10,000 DAYS

It's not often these days that I plunk down hard earned cash on an album that's hot off the press, (especially with the price of gas in the states). But it's TOOL! The only prog/metal band I enjoy. I like to give an album a good 4-5 spins before I cast my judgement.....drum roll please!........On first listen, I was underwhelmed. I told this to a co-worker explaining that its a possible GOOD thing. If I liked it right out of the gate, I would probably tire of it quickly. But no, it didn't do it for me on the first spin....nor the second, third, fourth....yet on the fifth go around a few songs stuck out. I definately enjoy the first song. Track two, "Jambi" I like until the 'talk box' or as I call it, the 'Bon Jovi device' is used. So the track has now been placed low on the list. Tracks three and especially four get things back in gear in a positive way, but not until track ten, "Right In Two" do I begin hearing some thing resembling something proggy. What I'm most shock by with this disc is their tendency to drag songs out for a ending or climax that has little or no excitment. In other words, I'm bored with the balance of the album. So basically, its a meandering, anti-climatic bore with smatterings of their signature superior bass/drum and general bleak, scary weirdness. Even Maynard seems bored with the whole thing. So if he's coming across as packing it in most of the disc, where does that leave us? Good, but no where near as good as all their others.