10,000 DAYS

I would really have rather given this album 4.5 stars, as I feel the only way it suffers is from a lack of any raw diversity between tracks, but the transitioning on this album helps cover it up amazingly. The riffs on this album are very instigating and repetitive (but never get boring in any way). As on any other great Tool release, this is an album that you throw on and get lost in with some of the most stunning drumming, production, and methematical riffing I've heard from any artist in the prog genre. The climatic harmonies that build up near the end of most of these long songs are truly moving, and the sometimes bizarre, yet brilliantly truthful lyrics really get you thinkin. Although at first it all sounds the same, this onion just keeps peelin its own layers with every listen, and takes some dissecting; but once you have heard it a few times you will be left in awe.

There are plenty of allusions on this album that refer back to the band's two most successful, recent releases: Aenima and Lateralus. This gives the sound on this album a sense of familiarity for the listener (that is, if you have listened to their past 2 albums), but throws plenty of curve balls which keep you head banging and slamming your hands on your dash board along with their signature unison chord patterns. This album rocks!