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 Post subject: Year In Review: Tool - 10,000 Days (21A)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:01 am 
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Average Metacritic score 68 (19 reviews):

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... q9zcu4a~T1

Tool
10,000 Days (Volcano)
US release date: 02 May 2006
Rating: 80 (4 Stars):

by Rob Theakston

In an age where major labels dictate that new releases from bands appear on record store shelves every 18 months or so, rare is the artist given freedom and ability to reflect and stretch out to explore creative evolution and release music as an artist, rather than the prepackaged predictability of an entertainer. Thankfully, Tool has somehow managed to circumvent these rituals, releasing a record every four to five years as they so feel the need. This ability to patiently craft their musical direction has paid off for not only the band, but for listeners, as they've been able to expand their musical vocabulary from album to album with great precision, all the while remaining true to the foundations that built such a loyal, if not cult-like, following. But with this absence comes changes to the popular music landscape, as new bands and sounds (as well as a new generation of heavy metal fans to entertain) replace and stimulate the charts. Namely: a lot can happen in five years, especially with a fickle rock audience that is overinundated with constant new bands' songs. The group defied expectations (and even got radio airplay) with Lateralus, but would fans stick with them during the hiatus? There were moments when Maynard James Keenan would emerge courtesy of A Perfect Circle, and there were also several stunning video DVDs to pacify while 10,000 Days was being written, along with cryptic messages via their website, but that was about it.

Thankfully, 10,000 Days was worth the labor pains and wait to deliver. It's not only a step forward for the band, but a re-embracing of the epic-length rock songs found at the roots of early heavy metal. The album starts out with "Vicarious," which features some of Maynard's most straightforward lyrics since Ænema's "Hooker with a Penis." Essentially a biting commentary on reality television, information stimulus overload, and living through others' experiences, it's only a brief glimpse of what's to come, as 10,000 Days also offers some of Keenan's most confessional lyrics. The 17-minute epic "Wings for Marie/10,000 Days" is an ode to his mother, who passed away during the band's hiatus after dealing with paralysis from a stroke for 27 years. In a way, it's voyeuristic to listen to someone working out family issues on disc, but Keenan does it in a way that's sensitive and honest without ever treading the careful line between melodrama and sincerity. Most of the songs are a bit long in the tooth when compared to most metal songs these days, but then again, Tool isn't exactly just another band, either. With most songs clocking in over six minutes, the exercises in songwriting wouldn't work as well with any other band. But when you have such high-caliber musicianship as Danny Carey and Adam Jones anchoring drums and guitar, respectively, it's hard to make a wrong turn. The anger that served as fuel for some of their greatest works has been replaced with calmer and more introspective moments as they patiently work out rhythm and melodic passages from one theme to the next. That's not to say the anger isn't still there; it does check in from song to song, but like most of Tool's fan base that has stuck with them through their first recordings, the group has evolved beyond that stage and has moved on to new concepts to explore. So depending upon which Tool you are looking for, you're either going to love or hate 10,000 Days. If it's the hard-driving band with an intellectually driven existential anger and fits of Hot Topic-laden angst, they've fled for other pastures (probably to Arizona Bay). But if you're looking for the Tool whose passion and introspection is complemented by intense emotion, brutal honesty, and musical maturity, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better metal album in 2006.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:07 am 
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I liked this album initially, but I haven't listened to it since July. The Pot is a great song.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:30 am 
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I loved this album when I first bought it, played it over and over again. Then it got tiresome with those interludes, instrumental breaks and total filler that upsets the flow of the album. Some really great songs are on here but a bunch of garbage as well. Might make my top 20?

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:47 am 
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Bee OK Wrote:
I loved this album when I first bought it, played it over and over again. Then it got tiresome with those interludes, instrumental breaks and total filler that upsets the flow of the album. Some really great songs are on here but a bunch of garbage as well. Might make my top 20?


Yeah, I agree with the filler. Something Tool has been known for, but on this album it just seems completely useless. A 5 minute track at the end of the album of nothing but noise? Who listens to that more than once?


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:48 am 
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wasn't there a thread on this already? i remember mentioning that tool's been slipping into just another alt-rock band ever since a perfect circle started up. meh.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:50 am 
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paladisiac Wrote:
wasn't there a thread on this already?


I think there have already been threads on pretty much every album discussed in "Year in Review." We're reviewing.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:53 am 
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thisotherkingdom Wrote:
A 5 minute track at the end of the album of nothing but noise? Who listens to that more than once?


Yeah, I forgot about that because I haven't been able to finish this album the last few times I played it. One of the worst ending to an album in the history of rock.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:58 am 
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thisotherkingdom Wrote:
paladisiac Wrote:
wasn't there a thread on this already?


I think there have already been threads on pretty much every album discussed in "Year in Review." We're reviewing.


i meant recently, like in the last week.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:00 am 
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i'm pretty much over them.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:02 am 
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Bee OK Wrote:
I loved this album when I first bought it, played it over and over again. Then it got tiresome with those interludes, instrumental breaks and total filler that upsets the flow of the album. Some really great songs are on here but a bunch of garbage as well. Might make my top 20?


every one of their albums has that awful filler. however, the songs are bad to the bone. love this album. :rawk:


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:05 am 
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paladisiac Wrote:
thisotherkingdom Wrote:
paladisiac Wrote:
wasn't there a thread on this already?


I think there have already been threads on pretty much every album discussed in "Year in Review." We're reviewing.


i meant recently, like in the last week.


Oh, my bad. I must've missed that one.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:08 am 
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paladisiac Wrote:
i meant recently, like in the last week.


nope, maybe something inside a thread but no new tool thread.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:53 am 
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They do the weird shit because they can, and you know what (if any) of it should be taken seriously based on what they play live. The "Rosetta Stone" prequel works despite the nurse's horrendous voice acting and is played live without vox to great effect.

Like Saint, I ignore the end-of-album stuff and judge the album based on the proper songs. I know how biased I am, but I have yet to an album this year with seven songs that stack up to this album's first five tracks, Rosetta Stoned, and Right in Two. On that basis, this is my #1 of the year.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:56 am 
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adolf hipster Wrote:
i'm pretty much over them.

This album killed my interest in them. Loved it the first few times, then couldn't listen to it anymore - pretty much the same reaction some others above me had. I know these guys have a sense of humor and all, but they also seem extremely full of themselves with all this "hidden meaning" bullshit they try to pull off lately. It seems more like they're pandering to the simple-minded teenagers who fall for that crap than creating lasting, meaningful music anymore.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 1:20 pm 
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The Mayor of Simpleton Wrote:
adolf hipster Wrote:
i'm pretty much over them.

This album killed my interest in them.

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