10,000 DAYS

First things first, this is my first Tool album, so I come into reviewing and listening to this CD completely unbiased. Secondly, these are initial album impressions after a limited number of CD spins (bout 5), so review should be taken with a grain of salt.

One word: Wow. I had always taken Tool as being in the nu-metal crowd with Mudvayne, Fear Factory, and other such pathetic music. Upon noticing that Lateralus seemed to be rather revered in prog-metal circles, I decided to give this popular band a listen. What better way to start off than to pick up their new album, 10,000 days? I was not dissapointed, and in fact was pretty much floored from beginning to end of this wonderful album.

Vicarious - Awesome opener, one of the strongest tracks on the album. Tool plays in 5/4 time as if it was 4/4, which is really amazing. Being a drummer, I am completely in awe of Danny Carey, what wonderful polyrhythms he is able to pull off! The vocals are highly distorted and somewhat subdued in the mix, but the feeling is great. Also contains probably the best chorus on the album ("I need to watch things die...")

Jambi - This one took a little longer to get into. Initially seeming to have the same chugging guitar for its entire 7+ minutes, layers of guitar melodies are revealed with repeated listening. The vocals are really well done on this song and the groove is very creative and unique.

Wings for Marie - Effective opener to 10,000 days. Probably a weaker track of the album, but it is meant as an intro and not as a full fledged song, and in this context it suits its purpose. The guitar is very dreamy and vocals are haunting throughout. Leads into...

10,000 Days (Wings Part II) - The first big statement of the album. An extremely emotional mood piece, and despite it's 11 minute length, the mood and feel of the song remains the same throughout. A fantastic tension-filled build-up reaches its peak a little past the halfway point, and boy is that build up and climax totally awesome! After some guitar noodling and powerful melodies (but oddly, no heavy riffing), the song returns to where it began. Probably my favorite song on the album (so far).

The Pot - Second favorite song. The groove is so kick-ass in this, with the bass line providing a very punchy foundation to the excellent high vocals of Maynard. This is my favorite vocal performance on the album, and the energy in this song is unmatched throughout the album. Excellent

Lipan Conjuring - Kind of a throwaway filler-dity, with some strange chanting and ethnic percussion. Fits in with the flow of the album though.

Lost Keys (Blame Hofman)/ Rosetta Stoned - I do not consider Lost Keys to be a stand alone song, nor is it filler; it is essential to understanding the whole concept of Rosetta Stoned, and thus these two songs create one 14 minute epic song. A lot harder to 'get' than the 10,000 Days, but ultimately more rewarding in the end. I still haven't completely grasped this song, but I can say that something new reveals itself after each listen. It's complicated, havey-guitar oriented soun contrats with 10,000 days lighter, tension-filled approach

Intension - A very soft, atmospheric song, much like Wings for Marie. Some cool percussion, too, but perhaps overstays its over 7-minute running length. Still, some cool melodies and very emotionally moving.

Right in Two - The last big statement of the album, 9 minutes featuring all the best Tool trademarks, including soft sections, heavy riffing, and awesome melodies.Great ending to the album.

Viginti Tres - Pretty much a throwaway 'song' with some ambient noises and moods thrown around; however, this is essential in the grand scheme of the album to bring the whole concept to a close.

Musically speaking, the album contains roughly 70 minutes worth of amazing music and only about 5 minutes of 'filler,' so that music thus can barely be taken into account considering the album as a whole.

I must also say a thing about the packaging. Much more than juts a gimmick, the incredible box art and included glasses really add to the experiance of the album, and hopefully should discourage illegal downloading of the album. The full 10,000 days experiance is not completel without the mysterious box art to go with it. Apparently, there are some secret messages within the pictures as well, but the Toll website won't allude any more than this.

I'll give this amazing album 5 starsfor 70 minutes of amazing prog-metal. I can see why these guys are very popular and set the benchmark for modern progressive metal. Much better than any Dream Theater record, anyways.