10,000 Days - Dark Publications

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Track: 10: Right In Two,

Track: 11: Viginti Tres,

Track: 1: Vicarious,

Track: 2: Jambi,

Track: 3: Wings For Marie (Pt 1),

Track: 4: 10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2),

Track: 5: The Pot,

Track: 6: Lipan Conjuring,

Track: 7: Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann),

Track: 8: Rosetta Stoned,

Track: 9: Intension
Media Type: CD
Artist: TOOL
Title: 10000 DAYS
Street Release Date: 05/02/2006
Domestic
Genre: HEAVY METAL

Amazon.com
With a majority of the songs on 10,000 Days clocking in well past the seven-minute mark, you wouldn't be entirely mistaken in thinking that the title of the album refers to how long it actually takes to make it through the whole thing. Two of the tracks--the sitar and tabla enhanced "10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)" and its suitably epic psych-rock sister "Rosetta Stoned"--even linger on for nearly a dozen leisurely minutes each. That's delightful news for the legion of Tool fans that have been waiting five years for the follow-up to 2001's Lateralus, which debuted at number one and sold 2.3 million copies in the United States. Singer Maynard James Keenan is back on mystical form after his hiatus with the politically slanted A Perfect Circle, sounding at once ethereal and eloquent as he calmly charges through the metal tempest of the opening track "Vicarious." The rest of the band, meanwhile, hits a series of high-flying moments with tracks such as "Jambi" and "The Pot." When Tool sounds as good as it does on these songs it's hard to get enough. Which makes it all the more baffling that a surprisingly large chunk of the disc is given over to mood-enhancing soundscapes like "Lost Keys" and "Vigniti Tres." Who has time for filler? --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews: Read 1022 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Very good, but for Tool, it's just OK May 2, 2006
282 out of 460 found this review helpful

Since Tool are one of the best bands ever, and since they make new music about once every five years, I think it deserves to be a national holiday when a new Tool album is released. Ten years ago, Maynard and his band made their flawless junior album, "Aenima"; then, in 2001, they released "Lateralus," which I consider to be the best hard rock/metal album of this millennium. And now, flash forward another five years, and we have one of the most anticipated releases of 2006, Tool's fifth disc, "10,000 Days."

Call me crazy if you must, but I expected better. Each new Tool album has been better than the last one, but "10,000 Days" is the first exception to that rule. It may be because we had to wait so long for new music from these guys, or it may be that it's over 77 minutes in length, but I kind of get antsy when listening to this C.D.

"10,000 Days" continues the melodic path which Tool first chose to take on "Lateralus." So, since their last two albums have been on the progressive side, it seems this band is becoming more and more experimental, and is thus kind of ignoring their heavy side. In fact, this might be Tool's softest album. Frontman Maynard James Keenan further explores his feminine side by singing in a very limpid voice, and his lyrics are quite a bit more sensitive (maybe even religious) than usual. Plus, even though guitarist Adam Jones sprinkles on a few good riffs here and there, most of the songs are quite slow and ambient. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because all bands should evolve and change their sound, but "10,000 Days" ultimately seems like an overly long, largely anti-climactic and sometimes uneventful continuation of "Lateralus."

The album opens with two semi-heavy songs. The lead single, "Vicarious," is quite awesome. It starts out slowly before a hefty, angular, almost explosive riff is injected into the mix. The song then descends and broods before again leaping in volume a little while later. "Jambi" features crunchy, churning guitars and a cool, robotic sound effect, but it ends kind of abruptly and doesn't really seem to go anywhere.

The next three songs are very soothing and atmospheric. "Wings For Marie (Part 1)" has deep, supple, almost growly crooning by Maynard. But, unfortunately, the eleven minute long title track seems like a filler song and a "Lateralus" b-side. Track five, "The Pot," boasts impressive, clean, almost falsetto singing and prog-ish guitar strings.

