For a multitude of reasons, same name songs always have a way of intriguing me. Ever since I started this topic, I try to find same name songs that are on opposite sides of the spectrum to compare. There is never truly a right answer which makes it all the more fun. The preference part is what I’m most interested in. With that in mind, I present to you the song name “Parabola” by Jawbreaker and by Tool. Which one do you prefer?
Jawbreaker- Parabola:
Tool- Parabola:
During this age of quarantine, there is a lot of free time on musicians hands. Some are being very productive with writing new records and experimenting with new things. One of the things I’ve noticed is there is a huge flood of covers being done. A lot of them however are pretty meh and bland but, thankfully there is the people at Two Minutes To Late Night to save the day. Most recently, they conjured up a pretty impressive set of players to cover the Rush song “Anthem.” I’m not a big Rush fan but, this was too damn good not to share. Also if you haven’t seen the Rush documentary (I believe it’s still streaming on Netflix) you should check it out. It’s quite good. Anyways, this cover features Danny Carey of Tool on drums, Bill Kelliher of Mastodon on guitar, Les Claypool of Primus on bass, Stephen Brodsky of Cave In/Mutoid Man on guitar, Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall) on guitar and Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria on vocals. What a killer job they did on this. Enjoy!
Tool’s new album is one of the most anticipated albums ever. The drama and hype surrounding this album have been astounding. Even the rumors about this album have given it all sorts of life before anyone even heard a single note. Finally, after 13 years of waiting, the long anticipated album has arrived. The big question though is, was it worth the wait? Well, in the next few minutes of you reading this, you will get my opinion on that.
I still remember hearing Tool for the first time and thinking this was really cool. The first song I ever heard was “Sober” and the video was pretty stimulating to watch. Undertow was obtained a few days later and after that I was hooked. When Aenima was released that changed everything. That album is a masterpiece straight up. Then 5 years after that, Lateralus was unleashed on the world and that left one hell of a lasting impression on everyone. 10,000 Days though, was a record though that took a long long long time to really get into but, one it finally clicked, it made sense. Especially the song “Right In Two.”
Now here we are, thirteen years removed from 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum has finally arrived. The thing is though, was 13 years too long? Yes, yes it was. Allow me to further explain. When a band takes this long to release an album, one would expect the record to be truly masterful, evolved and takes things to another level. Each song on Fear Inoculum feels as though it was obsessed over, torn down and rebuilt to try and create a substantial song but, that amount of detail and agonizing over has provided a bloated sense that these songs are more than just a glorified wank fest. Instead, what was released was a self indulgent piece of art that is so wrapped up in its own ego that it’s truly hard to really get to the nitty gritty of what is there. It’s not that the album isn’t good, it is, it’s just that this album is drab and feels uninspired. I’m all for long songs. I love listening to an album that really takes you on a journey. This album however, only takes me on a journey to fall asleep.
That’s not to say there aren’t moments of brilliance on this album. The odd time signatures are aplenty and the Tool sound is ever prevalent. The song everyone seems to be so jazzed about is “7empest.” That song if you were to really cut the fat out of it has the potential to be one of the most legendary Tool songs in their catalog. That song really has some defining moments for the record. Fear Inoculum is definitely an album that, with the right amount of patience and time, one can come to really enjoy. This is not a casual listen type of album. As with every Tool album, there is a depth to it that takes time to unravel and decipher. This album not only has those elements but there also seems to be another level that they went to that isn’t quite easy to digest. Among the other gripes I have with the album is Maynard’s vocals. It’s as though his vocals were just placed in spots without the right amount of attention needed to truly highlight the singer. All the time spent working on the actual music and not having Maynard in the room really takes away from what this album could have been. Danny Carey is truly a drum champion but, even his parts on this album just like guitarist Adam Jones, tends to go on and one a bit too long and tend to drone on with no end point. That’s not to say they aren’t good at what they do, they just needed to reign it in a bit more and be more concise about the length of parts. My other issue is not having enough moments for Justin Chancellor to shine. On the previous couple albums, Justin had been at the forefront of many of the songs but, on this one he too seems to have taken a back seat and because of that, the album loses a bit of the aura it should have with Justin’s bass tone and playing. The production on the album though is stellar. Sonically it does sound good and it’s mixed very well.
As I mentioned above, it’s not that this album isn’t good, it is but, it’s just rather drab and boring. I know there are a ton of you out there that think this is the be all end all of albums in 2019 but, it’s really just hype. After 13 years, this is the best that they could do? Maynard was even quoted in a recent interview that the album could have been released 8 years ago. I will continue to go back to this album and see if my mind changes about it. I’ve listened quite a few times and even with each listen, I still find myself wanting to reach for a pillow and just drift off to sleep. One other thing, I do find it quite interesting that both the Tool and A Perfect Circle albums have been quite underwhelming. Is it possible that after all this time both bands have lost the fire that once drove them?
