10,000 DAYS

OK, first of all I must say i'm a french speaking son of a gun... A visible minority in my country, Canada... English Canadians don't speak french very much, but we, as a submitted minority speak and write english pretty well or maybe we're just better at learning languages... Anyway, this is not why i'm writing here

Let's talk about 10 000 Days... The new Tool album. To put things into context, i've been initiated to Tool in 96 when a friend of mine made me listen to Aenima... I was stunned!!! I was 21 at that time and really into prog, my bands were Crimson, Gentle Giant, etc... But i had a metal background, i loved Maiden and Metallica but I thought nothing new could be achieved in that particular genre.. But Aenima just stunned me, and I changed my mind...

Aenima is still the best Tool album, make no mistake about it... Not because it is better musically, just for the fact that it brought something new, something that no one was expecting. Songs like Eulogy, Pushit and Third Eye will remain classics for that reason. Aenima will forever be my favorite Tool album, because they grew so much from Undertow, which was an alternative metal album among others...

I loved Lateralus, and I still do... I saw them at the Bell Center in Montreal, it was an unbelievable show! Now comes 10,000 Days, with huge expectations from the die-hard fans. I did not want to post a review without listening to this album at least 30 times, it would have been unfair... This is the kind of music you have to listen often and pay attention.

At first, I was a little bit disappointed, I thought it was not a very good album... But you know what? I changed my mind after repeted listens... I think this album is really interesting, challenging and has a lot to reveal. Songs like Jambi, The Pot, Rosetta Stoned and Intension need to be heard often to be appreciated at their fair value... Not to mention that Wings for Marie/10000 Days is probably the best song Tool has ever wriitten... That song reminds me of Echoes or Atom Heart Mother, it is a wonderful journey..Not too many bands can hit you right in your gut with such feelings.. Maynard is just unbelievable on that track, so is Justin Chancellor's great bass track. That song is a prog rock song period, prog at its best... It reminds me a little of PT's Arriving Somewhere But Not Here... same kind of emotional build-up...

The Pot is kicking ass, groovy song with Maynard's vocals very unusual and Carey's rhythm section so intense.. I mean Danny Carey rocks all the way through this album anyway, he's something else... For those who haven,t seen him live, don't miss it, you will be stunned no doubt about it!

I could discuss about every song but it would be a little too long... Some people think that there is too much "fillers" on this album.. This album clocks at 76 minutes plus... with about 10 minutes of "fillers".. and those "fillers" are intros to other songs, except for Viginti tres. What amazes me about this album is that when I listen to it, it seems it is lasting 50 minutes, even the longer songs pass by in a heartbeat, which is a pretty good sign I guess.

That being said, this is not Tool's best work so far... Aenima is gonna be tough to beat considering the innovations from undertow... But this is a very good album, as good as Lateralus was, and I think this material will be awesome live, so don't miss it!