10,000 days - Tool > Reviews > And you thought 'Lateralus' was wierd...

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	It's Tool
Disadvantages:	Viginti Tres .  .  .  . why? !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

5 years down the line, and here we are again, another Tool opus. Well known for their instrumental dexterity and complete disregard for comprehensible song length, Tool were carrying a huge amount of anticipation and hype on their shoulders with '10,000 Days'. Its unsurprising then, that the bands fourth studio outing is a dissapointment upon first listen - an experience which simply seems to chew you up and spit you out with absolutely no regard for that 'hook' you were looking for, or that 'killer riff' you were anticipating. '10,000 Days' doesn't want you to like it, to taste its fruits, to wallow in it's vast ocean of delights. It teases you with glimpses of cohesion, easing you into a comfortable state, only to knock you sideways into disorientation.

Many a Tool fan will know, however, that 'Lateralus' was much the same way (The first time I heard 'The Grudge' I thought there was something wrong with my stereo). You see, Tool unravel their delights slowly, asking more of the listener than most bands when it comes to a new album. One can't simply listen through '10,000 Days' and decide it's not as good as 'Lateralus' or 'Aenima' (or if your really behind the times, 'Undertow'), because this would be entirely missing the point. What '10,000 Days' offers is a different experience to 2001's aforementioned 'Lateralus', one which encompases all of their previous works and melds them with an entirely new sound. 'Vicarious', for example, could easily be accused of recycling the same techniques that made 'Stinkfist' so popular all those many, many moons ago, but what it does is use these established ideas in conjunction with an overall fresh, more melodic tone - one that was no doubt influenced in some part by vocalist Maynard James Keenans' work with that 'other' band 'A Perfect Circle'. Some may read these words and weep, others may realise just how good these styles could, and indeed do, mix together for the final product.

Dont for one second get the impression that Tool have 'gone soft' on us though, as second track 'Jambi' will protest, with guitarwork that has about as much melodic value as an M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun. This however, is undoubtedly a good thing, especially when put in stark contrast to the decidedly more melodic bass work. However, tracks number 3 and 4 are where the money lies, the two-part title track 'Wings for Mary (Part 1)' and '10,000 Days (Wings Pt.2)'. Oh my, it is epic indeed... 17 minutes worth of melodic, haunting passages and delicate instrumentation, all with the odd smattering of heaviness to wake the non-believers up. And, in classic Tool fashion, the piece ends in a climactic finish, replete with one Mr. Danny Carey spontaniously combusting behind a drum kit, one which I imagine is the hight and width of a high security prison wall. This is something very special.

The calm left by '10,000 Days (Wings Pt.2)' is quickly cut in two by a suprisingly high pitched Maynard, who belows the line 'Who are you to wave your finger?', leading the listener rather uncomfortably into the funky tour de force of 'The Pot', a decidedly Undertow-esque song about a kettle - genius. After a shaky start however, the song really does pick up, and instantly finds a place for itself in the sparse list of Tools all out rockers. It is at this point however, that what sanity the album had gets completely lost in the abyss, for in comes an interlude in the form of 'Lipan Conjuring', a 1 minute passage of utterly fantastic pointlessness involving tribals. This is then followed by 'Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)' in which a sort of siren effect is present with a simplistic meloncholic guitar riff . Fortunately, the song adds up to more than the some of its parts, creating quite a dreamy and atmouspheric vibe. This tone is also helped along by a recording of a doctor conversing with a nurse (not nearly as kinky as it sounds).

This however, is merely an introduction to what is perhaps one of the strangest Tool songs ever recorded. 'Rosetta Stoned' is a dazed and utterly confused piece of manic artistry, with Maynard mimicking the ramblings of a self-confessed alien abductee. Such level headed and non-mind-altering-drug-induced lyrics include 'But I forgot my pen, shit the bed again' - marvelous. The instrumentation is just as quirky, with so many different passages over its 11 minute running time that it makes it hard to keep up. This may be a long song, but it certainly isn't a slow burner. The aforementioned manic ramblings are of an aquired taste, but the song really hits its stride with the more melodic sections in the second half.

After this explosion of confused energy, surely its time for a mellow piece? Of course it is, and here it comes in the form of 'Intension', a spiritual successor to 'Disposition' from 'Lateralus'. Again, this track gives off an LSD-induced feel, and features a slow, mostly bass driven build up until the introduction of Adam Jones' isolated and rather melancholic guitar lick. It makes for a very atmouspheric experience, and leads fantastically into the albums masterpiece...'Right In Two'. This follows on from the mellow tone set by 'Intension', with Maynard talking of how we fight over control and power. It's the albums most moving and effective track, ending in yet another climactic finish, leaving little else to be said after what is a fantastic album.

Save for the pointless waste of space, time and money that is last track 'Viginti Tres' (a mass of vacuum cleaners in a ventilation shaft), and you have an utterly fantastic album packed to the brim with Tool goodness. It may not hit you on the first listen, nor the second, and maybe not even the third, but it will hit you, and it will hit you hard. I'll just let you discover the packaging for yourself...