THE CD: 10,000 Days
PERFORMER: Tool
LABEL: Zomba
WEBSITE: http://www.toolband.com/
Like Tool? You may/may not love: King Crimson, Pink Floyd, A Perfect Circle
Yeh, but what does MTV call them?
Psychedelic math metal

Yeah, so I’ve seen Tool live twice. I got to see Maynard Keenan, singer, turn his back on the Huntington crowd when they came to dub-vee. Let me bullet this review, to make it easy 4u:

• Tool is one of the best rock bands ever; and
• Maynard James Keenan is one of the greatest rock singers ever.

So, now, the skinny: It only seems like 10,000 days since prog-rock gods Tool (Keenan; Adam Jones, guitar; Justin Chancellor, bass; Danny Carey, drums) released “Lateralus” in May of 2001. There is some good news that we can stick in that time period up to now: Tool is still a band, no matter what label they’re on. And, as they approach two decades of band-hood, they still rock.

While “Lateralus,” was more instrumental at times (I found myself asking “What are they on?” — I still liked the CD.), “10,000 Days” seems to find Tool back at their hard-rockin’ best, maybe influenced by recently touring with Swedish metal outfit Meshuggah.

Songs along these lines on the new CD are “Vicarious,” the first single and opening track (and incidentally, leaked earlier in the month from a Pittsburgh radio station “The X. . . 105.9″), “Jambi” and “The Pot” (that one’s about kettles and hypocrisy). Headbangin’ tunes, all.

“Wings for Marie (Pt. 1)” and “10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2)” are more trippy songs, in line with what you’d expect out of the band’s experimental side. The songs sound to me like they fit in between “Aenema” and “Lateralus” — heavy, tribal, and trippy.

Keenan, who left the army to go to art school, still lays down some of the most beautiful and powerful vocals. And, his lyrics deal with suffering, spirituality, and ultimate salvation. Not to mention the perils of the record industry.

This is not a band easily categorized or dissected. Yes, the weird time signatures (like Meshuggah) and polyrhythms still give a sort of tribal feel to their version of nu-metal. It does seem that “10,000 Days” is a little more approachable than “Lateralus.”

Tool fans will likely make this latest effort No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, as they did for “Lateralus” five years ago. It’s a Nick2 mustbuy for rock fans. All the sharpest Tool fans, out there in their sheds, will agree with me come Tuesday. Thanks for the CD, Freddie Malcolm of Quincy Hollow, YOU ROCK!

– 10,000 Days release date: 5.2.2006

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