Tool
10.000 Days

THE REVIEW

2006: After another 5, very long years, finally TOOL... And this is truly an event, ladies and gentlemen, because this is a mind-blowing band with an indispensable sonic, compositional, and vocal originality. Ecstasy of music. Pure madness. Aware of the intrinsic impossibility of dealing with the "TOOL phenomenon" in an objective manner, I anticipate that the album requires multiple listenings to fully savor its Toolian flavor... put on the CD and let yourself be taken away by the surreal atmosphere of the record.

Let's establish a point right away: "10,000 Days" is a memorable album. A noticeable stylistic-compositional variation from the masterpiece "Lateralus": less "apocalyptic" and psychedelic atmospheres (see "Vicarious" and "The Pot"), less filtered vocals, and a progressive approach with a slow and... wonderful... pace (see "Wings For Marie" and the title track).

The album begins with "Vicarious," a piece full of adrenaline that carries the listener up to the liberating chorus, superbly sung by the extraordinary Maynard James Keenan; also remarkable is "Jambi," which along with the first track, is accessible even to less Toolian listeners. Following is the emotional duo "Wings For Marie" - "10,000 Days," a blend of melody and suffering, unrest and catharsis, probably influenced by the vocal melodies experimented with by Maynard with "A Perfect Circle," which leaves me mesmerized with every new listen. "The Pot" is simply beautiful, with Maynard in the spotlight and an impeccable mix of elegance and rage. And then "Rosetta Stoned": a very complex piece that closely resembles the style of "Lateralus" and impresses in the finale with the immense Danny Carey on drums... a fabulous piece, true Toolian essence. The instrumental "Lost Keys" is the perfect prelude to the masterpiece "Right In Two": about 9 minutes of anguish, love, paranoia, with a cryptic and dark progression that explodes into a chorus divinely interpreted by Maynard, addressing the theme of separation; the instrumental and progressive interlude is splendid, enriched (like much of the album) by tribal elements, a perfect compendium of pain and anguish that leaves us, however, with a glimmer of hope. It's useless, trust me, to try and comment on the collection of "noises" in the last track "Viginti Tres": pure subjectivity. In conclusion, buy the album, 76 minutes of great music... and even the cover and interiors will surprise you... I don't think the album is comparable to "Lateralus" which remains, (and will remain), in my humble opinion, the true masterpiece that forever secured this band in history.