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Lauren Crothers

Tool

10,000 Days

(Volcano)

Detractors aside, there's no denying that Los Angeles prog-metal merchants Tool have staying power.

After giving listeners the middle finger with the 1992 debut EP Opiate, they ploughed ahead with Undertow and the masterpiece that was ?nima.

Five years after their third album, Lateralus, they have returned with 10,000 Days.

Maynard James Keenan  used his spare time to work on A Perfect Circle with Tool technician Billy  Howerdel,  but it's with his Tool family - Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor,  and Adam Jones - that the opuses that have made them cult heroes come together.

Opener Vicarious with its molasses-like bass is vintage Tool, but instead  of extracting the cream it seems that they've scraped the barrel of their  old material and reworked it under  a different heading.

The tempo changes and intricacies in the way in which Tool play are reminders of why this band will continue to thrive.

The drums, bass and guitar weave in and out through Keenan's vocals, which often come across as a fourth instrument. It's a sound that serves the band well, particularly on Wings for Marie (Part 1), 10,000 days (Wings Part 2) and Right in Two.

The heart is there - the album title and two tracks are a testament to Keenan's mother, Judith, who spent  about 10,000 days wheelchair-bound before her death. '10,000 days in the fire is long enough/ You're going home,' he sings with a personal conviction rarely heard.

Tool may not have lost their bark, but they seem to have lost some of their bite.

With repeated listens, however, the album may just gnaw its way into your brain and squat there for as long as you allow it to.



Tool