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Just when you thought Tool had reached their own unique pinnacle for art-infused metal, they just had to go and prove that there’s still miles of mountaintop left to explore. 10,000 days is an ingenious musical tour-de-force filled with complex exploration and the delivery of what must surely be some of their best songs.
What impresses the most, and what perhaps distinguishes 10,000 days from earlier Tool efforts, is the newfound vocal confidence of singer Maynard Keenan. The song that really proves this new level of vox-sophistication is “The Pot,” which has the singer belting out the vocals alone at the beginning of the song. It is good to see him come out of his shell and just let fly his inimitable, individual sound. Not to say that he was particularly shy to begin with, but there’s something about his confidence on this disc that really stands out.
The music is seamless and intricate, volatile and sincere. Songs that stand out as potential future Tool classics are “Vicarious,” “Jambi,” “The Pot,” “Roseta Stoned,” and “Right in Two.” The entire album is enjoyable though, so there’s almost no need to highlight any of the above.
If you’re a longstanding Tool fan, this one will fit into your collection somewhere between Undertow and Lateralus. It is not a great deal of noise and thunk – thunking that you might expect. In fact, it’s closer to classical or maybe opera than any standard heavy metal (referring to the music, not the singing). And if you’re new to the Tool experience, I’d highly recommend giving this album a try.
Something else to watch out for: the album (and cover-art) is a kind of enigmatic puzzle. It has been suggested that some of the songs can even be played over-top of each other simultaneously to create a new song. This is the essence of the genius of Tool.