"Lipan Conjuring" (which sounds Native American) and "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)" are both weird and somewhat creepy interludes. Tool had the right idea by putting the disc's shortest songs in the middle of the album like this ("10,000 Days" would probably be exhausting to listen to without these songs.)

Next, "Rosetta Stoned" sounds like Tool circa 1996 (the "Aenima" era), because it features pounding riffs and a catchy, lurching/staccato rhythm. But even though this song (and all of the heavy songs on here) sounds quite awesome, Tool insist on plunging back into melodic territory for the proceeding song. "Intension" is sort of in the same vein as "Disposition" (track ten on "Lateralus"), because it has light, dwindling strings, soft hand percussion, and gentle singing.

"Right In Two" might be the best track on this album. It is one of the few songs which actually has a memorable climax. Its big crescendo makes the song gradually become heavier, and it finishes with big, stomping, almost Meshuggah-esque power chords.

Lastly, "Viginti Tres" is a long outro which isn't worth listening to more than once because it seems like another filler song, and it goes in one ear and out the other.

"10,000 Days" is a good album (it mops the floor with the vast majority of the other music released this year). But it fails to lift the bar for Tool (it might even be Tool's weakest record), it isn't instantly or completely satisfying, and some fans will surely be disappointed with it. So, for any other band, "10,000 Days" is a very good album, but for Tool, it's a sidestep.

Also, be warned of one last thing: this album is a creeper. Having owned it for about a week before it was officially released, I know that this C.D. isn't very easy to digest, so it will thus take time (maybe several days of repeated listens) to fully absorb. But it will grow on you and sink under your skin a little more with each repeated hearing. So come prepared when listening to this disc in its entirety: be well rested, well fed, take some ADD medicine, and maybe even have a bed pan at your side.

5 out of 5 stars

Tool Return To What They Do Best - Messing With Our Minds! May 2, 2006
245 out of 324 found this review helpful

Right out the gate, "10,000 Days" is an album you just want to dislike. Take the generic title (is this a Disturbed or 3 Doors Down CD?) and combine it with the cheap artwork, and that alone reeks of mediocrity, not something expected of Tool. Take a peek inside and you'll find quite a few songs that don't really make much sense, more so than usual. True, when I took my first listen to "10,000 Days" I wasn't hooked, but as I have learned in the past, Tool takes patience. Thus, this CD will require time to settle.

The first couple songs, "Vicarious" and "Jambi" are exactly what your ears want to hear. Massive, intelligent, epic, and slightly accessible. Thus, they are instant classics. Rejoice, for if you are still coming off the high that is "Lateralus," these songs will provide a good fix. However, the album takes a quick turn for "Wings For Marie (Part 1)" which slows down the pace of the album drastically along with it's counterpart "10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)." "Lipan Conjuring" and "Lost Keys" are likewise bound to test your patience, so by the time you reach the un-musical closer, "Viginti Tres," you are ready to log online and vent your outrage at how Tool disappointed you. Relax.

Maybe it will hit you when the mood is right, maybe it won't. But that's what this album is. It took me a few listens, but I think the mood just had to be right. I had to be in the mood for an album like this. There is no other way of explaining it. I could go on and on and wax intellectually about how musically challenging and complex the song structures are and what Maynard's cryptic lyrics mean. But I'm not that kind of guy. The best I can do is tell you that "10,000 Days" is a great album. You might not see what's so good about it at first, but with time it will hit you. Just take it in small doses once or twice a week, and I guarantee, you'll appreciate it.

5 out of 5 stars

Their best work in my eyes. June 13, 2006
38 out of 43 found this review helpful

I always admired Tool for their vision and style, but until now, I never really appreciated them. Their technical perfection and creative style has never been as apparent to me as now. Some of the criticisms seem to be centered on the idea that the songs are long (wtf?) or aren't catchy jingles -- what is wrong with these critics? The title track is one of the most stellar works of music I've ever heard -- an affirmation of self-realization and a heartbreaking homage to his mother in her 27 year (10,000 day) paralysis and her eventual death. It captures imagery from mythology, religion, psychology and modern poetry to evoke the image of someone claiming their place in the universe.

