Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Tool - Fear Inoculum (2019)

A lot can happen in 13 years. New stories and trends can grow old, technology would upgrade and render earlier versions obsolete, and Middle-Eastern wars are still going on. People thought 10,000 Days was Tool's last album, but after 13 years (from 2006 to 2019, same as Disillusion's long gap between albums), Tool has made their return with the near-CD-limit 80-minute Fear Inoculum, reliving the band's dream much better than before!

Tool can be consider "The Thinker" of metal, pondering through the contradictions the band would have to go through. Now they're more refined with almost every track being an impressive over 10 minutes long.

The opening title track slowly builds layers of instrumentation and vocals before reaching its high point at 4 minutes with an impressive guitar solo. And they still continue from there! At 10 minutes, it surpasses David Bowie's "Blackstar" as the longest Billboard-hitting track. I bet they can handle the time signature-changing intensity well. Keeping up the same fashion is "Pneuma".

"Invincible" is where lead vocalist Maynard James Keenan really thinks about his personal business and probably about the band, "Long in tooth and soul, longing for another win, lurch into a fray, weapon out and belly in, warrior - struggling - to remain - consequential". "Descending" starts ambient before progressiveness descends into you again.

"Culling Voices" are what you hear sung in another progressive metal symphony. "Chocolate Chip Trip" is an experimental synth interlude with a bit of drumming, so it's Danny Carey's solo track. There are actually a few more interludes scattered around in the digital version. "7empest" is the band's longest track to date at nearly 16 minutes. Maynard James Keenan continues his vocal serenity while Danny Carey continues his complex rhythm. The guitars battle the vocals for loudness. So astonishing!

So how is Fear Inoculum like for the band compared to 13 years ago? Not a lot changed, other than a more progressive direction, so the future was not much to fear. The band was rising from the ashes to spread their message. Fear Inoculum is the kind of album that should be taken more seriously and appreciated!

Favorites: "Fear Inoculum", "Invincible", "7empest"