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)
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)
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