Tool: 10,000 Days - REVIEWED

It was a cold and rainy Saturday about 5 years ago. My friends and I had some connections at a local record store, so we were able to get the next week's releases a few days early. This particular Saturday we were out to get an album that we were anticipating for years: Weezer's Green Album. Also coming out that day was something that none of us were interested in..some album with some weird name by that band that had the video with the crazy shit..or Lateralus by Tool. Even after one of my friends broke down and bought Lateralus a few months later, I had no idea what the draw was. Flash forward five years: The Green Album isn't even on my computer. Tool, however, is the third most played band in my entire library, and we are faced with a similar situation next week: Tool's CD is being released on the same day as another band that I love--Pearl Jam (the number 2 most played band, for those keeping track) drops their latest. Which will stand the test of time? Who knows, but I'm here to tell you what I think now. (PJ review guaranteed later this week)

Following a chaotic month of fake leaks, a new single release, a real leak, and tons of theories questioning the validity of said leak, the new Tool album is in my hands. Is it everything that I expected it to be? Short answer, yes. I absolutely love this album. Long answer? Well since you asked:

Tool has never been easily able to be digested. Songs upwards of 7 minutes, instrumental segue tracks, and even stranger innovations placed throughout their releases are the norm. 10,000 days is no exception. Clocking in at near the maximum time that would fit on a disc, we have 11 tracks. 2 instrumentals, 1 chanting track, and 9 "regular" tracks ranging from 6 to 12 minutes a pop. If just looking at those statistics makes your head hurt, move on to the next band.

Without going into a track by track analysis, let me give you some highlights:
-The Tool-Standard, 7 minute epic "Vicarious" is the first single and a great track
-"Jambi" has some heavy Pink Floyd influence, especially in the bassline
-"The Pot" is the most accessible track, extremely catchy

Undoubtedly the centerpiece of this album is both parts of Maynard James Keenan's tribute to his dead mother, "Wings pt. 1 and 2." Counting both parts, this song comes in at nearly 18 minutes, and every second is an experience. This is the best work this band has ever put together. Beautifully moving lyrics and intense music blend to create aural heights not accomplished since Radiohead's OK Computer (in my humble opinion of course). Especially touching is the climax of the song, where Maynard demands his fallen mother gets her wings.

The album is not without it's negatives. The back 5 tracks are not nearly as great (upon early impression) as those that come first, but with "Wings" in that group of songs, it is hard to imagine anything that could keep up. Virtuoso drummer Danny Carey is more subdued in this album than usual..his crazy fills that had become commonplace are much fewer and far between. I am also still deciding whether Maynard's voice being lower in the mix is either A. Intentionally meant to make his voice more of an instrument, ala "My Bloody Valentine", B. All in my head because I am used to "A Perfect Circle" where Mr. Keenan is way in front of the mix, or C. Poor production.

Usually the packaging of a disc has no place in a review, but in the case of Tool, an exception has to be made. The digipack disc folds out to reveal a set of stereoscope viewers, and a booklet of stereoscoped pictures on the other side. The solution to our nation's piracy problem has just been handed to the industry on a silver platter. This case needs to be seen to be believed.
Word from the Tool fan community has been extremely mixed. Some folks still refuse to believe that this is what they waited 5 years for and that it is all an extended April fools joke, a B-Sides collection, or part 1 of a 2 disc set. Those people are dellusional. Buy this disc immediately.