It's been a long wait, and we've all been patiently waiting. 5 years is a long time for any band, let alone Tool, who has given us some of (the, really) best music for the last 16 years (They started back in 1990. Aren't you impressed with my math skills? I knew I should've enrolled in Advanced Placement Statistics!) And finally, after the long wait, we've been rewarded for our patience.

First of all, just the name of the album, 10,000 Days, should be enough to know that the band is heading off into a different direction. 10,000 Days, has some of the most complex, as well as the simplest material from any Tool album. However, 10,000 Days, is also one of the best from Tool, and although many of you may scream bloody hell at me for making such a claim, 10,000 Days, is a superior album to even the almighty Lateralus (it'll take a double disc album to beat out Aenima though) and is some of the finest material that the band has ever recorded.

Surely, after a few days of this album being officially out (I didn't download the leak, so it's still pretty new to me), we've all seen the mixed results from this album. Although they mostly seem to be on the positive side (probably averaging at about a 4 star rating, as evident on the Epinions site) people haven't quite expected this. However, if you drop whatever you were expecting (Lateralus Part II maybe?) and approach 10,000 Days, with the open mind and give it the time that it deserves, you'll see the power behind this album.

In 5 years, that's a lot of time for the band to change. However, there is a strong sense of that Tool that we all know and love throughout this album, as well as some new introductions of ideas and concepts that Tool hasn't ever played around with before. One of the most notable is the more personal connection within the album. 10,000 Days, has a strong connection to Maynard James Keenan's mother (the epic being about her), her stroke (from which she was paralyzed for about 27 years, which is about 10,000 days) and her death.

That being said, 10,000 Days, is perhaps Tool's most powerful work to date, and one of the strongest albums of theirs, and probably the best thing that you are going to hear all year.

10,000 Days, is all about the experience. The band has never sounded as powerful and together as they have on this album. Adam Jones kicks his riffing and playing up another notch as he plays around with different effects, and a talk box (used on the solo in Jambi). Danny Carey is at the top of his game, and does some of the most complex work of his entire drumming career. Justin Chancellor plays his bass like there is no tomorrow, proving that he is perhaps the best bassist in the entire progressive metal scene. Maynard James Keenan plays around with some more vocal experimentations, but as always, does a great job with what he does best.

Tool also pushes the envelope on 10,000 Days, with the packaging of this album. Rather than just taking on the simple jewel case and some band photo strategy that every band has been doing for the last 10 years, 10,000 Days, is complete with two lenses for stereoscopic images and has some of the best artwork and album design that I've ever seen. Looking through those lenses and seeing a picture of Danny Carey sitting behind some books with moving fire with his arm is absolutely enhanced by seeing it with real depth. It does hurt your eyes a bit if you do it for a long time though. (You might not want to leave the album outside in the sun too long either) Alex Grey does some more work on this album, as well as doing work on Lateralus.

Production-wise, this album is well done as well, but with some minor problems, which are always present on Tool albums. (Examples include the over saturated guitar tone on Aenima, the much too thin bass guitar of Lateralus, and the often slightly too quiet vocals of 10,000 Days,) However, it's pretty good the whole way through and is constant. It has a powerful, heavy sound, which is something that the band was looking for when they were recording this album.

10,000 Days, is the bands 4th official full length album, and was released on May 2nd, 2006 (unless you were lucky enough to not live in America). It features 11 tracks and clocks in at about 76 minutes. Not quite as long as Lateralus (see the only thing I have listed as a con) and not as many "full tracks" so to speak, but the songs are longer (aside from segues, none clock in under 6 minutes) and all are very powerful.

Lyrically, there is a more personal touch to the songs. Wings for Marie and 10,000 Days (Wings Part 2) are both written about Judith Marie Keenan, and are very powerful. There seems to be a stronger theme of drugs and such (Rosetta Stoned) and such. Lyrically, this album is a lot more like Aenima than Lateralus as it once again features a strong amount of profanity (whereas Lateralus had none) and has a lot more of an angrier approach than the previous album. There is also more of a humorous and sarcastic approach that reminds me of the Opiate days that is present on the album. If Opiate was a more complex and longer EP, it might be lyrically like 10,000 Days.

