aenima and 2001's Lateralus, and they didn't rush a project out in order to capitalize on that fame (That's very respectable in my eyes). In terms of my experience with Tool, I discovered them after listening to singer Maynard James Keenan's other big band, A Perfect Circle, nonstop when their last album came out, which was my favorite album of 2018. Since then, Tool has become one of my favorite bands of all time, and one of the bands I listen to most on my playlists or if I want to spend time listening in an album. Lateralus is my favorite record of theirs, but all of their albums have merit and are great, with few songs I don't care for. Now, after several years of lawsuits, side projects and the like, the long awaited Fear Inoculum has arrived. With the unreal hype and the acclaim its been getting from both fans and critics, it's hard not to get swept up in the hype machine for this one, and well, all 86 minutes of it is here, but how does it stack up (Note: I will not talk about the interludes on the digital edition in detail, but I will say they work well for what they are)?

Well, let's start at the beginning with the album's title track, the only officially released track from the album. At 10 minutes 20 seconds, this song is very long, but it's actually one of the shortest tracks on the record. However, it's absolutely worth the listen. The slow build towards where the vocals kick in is effective and got me curious to hear where this would go. The whole song has a great build that eventually climaxes in a great collision of drums and guitar. Lyrically, it's as solid as you'd expect from Maynard, with lyrics like Exhale/Expel/Recast my tail/Read my allegorical elegy really grabbing my attention as well written and effective. So yeah, great song, even if it is slow and may take a few listens to fully take it in.

So, we're off to a pretty great start here. While it's not as vicious a Tool opener like The Grudge from Lateralus or Vicarious from 10,000 Days, it's still a great song that stands as a worthy inclusion in their discography.

The next track, Pneuma, stands as one of the album's finest moments. The opening guitar is pretty, but where the song really shines is the bouncy bass line from Justin Chancellor that's infectious and makes the verses and chorus engaging. Maynard's lyrics are some of the strongest on the record here as well, with him discussing how we are one spark and how our bodies can't hold our spirit forever. It's very strong writing from a man who's written some amazing lyrics in the past, and it reminds me of Parabol and Parabola in that regard. I also love Adam Jones' riffs on this track, especially the riff that comes in around 3 minutes 15 seconds in, which feels epic, and the fact that its backed up by amazing drumming makes it even better (You're gonna hear me talk a lot about the drumming on this record, because it steals the show on almost every song). The jam session at the end is also fantastic, and it ends the song on a high note. Just fantastic on every level.

We continue with a song the band debuted live a few months ago, Invincible. This track has my favorite lyrics on the entire record, as it talks about "A warrior struggling to remain consequential". If that line doesn't get stuck in your head, I don't know what will. It's an absolute earworm. The rest of the lyrics discuss this warrior in detail that is both tragic and engaging. Maynard's vocals are great here as well, and while he holds back compared to previous records, he's still got one of the best voices in rock and metal, so I'm honestly fine with it. The instruments build with him as the song builds as the previous two did. This one has the best build so far, however. It's long, but it doesn't overstay its welcome. The bass and guitar really complement each other well here, and the drums continue to be fantastic. However, the lyrics are what really bring me back to this track. It's some of my favorite Maynard lyrics ever, and the song as a whole is wonderful.

Descending is next and while this one is very good, it's probably my least favorite full length track on the record. It's not because it's poorly composed and/or sloppily performed compared to the previous tracks, but it's because it's simply too long. It's almost 14 minutes long, and in the middle, it starts to drag a bit. That being said, I love Maynard's vocals at the beginning and the wave sound effects that start the track. However, what steals the show here is the guitar. The last three minutes contains one of my favorite Adam Jones solos ever. It sounds vaguely post-metal, as does much of the structuring of this album. What I also dig about this track is how it feels tied to Invincible. This and the previously mentioned track were both debuted live back in May, and I understand why they choose these two together. While Invincible is about someone struggling to be the same person they used to be, Descending in my opinion is about finding your footing again, even through the struggles and hard times, and once again, they're great. Overall, I think it could've been cut down by a couple minutes, but besides that, this song isn't a skippable one, not by a long shot.

Culling Voices continues the record, and is another favorite of mine for the first half alone. In that section, it's just Maynard and Adam Jones doing their thing and it's extremely effective. Maynard sounds some of the most passionate on the entire record, as he talks about mental illness leading him away from where he should be. It's tragic and beautifully written, and Adam Jones' guitar adds to the beauty of it. The second half, which is for the most part just a jam session between members with Maynard occasionally coming in, and while it's not as good as the first half, it still works well and the first half makes it worth coming back to.

So at this point, you may have noticed a pattern in the record; It starts out slow with Maynard coming in and doing some clean vocals, and the instrumentation slowly builds towards a climax of sorts at the end. Well, these last two songs break that mold and make the album more interesting, starting with Chocolate Chip Trip. This song is basically just a drum solo with a weird synth line that feels ripped out of a B rate sci-fi movie from the 80s, and it's great. I don't have much to say about the track besides for the fact that Danny Carey's drumming is incredible. In many ways, his drumming reminds me of Neil Peart, and if you know me, you know Rush are my favorite band of all time, so this is a good thing. It's also a nice change of pace after several 10 minutes plus tracks, and we get back into that, but this time, it's different.

So, let's talk about 7empest. There's one word to describe this song; INCREDIBLE! The only way this will not be my favorite song of the year is if Rush rises from the grave and creates a prog epic as good as 2112. It starts out with nice, pretty guitar line like many of the songs previous did, but then it explodes about a minute in, and Adam Jones delivers what might be the best performance of his entire career. He's coming up with brilliant riff after brilliant riff and solos for almost 16 minutes straight, and it's incredible. Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor are also delivering brilliant work here, but man, what Adam Jones does here not only steals the song, it may steal the entire album. Also, we get aggressive Maynard vocals! Sure, we don't get a massive scream like on The Grudge, but he still sounds as unhinged and aggressive as he did on Undertow. I got so giddy when I heard him first appear, and he sounds amazing. It's just so good to hear. The song, while the longest on the entire album, flows better than any other track here, and it makes for an amazing experience. I hope my fellow college students like this song, because I'll be blasting this one all semester. This is one of the best Tool songs ever, if not their best; Every member is at the top of their game, it's super long, and no matter how much I hear it, it never gets old. This album was worth it just for this song. It's heaven.

So yeah, this album rules. It's not my favorite Tool album to date, but it's easily one of their most interesting. All of the tracks have merit and can be listened to at any point as a singular song or as a part of the larger record, and it feels unique in their discography. It's easily their most progressive album to date and while it's nothing new for them, their music still remains as engaging and fresh as ever. In a world full of mediocre metal, this is a testament to how pure creative and passionate the genre can be and how it's not just screaming. It's musicians creating music that can be loud, but has meaning and purpose in the music world.

(Note: If you haven't listened to Tool before, I don't think this should be your first Tool record, not because of the quality, but because of how hard this album is to get into. I'd start with either Aenima or Lateralus, and if you like those (Particularly the longer tracks), then check out this)


Grade: A

Favorite Tracks: 7empest, Pneuma, Invincible, Culling Voices

Least Favorite Track: Descending (Still great though)