Music Banter - Tool- 10,000 Days

Tool
10,000 Days
Tool Dissectional/Volcano Entertainment
May 2, 2006
75:50
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-10000Days.jpg
So by now you should easily have figured out by my Username and my posts that I am a Tool fan, no not just fan, I'm a Tool fanatic and I am willing to admit that. Tool is by far the biggest influence on me ever since I've been listening to music and I will defend them to the end, I understand Tool is one of those bands you either love or you just don't and in no way do I push my love of Tool on anyone, this is a critical review of their album and I want to keep it that way.

So here we go, time to swing on the spiral! Tool has evolved from their 1992 EP Opiate to their most recent album released in 2006, 10,000 Days, both musically, dynamically, and lyrically. 10,000 Days is as much as a personal album for Maynard James Keenan as it is a progressive evolution for the other members of the band, as Maynard lets loose with the more rawness and emotion than on any other album, Danny, Justin, and Adam show how well they feel off each other while showing their own individual skills.

10,000 Days kicks off with "Vicarious" a loud and dynamic song dealing with America's obsession with television, violence, and tragedy. The music itself reminds me of Lateralus' "The Grudge,"(which isn't a bad thing or a good thing) it starts off with Adam Jones playing which starts off rythmically and builds into a crescendo with Danny and Justin all played in a 5/4 signature. Maynard convicts us as listeners with the lyric "Cause I need to watch things die / From a distance / Vicariously, I live while the whole world dies / You all need it too, don’t lie." "Jambi" has some of Danny's best drumming and is followed with some of Jone's heaviest playing ever, combine that with deep bass playing from Justin and the most unique vocals by Maynard and you've got one of the best songs on the album. Jones' talkbox solo come as a bit of a suprise to many Tool listeners, but its fresh and not overdone.

"10,000 Days (Pt. 1&2)" really are the most emotional and personal tracks on the album as Maynard narrates his feelings of his mother's fate. These tracks are epic and can be compared to "Third Eye" in its length, but "10,000 Days" beats it out in its entirity. Pt.1 is a slow precursor, building for Pt.2. It did take me awhile to really listen and enjoy this song as it starts off so slow, underlined by storms from Heaven, and looming "background music." Maynard's lyrics really drive this song home, when the song begins to build at the 5 minute mark and he sings, "Set as I am in my ways and my arrogance/ (With the) burden of proof tossed upon the believers/ you were my witness, my eyes, my evidence/ Judith Marie, unconditional one." Which really shows how much he loved his mother and how he stands by his beliefs, it is the most moving song on the album, a tour de force if you will.

"The Pot" is a really "groovy" track if you may, Justin displays the best playing of his career (besides "Forty-Six & Two) and Maynard shows dynamic range. "Lipan Conjuring" a somewhat segue if you may leads into "Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)" which is another segue building up for the most ****ed up song on the album, "Rosetta Stoned." "Rosetta Stoned" fuses a driving progression of distorted guitars, intense perscussion skills, and chaotic singing. Its one of those cool cluster****s of a song with some of the coolest lyrics on the album. "Intension" and "Viginti Tres" were two songs that seemed somewhat out of place on the album, feeling like dopplegangers of "Disposition" and "(-) Ions" "Right In Two" deals with religion and trying to answer religious questions with religion itself, the breakdown at the 5:20 mark build into a fantastic orgy of music mixed with the heaviness in just the right dose."

10,000 Days is truly a remarkable album, unfolding some of Tool's most emotional music, but personally it doesn't rank with Ænima or Lateralus but it definitely shows that Tool is still going strong.

Rating: 8.5 stars out of 10
Key Track(s):
"Jambi"
"10,000 Days (Pt. 1&2)
"Rosetta Stoned"
"Right In Two"