So, you're wondering, what with the meat of this album? How does it sound? Will I be disappointed with I'm hearing? Obviously, I cannot answer these questions with just mere words (I suggest buying the album and listening to it for yourself before you can really get the full idea of what this amazing release has to offer) but I hope I can give you a general idea. As to answer the last question that I've just asked myself. You will LOVE 10,000 Days. If you don't like complex, powerful, and hard-hitting music that is. If you don't, there is no hope for you.

10,000 Days once again proves that Tool is a million miles ahead of everyone else in the Progressive Metal genre, and the music (meat) of the album proves why. Here a little bit to chew on

Vicarious is the album's opener, and for those of you who haven't heard the whole album yet, chances are that you've heard this on the radio. Whether it was in it's full 7 minute glory, or if your radio station was one of the ones stupid enough to dumb down to like 4 (even my radio station played all 7 minutes of it, saying that it would be a crime against nature on all levels to edit any content out of a Tool song for anything other than legal purposes), you probably heard this one. I hope you have. It's a great song, and one of the best on the album. It's not the best (nor does it fully represent the album on a whole) but it’s a sure sign to tell you that if you haven't bought the album yet, know this. TOOL IS BACK

Lyrically and musically, Vicarious is probably one of the most straight forward songs of the album. It's also one of the most complicated songs on the album. It goes through many different passages, taking on a wild ride of heavy guitar, crazy drum work, pounding bass, and beautiful vocals from Maynard.

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.

Vicarious is a great album opener, and is one of the best songs that I've heard all year. Hearing this song on the radio for the first time in all its glory was one of the best feelings that a person can have.

Next up is the song that is probably my favorite from the entire album. Jambi seems to be named after a province in Indonesia, but despite the strange title, has a powerful message, and is one of the best songs that Tool has ever written. The songs starts out with a fast, start and stop guitar riff from Adam, and Maynard jumps all over the place with vocals. The song continues to pick up and the rest of the band starts to come in playing. It continues to pick up with intensity and power as the song continues.

Jambi features Adam trying out his newest toy for his guitar. He has a talk box solo on this track, and is one of the best solos that he's ever done for a tool song. It's not one of those 4 second solos that you hear from bands on the radio. This is some well executed stuff.

Shine on forever
Shine on benevolent sun
Shine down upon the broken
Shine until the two become one

Jambi isn't the best song on the album, but musically, it's everything that I could ever want from a song. If the band had only released this song and we were still waiting for the rest of the album to arrive, I would not be disappointed.

The next track is the beginning of the 17 minute epic that includes the title track. Wings for Marie is much softer, and sort of introduces us to the concept of the song and the next song. It is a very powerful and emotional track. It climbs up and up, and explodes as the song reaches its end. It fades out with the sound of a gong, and heads into the most powerful song that Tool has ever written.

10,000 Days (Wings Part 2) is also a softer track for the most part, but with stronger dynamics than the previous introduction to it. Be warned, for those of you who have trouble with the longer Tool songs. This one is 11 minutes long and isn't as energetic as longer songs in the past (such as The Grudge for example) but it still just as equally awesome.

The song builds up and goes through different movements of complexity and such as the song goes on. It has a wonderful melody to it, and it takes over you. The emotions of the song are so powerful, and puts anything else that bands that are not Tool who try to do this kind of thing to shame. It's just simply a powerful song, and it's extremely hard to describe with just words. When you listen to the album, prepare to be enchanted when you reach this song.

"I have come home now!
Fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father
Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended.
It's time now!
My time now!
Give me my, give me my wings!"