I have to wonder if some of these folks are even listening to the right album. Your preference is your preference, but the repeated cries of "not like the old Tool" are pathetisad, and "too long" and "who has the time" as mental laziness. This album has blown away everything else released this year, and not just because it's Tool, but because it's beautiful.
I don't like everything they produce, and was pretty much disinterested in Lateralus...so you sheep who are blindly crying sheep based off what someone else likes should drown yourselves.

5 out of 5 stars

Beyond Lateralus? May 2, 2006
26 out of 32 found this review helpful

That is surely the question on the mind of all you Tool fans out there. Does this effort justify the 5 year hiatus after their previous effort? My answer, and I daresay yours will be as well, is that 10,000 Days is Tool's new crowning glory.

Maynard James Keenan said before this album that this piece of music came from a much more angry Tool, angry at Bush, angry at the state of politics, and by GOD, it SHOWS. Gone are the 'Eon Blue Apocalypse' interludal sojourns into softer textures, and in come juggernauts such as the 11 minute title track, the 11 minute 'Rosetta Stoned', and a smattering of 6-8 minute tracks. 'Lipan Conjuring' is the only Tool track here that clocks in at the brief span of 1:08.

Yet, these are mere facts and figures. The music here, is much more visceral than anything Tool has done in recent efforts. It has a much more direct "heavy metal" feel than the instrumental textures of both Lateralus and Aenima. I'm daring to say that Tool has got the blend perfect for a self-professed "angry album". It will have no problem sinking in with progressive and heavy metal fans, as compared with Lateralus (a much harder to digest album). Of course, SPARE the radio and mainstream pop fans PLEASE, their heads are liable to explode after the first 3 time sig changes.

10,000 Days leads off with an excellent song, Vicarious, which truly sets the tone for the entire album. Whereas MJ Keenan sounded spiritual on Lateralus, the harshly throat-voiced opening line "Eye on the TV..." is more vicious, as well as abandoning some of their more lofty intellectual lyrics, for "impact" lines, words that we all can immediately identify with. The album is finely paced, too. The propulsive metal moments of 10,000 Days pop up in the trinity of "Vicarious", "10,000 Days", and "Rosetta Stoned", all carefully timed crescendos of the album as a whole composition of music. Personally, I'd say the composition and timing of 10,000 Days surpasses even Lateralus.

Should you buy it? Absolutely. 10,000 Days might just be your most treasured album of the next ten thousand days of your life.

5 out of 5 stars

Difficult, As It Should Be May 2, 2006
26 out of 32 found this review helpful

I'll preface this review by noting that I was one of the few fans who knew about and had access to the leaked album, but opted to wait for the release. OK, maybe not quite--I was able to secure the album from a local retailer a day early. I'm glad I waited, because had I not, I might have been more likely to go in for the decoy album theory circulating on many Tool discussion boards, and would not have taken the time to appreciate the album I had in my hands.

This is not to say that I wouldn't prefer having two Tool albums to one any less than the next guy. But I think that a lot of folks out there did themselves and the band a disservice by immediately writing off _10,000 Days_ as some kind of hoax. I've read a great deal of commentary about the record in the weeks leading up to the release, and I must say that now, having heard the album, I am shocked that so many who identify as fans of this band ignored the central tenet of any new Tool album: give it time.

