Genre: Metal

Quality: 24 bits 96.0 kHz - Stereo

Artist: Tool

Album: Fear Inoculum

Souce: Qobuz

Released: 29 August 2019



They’ve been the talk of the town for nearly 2 years. Early 2018, Maynard James Keenan nearly sabotaged the promotional cycle for Eat the Elephant, the 4th album of his “other main band”, A Perfect Circle, by announcing to much surprise that 10,000 Days’ successor was nearly done and that it would see the light of day at the latest in Fall 2018. Considering that 10,000 Days, the band’s 4th album, hails back to 2006 – another era entirely – even those without a shred of cynicism in their bodies joked that we’d be lucky to see the next Tool album in 2029. And yet, here we are. As a preview to the album of the same name, the epic, meandering Fear Inoculum is out. Once you get past the zen intro, complete with ting-sha cymbals, soft harmonies and a tabla, which could have set the scene for a massage parlor, Keenan’s voice comes as a remind that this relaxing atmosphere will soon subside, in favor of something much more menacing. The song could be construed as a retrospective piece, that touches upon all the different styles covered by the band since its inception in 1990. A great entrée for what looks like a very large menu.