FEAR INOCULUM

After waiting a decade+ and being a tool fan since 92/93 i can honestly say i am overly satisfied with this album. I personally don't think there is a bad track on the album. Tool did a fantastic job with this and I think they should be proud. It's the Tool we've all grown to love, but matured more and evolving in to something more.

Pneuma is a slower, mostly instrumental song that reminds me of Schism. The last 3 minutes of the song get pretty heavy and very beautiful. It's an amazing build up and release.

Invincible is another relatively slow song for the first half that gets a bit heavier after the halfway point. This song is like an anthem for a field trip to space. Maynard and Adam sound phenomenal on this song, holy shit; goosebumps. The end of this song kicks so much ass.

Descending sets the mood with a minute long intro of ambiance, making you feel like you're on a stormy beach before Adam comes in with his beautiful guitar, followed by Maynard who makes you feel like his voice is carrying you to peace. His voice throughout this song sounds different and new. There are parts of this song that remind me of the Undertow album. Adam's solo halfway through the song was very sweet and setup a terrific, atmospheric, heavier second half. It ends with the same ambiance from the beginning, making the song feel as if were you in the eye of the storm for 13 minutes. Unfortunately, this is a song I didn't really like and won't be adding to my mega playlist. If the whole song was more like the second half, I'd love it.

Culling Voices starts with a building synth that leads in to a simple guitar intro, reminiscent of Hypnotize (song) by System of a Down. The first half of the song is slower and beautiful, with no sign of Danny. When Danny finally enters the fray, the song begins to build to an all inclusive finale, with Maynard repeating "Don't you dare point that at me", becoming more aggressive with each repeat. It's a great song, but one of the more simple, possibly weaker songs of the album.

Chocolate Chip Trip has a creepy vibe to it as the sound slowly pans around your head. It kind of reminds me of the intro to Tattered & Torn by Slipknot. It leads in to an electric drone ambiance sounding section, that syncs with panning congo sounding drums that lead in to a Danny Carey drum solo. A strange song with an average sounding drum solo. I won't be adding this to the mega playlist.

7empest has a soft intro that leads in to a very metal opening riff and then exploding in to the song itself; the intro is the only respite this nearly 16 minute song provides you. This is easily the heaviest song on the album, sounding like a mix of the Undertow and Aenima albums. Around 10 minutes on, starting with the breakdown, this song rips so much fucking ass and is so heavy and incredible. The last 5 minutes are just....wow...breathtaking and emotional. I wish it didn't end.