Overall Rating: B-
Tool- Fear Inoculum:
The first song officially released from Tool’s LONG AWAITED new album, Fear Inoculum, is finally here. The band has decided to release the title track from the album as the first offering. All I will say about this is it’s very much a Tool song.
Tool- Fear Inoculum:
Maynard James Keenan of Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer is one of the most eclectic musicians/performers around these days. In addition to his music, wine making, and books, Maynard has been known to dabble a bit in film and TV. The following are a few of the times you might have seen Maynard on screen.
Crank 2 High Voltage:
Comedy Bang Bang:
Mr Show:
Bikini Bandits:
Sleeping Dogs Lie (short film):
Back in 1993 there was a movie that came out that was pretty mediocre but the soundtrack was an absolute beast. I’m talking about Judgement Night. The movie had Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr, Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff and the great Denis Leary. The movie is less than memorable, though Denis Leary plays one hell of a bad guy. The soundtrack though became a cult classic and really was instrumental in bringing hip-hop and rock/metal together. Collaborations like Helmet and House of Pain, Biohazard and Onyx, Living Colour and Run DMC, Slayer and Ice-T really stood out as the go to tracks. Then there were others that were quite interesting like Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill, Dinosaur Jr and Del The Funky Homosapien. All in all this soundtrack was badass. There was even a collaboration between Tool and Rage Against The Machine but, neither band was happy with the end result so it didn’t make the album.
Judgement Night Soundtrack:
Tool and Rage Against The Machine- Can’t Kill The Revolution:
The A to Z list continues to find the top ten bands/artists in the alphabet. T is upon us and needs help to complete the list.
As usual your suggestions are wanted in completing this list.
These are in no particular order as well.
01) Type O Negative
02) Thrice
03) T Rex
04) Tool
05) Thin Lizzy
06) Traveling Wilburys
07) Temple Of The Dog
08)
09)
10)
2016 was a great year for music. So many great albums were released. I’ve mentioned this before, but I really think that in ten years, 2016 will be looked back on as a great year for music.
So as 2017 is right around the corner, here are my most anticipated albums for the new year.
With Our Arms To The Sun- Orenda
AFI- AFI (The Blood Album)
Black Map- In Droves
Code Orange- Forever
Marilyn Manson- Say10
Mastodon
Wear Your Wounds
Stone Sour
The Black Queen?
Alice In Chains?
Soundgarden
Corrosion Of Conformity
A Perfect Circle?
Tool?
Royal Thunder
Royal Blood
The Cure?
Brand New?
Nothing More
Wild Throne
Incubus
Cold
L.A. Guns with Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns
Will Haven
Less Art
Cult Leader
Killer Be Killed?
He Whose Ox Is Gored
Spirit In The Room
Depeche Mode
Rammstein
Here Lies The Hero
Today I thought I’d write about Tool. I’m getting impatient waiting for them to release a new album. I spent some time looking at their set lists that they have been playing and it got me thinking that I should make up my own [said with a ton of echo] “Ultimate Set List.” This feature has become one of my absolute favorites to do and I love seeing what your responses are and set lists you all come up with.
So, what would be your Ultimate Tool Set List?
As usual here are the rules:
Rule 1: What line up of the band would it be
Rule 2: Where would you want to see the show
Rule 3: maximum 25 songs
Lineup: Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey, Adam Jones, Justin Chancellor
Venue: Forum
Set List:
01) The Grudge
02) Parabola
03) Intolerance
04) Vicarious
05) Bottom (with Special Guest: Henry Rollins)
06) Part Of Me
07) Prison Sex
08) Eulogy
09) Sober
10) Jimmy
11) Crawl Away
12) Forty Six & 2
13) Sweat
14) Rosetta Stoned
15) Aenema
16) Lateralus
17) Right In Two
18) Schism
Encore:
19) Cold and Ugly
20) Flood
21) Jambi
22) Stinkfist
Henry Rollins is one of the most influential punk rock singers ever. His work with Black Flag is legendary and his own band Rollins Band is tremendous especially the album Weight. I was thinking I know Henry has guested on a bunch of songs over the years so why not share that with you all.
Tool- Bottom:
Tony Iommi- Laughing Man In A Devil Mask:
Iggy Pop- Wild America:
William Shatner- I Can’t Get Behind That:
Misfits- We Are 138:
audioeclectica 