The Pot despite the slightly cheesy name (yes, it does reference to drugs) is another great track. It starts out with Maynard singing up in the higher register, and will give you some strange ideas at first. However, the song then goes on with a powerful bass line and is one of the angriest on the entire album.

Essentially, the song is based around the idea of the kettle calling the pot black. It's not a phrase that I had ever heard before, but essentially (for those of you confused by it too) it's about hypocrisy. It's about those who complain and accuse people of things that they themselves are doing. It's like Hooker with a Penis but with a new kind of power behind it. This is another song that does not disappoint.

Who are you to wave your finger?
You must have been out your head
Eyehole deep in muddy waters
You practically raised the dead

Lipan Conjuring is the first "segue" of sorts. It's about a minute long, and is sort of like something that you might hear on the discovery channel on a program about native Americans. It's vocals that remind me of the sort, and they are done by someone who isn't Maynard as well. It's an interesting segue of sorts, and of is a nice break to the intensity and complexity of it all.

Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman) isn't exactly a segue, as much as it is an introduction into the next track. It starts off with Adam playing a short and simple riff on his guitar. Then two voices come in, playing out the role of a nurse and a doctor. They are talking about a patient who has come in (apparently on drugs or something) and saying that he isn't responding to anything. The doctor then speaks directly to the patient, telling him that it is a safe place to tell them whatever has happened.

That's when hell breaks loose. Rosetta Stoned kicks in with some crazy feedback (reminds me of the opening of Part of Me actually) and kicks into an 11 minute epic that is as powerful as 10,000 Days but with an emphasis on the heavy and intense.

Rosetta Stoned has a lot to do with aliens, and the song starts out with Maynard talking through a megaphone with some crazy fast speed on it. It's about aliens and such, and the song seems to be about an acid trip and aliens and such connections. This song is probably the band's most offensive since Hooker, but is more focused like Third Eye. It's a fast paced, heavy, and intense song. The drums go crazy as the song jumps around all over the place. Maynard places around with some new vocal styles, and there is some crazy harmonies and such going around as the song continues.

Lyrically, this song shows some of that sarcasm and humor that brings us back to the Opiate days. This is some crazy stuff.

So alive in this way
Like an apparition
You have me crying out
F*ck me
It's got to be
Dead head
Chemistry
The blotter got
On top of me
Got me seeing
E mother-f*cking T

You might not like it at first (it took me a few listens to take it all in) but it's a song that is absolutely insane and powerful. I love what Tool has done with it!

Intension is a much softer track than the last, and takes a bit of getting used to as well. It isn't as dynamic, but it’s moving.

There have been some comparisons between this track and Disposition. It does share some similarities with the mentioned song, but has much more of a personal touch and is more of a complete song.

In this song, Danny Carey plays around some with some electronic drum stuff, and the song gets pretty crazy (crazy awesome) as it goes on. It's another song that cannot be described with simple words, such just let your ears do the talking.

Pure as we begin
Here we have a stone
Throw to stay the stranger
Swore to crush his bones

Right In Two, despite not being as long as 10,000 Days or Rosetta Stoned, but it is essentially the full, final epic of the album. It sums up everything musically and conceptually about this album. It is another beautiful song, and has some very intense moments throughout it.

Angels on the sideline,
Baffled and confused.
Father blessed them all with reason,
And this is what they choose?

Right In Two is without a doubt, the best song on the album. You should take a stab at it when you buy the album (or if you already have, listen to it again. You'll know what I mean)

Viginti Tres works like the ending track of Lateralus but is more of a calming thing, rather than a bringer of fear. It's a five minute track of what appears to be a machine of some sort. I don't really understand it, but it works well as an ending.

I hope you've gotten the idea of what this album is like. Obviously I cannot tell you everything about it without having you hear it first. If you've already heard it, you'll know already how awesome it is. If you don't like it, well, then you are just weird.

10,000 Days is an album that you NEED. The best release from the past 5 years for sure.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening