10,000 days - Tool > Reviews > 10,000 Days, Sheer genius

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	The album will constantly return to your CD player
Disadvantages:	The case doesn't fit in a CD rack too well !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I admit, on first hearing this album, i was unsure as to whether it would hold it's own against the other Tool albums. On first hearing, i wasn't convinced.... But, Tool being Tool, listening to their album more than once has convinced me it's a masterpiece!

Some other reviews complain about it being a let down, i really cant agree. I have been a huge Tool fan for many years and everyone that i have recommended this album too have given me back positive comments!

Okay, so it's not the same as their other albums (Undertow, Opiate, Aenima, Lateralus... etc) But then again.... are those albums the same? No. This is Tool we're talking about here, each album has brought about a new sound and style that although different, it is still Tool!

Maynard has almost perfected his voice throughout this album.. Although not as some may think. He has managed to turn his voice into an instrument; from the almost endless screams keeping always at a perfect pitch and tone, to the mellow relaxing tones of "Right in Two" and to the twisted rants on "Rosetta Stoned"

Once the whole ablum starts with "Vicarious", even from the first few bars, you know it's Tool by their sound, style and remarkable ability to produce music unlike any other.

Each song has it's own uniqueness and is different from the last so to review every song would be a long winded way round!

So, on the album as a whole, as Tool push the boudaries on sound with each song, they manage to keep their own style which as i said is unlike any other. To place them in a category would be wrong as they somehow have managed to create their own.

Oh... and the cover isn't bad! It looks great and has some great original artwork to be seen inside... Only problem being it doesn't fit in all CD stacks!

Being Tool, they have returned with their usual couple of strange songs... Viginti Tres and Lipan Conjuring, being the main culprits.... Almost as an intermission between the music.

I've heard people mention that the songs are too long... well, who decided how long a song has to be? Most Tool songs build up throughout the song, finally exploding into unheard riffs, blowing open your mind, leaving you eagerly anticipating the next song. The lenght is a mere number, this is proper music, not pop!

So... To summarize... If you like Tool, buy this album... If you dont, but want to listen to extremely talented musicians, buy it.
Remember, that if you dont like it straight away, dont just give in and put it away to gather dust! Give it a chance and i assure you, whether you listen to the powerful lyrics of Maynard speaking his mind, the almost machine like off-beat drumming by Danny Carey, the manical machine-gun fretwork by Adam Jones or even the pioneering bass lines of Justin Chancellor, each musician has made the album Incredible.

All i can say now is enjoy this masterpiece, Tool have done it again!