I still remember the first time I heard the song "Third Eye" from 1996's _Aenima_. I didn't understand what I was hearing, and it made me uncomfortable. Some of the riffs sounded familiar, there were long instrumental breaks with little discernable function, the vocals were at times far back in the mix and hard to decipher...in short, most of the complaints so many bloggers have been making about _10,000 Days_, I could have made about "Third Eye" (and much of the rest of _Aenima_) after a cursory first listen. But luckily for everyone, I didn't have access to a computer with enough memory to run much more than simple word processing software, and I certainly didn't have high-speed internet access, so I couldn't leap right to the keyboard to express my consternation and disappointment. If I had, I'd have ended up dreadfully embarrassed a few days and many listens later when I discovered I loved every difficult, meandering second of the record.

Now, I'm not one of those reviewers who believes that anyone who doesn't immediately love this album "just doesn't get it." It is possible, presumably, that one could listen to _10,000 Days_, fully digest all of its complexity, and still hate it. After all, not everyone in the world loves Tool, and while some of these people assuredly do not get it, some of them also just don't care for the band's style or the band members' quirky personalities and beliefs (Tool have beliefs?! *gasp*). That's OK.

It could also be that one fully comprehends the progression of the band on _10,000 Days_, yet doesn't think the band had any business in going to this new place and is not interested in following them there. For instance, there are probably people out there who wish the band had put out four more records just like _Opiate_. And that's OK too.

I don't think it makes any sense for me, or anyone else, to try to persuade someone who doesn't like the new album for one of those reasons. I only wish to quibble with those who identify as Tool fans and who say they embrace the progressive, transformative qualities of the band's music while bashing _10,000 Days_ as the embodiment of neither.

It is frankly very sad to read the comments from fans who are so quick to dismiss the album because they think it is A) too derivative, or B) Maynard's vocals aren't loud enough, or C) they think the segues are merely "filler," or D) they don't like the lyrical subject matter of the album. Since so many seem to hold _Aenima_ up as the standard by which Tool will be forever judged, many of these criticisms strike me as particularly odd. A quick, by no means comprehensive refutation of each:

A) The band have always been consciously self-referential--see the quiet section of "Third Eye" and tell me the guitar riff doesn't remind you of "Sober."

B) Throughout _Aenima_, the vocals are heavily processed and employed as another instrument--see the intro to "Eulogy."

C) _Aenima_ has more segues than _10,000 Days_, and guess what--in both cases, they are meant to enhance the overall mood of the record. Since when do open-minded music fans disregard anything without a steady drum beat or vocal melody as "filler"? (Incidentally, "Lost Keys" and "Intension" are two of my favorite tracks on the record).

D) This is my favorite. You take offense to Tool suddenly "telling you what to believe?" Here's news, everyone: the oft-exalted liner notes from _Aenima_ (without even beginning to mention the lyrics) are _extremely_ didactic. "Believe in nothing"? Isn't that a command?

My hunch is that many bloggers feel threatened by the lyrics on _10,000 Days_ because they suddenly feel implicated. It's OK if Maynard sings about rejecting religious dogma or investigating the principles of alchemy, because it allows all of our armchair atheists to rest comfortably in apathetic superiority while mocking the ignorant masses. But God forbid he talk about politics, because then we have to think about the ways we are all complicit in our respective governments' horrific actions. No, it's much easier to never take a stand on anything important--give us the safety of our keyboards and Tool message boards. Vicariously we live while the whole world dies.

One caveat: I've only listened to the album in full twice, and so by no means do I claim to fully understand everything the band are throwing at us. During my first listens of any album, I consciously avoid analyzing structure in favor of appreciating the raw aural experience. I'm not going to lecture anyone on the time signatures at use here, or the great fill Danny does at X time in Y song, or the subtleties of Maynard's harmonies in song Z.

What I can say is that my second listen, while still difficult, was much more rewarding than the first, and I expect my appreciation to grow exponentially with subsequent listens. The record is dense, and probably not what you were expecting, but the process of discovery is immensely gratifying (and not the sort of thing you're likely to get with many other bands). I encourage everyone who buys this album to do what they have done with every Tool album, and should do with every album, period: give it time.

Oh, and then go do something productive besides lurking on Internet message boards.

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