10,000 DAYS

I do not understand why Aenima is ranked much higher than this album. Aenima is an essential, amazing album not just in prog but in the music scene in general; however, this album is a lot more "progressive" so I do not understand why it is ranked lower here. On top of that, I find it more enjoyable, much more melodic, more mature and still very fun. I give it a 4.5 rounding off to five stars because it's the best of Lateralus meeting the best of Aenima, although there are definitely a few small flaws.

We begin with Vicarious, which starts with a psychedelic opening, and then we are assured a bit later that this is classic Tool. Danny totally murders the drums as usual, with grace and power. The bass is prominent and marvelous, it really gets in you. And of course the "riffage" is powerful and fun. The vocal melodies are beautiful and help deliver the great message in the lyrics, also providing a nice contrast with the heaviness of the track. This is solid, great, and even somewhat poppy Tool, even though the majority of the song is in 5/4. Enjoy the explosive ending.

The next track is even better, with some fun wordplay. The lyrics are beautiful and there is no singer who can do them justice like Maynard. This track uses cross time-signatures and it sounds great. There are some great abrupt changes, like when the bass takes over about a minute in, after an insane drum fill. It goes from really heavy to psychedelic and beautiful. Check out that awesome, unique guitar solo.

Now comes the 17 minute epic, which offers some great variety after two classic, poppy Tool tracks. This is the most personal Tool ever gets. Maynard writes his best lyrics, and the music is somewhat upbeat and depressing, sad yet slightly uplifting. It starts with a kinda slow, ambient prologue, Wings for Marie, and then segues into 10,000 Days. The guitar solo with the faster 12/8 bass section during the last five minutes of this track could go on forever...that's how moving and beautiful this music is. Almost remniscient of Pink Floyd, just heavier.

And then something completely different, which is why this album is a masterpiece: a lot of variety, the best Tool has ever offered us. The Pot is a fun track in the vein of Aenima. It's classic angry Tool, but better than ever. That catchy yet ultra-complex bassline is golden, as is the rest of the song. Pure fun to be had here.

The next track is psychedelic and ambient, and frankly, weird. It segues into another one of these where you hear some strange dialogue from a doctor and a nurse who can't tell if a patient is alive or not...and then you get ANOTHER epic, Rosetta Stoned.

This song is a flawless masterpiece, combining the best of Tool's career into one cohesive effort. It is a labyrinth of sound that includes funny yet still sad and powerful lyrics (kinda Frank Zappa-like). The time signatures change every phase almost, that's why this is like a labrynth of sound. You easily get lost, but because the song is so much fun to be in, you don't care. The lyrics however have a powerful message, if you're into deciphering that. There is virtuoso playing throughout, amazing and varied delivery of the vocals, and it's just a masterpiece track. Listen to this.

Afterwards we get the soothing and ambient Intension, a nice break to set us up for the final epic: Right in Two.

Right in Two is probably my favorite Tool track ever. It is emotional, powerful, and again uses everything they do best. The lyrics are powerful, and eye-opening. Every musician is top-notch, and there is something quite amazing I like to think about the time signature. Seeing as 3/4 is a harmonious time signature, waltz-like in nature, this song kind of destroys that with 11/4 or 11/8. It plays a waltz-like pattern for three bars and then it is SPLIT RIGHT IN TWO. It only augments the lyrics and the rest of the music. It comes with an explosive ending and it's over before you realize 9 minutes are even gone.

Unfortunately the last track is pretty boring, just ambience that goes on too long. But it's there for a reason. It's part of a "secret track." Combine it with another song here that will match the length of one of the three epics, and then play the epic and the combined result at the same time for a secret track. Have fun finding it!

Overall this is an amazing album, I can't believe it's not ranked more highly at at least four stars.

The mind-blowingly insane: the ending of Right in Two The mind-blowingly beautiful: the psychedelic bliss of 10000 days The mind-blowingly unexpected: the many turns of Rosetta Stoned