10,000 DAYS

5 years after the acclaimed Lateralus, Tool presents 10,000 days, an album that without reaching the compositional or musical levels of the previous album, leaves us excellent songs and that to this day continue to form a fundamental part of their live concerts. Two approaches have been mentioned regarding the origin of the album title, one is that the mother of singer Maynard James Keenan suffered a brain aneurysm that had her prostrate approximately 27 years (almost 10,000 days) before dying in 2003, and the other that has to do with the time it takes Saturn to orbit (a little closer to 11,000 days), and the opportunity that time gives humans to transform and leave behind behaviors that do not allow it to develop to have a fuller life .

As for the musical aspect, we find fundamental songs that are part of the indelible seal of Tool, starting with the powerful Vicarius, a criticism of the insensitivity of society to the mountain of violent and dark news to which the newscasts constantly subject people. An excellent song, followed by the no less powerful Jambi, which shows the influence of the Swedish extreme progressive metal group Messhuggah on Adam Jones' riffs, after previously sharing touring together.

They are followed by Wings for Marie part 1 and 2, composed in gratitude to Keenan's mother, Judith Marie, previously mentioned,. Part 1 is very heartfelt and has excellent musical content, which has an extraordinary moment in its development when both Carey on drums and Jones on guitars make it in seconds that the calm and dense song enters a tumultuous roller coaster for then return to its resting state. In my opinion the second part doesn't add much more to the first, being extensive and monotonous at times.

Then The Pot, excellent song, trademark of the group, where we find an impeccable presentation of bassist Justin Chancellor, with a wide variety of effects that at times can confuse the bass with the sounds of a guitar (wah-wah, delay, among others).

Lipan Conjuring, is one of the usual interludes in Tool, but they don't add points to the album in musical terms, like Intension and Viginti Tres, in my opinion without much relevance and dispensable.

Then we found again a very good song of more than 11 minutes (Rosetta Stoned), and a long introduction (Lost Keys- Blame Hofmann) of almost 4 minutes, dramatic and very well done. It is the apparent journey under the influence of LSD of a patient, who talks in the introduction with his doctor and nurse, and refers to the discoverer of the hallucinogen, Albert Hofmann. ' Right in Two, the last great song on the album, is in the same vein as The Pot and Jambi, and reflects on the good and the bad of the human being and on the unpredictability and volatility of their actions.

In general lines a very good album, perhaps a little step behind the Lateralus. After 10,000 Days, Tool took over 13 very long years for its next and long-awaited Fear Inoculum.