Tool's 10,000 Days A Metamorphic Musical Montage

The new Tool album, 10,000 Days, is a masterpiece of engineering and musicianship that we have all come to know and expect from the occult-lovin, Sacrilege-spewin, hard-drivin boys based out of L.A (learn to swim). There is a distinct difference in tone on this album from Tool's previous works when it comes to the subject of mainstream religion or more specifically, Catholicism. The death of lead singer Maynard James Keenan's mother Judith Marie Garrison on June 18th of 2003 (while the band was in the process of writing the album and Maynard was working closely with his other band, A Perfect Circle), is what I can only guess was the catalyst for this move toward greater respect for God and the Heavens above.
The album begins with the song "Vicarious", a hard ripping song full of accusations directed at the human spirit of voyeurism. This song is very reminiscent of "Lateralus" in tone and feel, particularly the song "Schism". The guitar and bass dominate the intro with drums chiming in subtly, and 45 seconds or so in the song explodes in a collage of heavy guitar (courtesy of the brilliant Adam Jones) and pounding yet intricately timed and beautifully played rhythms (courtesy of my favourite drummer of all time, Mr. Danny Carey). Maynard comes into the first verse with his typical roar, joining the first syllable of the song with a rumble from the depths of his diaphragm. He goes on to sing how we as humans have a lust, a desire, an absolutely insatiable need to experience violence and horror, but as voyeurs not participants. Hence the title of the track. This song is very, VERY Schism-esque, from start to finish, but it's also very much it's own song. A great tune, for a more comprehensive review of this song in particular check my blog on this site Tool's New Single.....
After this album comes Jambi, a song that begins by ripping palm-muted guitar and heavy, speedy drumming triplets. After a half minute, Maynard begins to sing very soulfully about a lovely mountain view and feasting as a Sultan, perhaps referencing the city of Djambi, Indonesia. Then, the bass kicks in (Justin Chancellor, who absolutely SHINES on this album) and Maynard's voice takes on a distinctly sincere tone as he sings "if I could I'd wish this all away." Soon, we hear Justin using some flanger and delay on the bass, creating a far-away and This song sounds suspiciously like a love song, but is more likely praise to someone who helped Maynard come to spiritual enlightenment. The song fluctuates heavy, not so heavy, heavy, not so heavy, until a musical interlude at about the 5 minute mark. Maynard then breaks in with his typical edgy lilt, singing "shine on forever, shine on benevolent son." The last 30 seconds see the return of the heavy palm-muted guitar from the beginning, with Maynard taking an angrier and angrier tone as they carry to the end of the song. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find out much of what this song is actually about, nor have I been able to decipher it myself. The above guess is as good as any I've read, I think
Now we have the two-part Wings tracks, #3 and #4. #3 is Wings For Marie, a very loving, introspective and personal song that is very quiet and subtle for the majority, yet musically one of the most beautiful songs Tool has ever produced. Maynard sings soulfully about how she (Judith Marie) believed in him when no-one else did, and sings her praises for being such a wonderful and humane person. He refers to her as an angel and questions what he as her child did to be worthy of having her presence in his life. After this, the music gets angry for a brief 10 seconds or so, then comes back into the haunting guitar and apparitional singing that exudes from this song. Maynard once again sings of his mother's unselfishness, telling us how "she never had a life....never had a life, but surely saved one" and ending it with "it's time for us to let you go," after assuring her he's alright. In typical Tool fashion, track #4 (title track 10,000 days) which is part 2 of Wings for Marie, picks up on the rhythm that Wings pt 1 ended with, blending the two songs seemlessly. This song is where the beginnings of Maynard's apparent new respect for religion (at least where his mother is concerned) are most prominent. He makes references to Heaven and what people have described it as being like, saying "none of us have actually been there....not like you." This song is one of Maynard's best vocal performance, as he sings much of it in a marching-style cadance, but is still able to add personality, emotion and inflection to every note while keeping the beat so to speak. This songs also reveals the true meaning of the album name 10,000 Days. You see, Judith Marie Garrison had a severe stroke in 1976 which left her paralyzed and wheelchair bound. Yet all the time up until her death in 2003, she kept her faith in the Lord unbreakable and lived her life unselfishly for others. Maynard tells us what's up with the line "10,000 days in the fire is long enough....you're going home." Judith was paralyzed for 27 years, or roughly 10,000 days. This song also adds a whole new perspective on the A Perfect Circle track "Judith" which seemed to be a backhanded slap toward the woman with lines such as "Fuck you God, your Lord and your Christ....he did this" and especially the sarcastic "pray for the one who left you broken down and paralyzed....he did it all for you." 10,000 Days has a distinctly different tone, with Maynard praising his mother the whole song, stating how she's the only person he's ever met truly deserving of heaven, re-iterating how she saved his life, and even advising her that when she finally does meet God, she should tell him that she never took a life, but surely saved one, and it's time for him to bring her home. These 2 (blended) songs, if you know the story and emotion behind them, can almost induce tears, so beautiful and poignant are they. This has supplanted Disposition/Reflection as my favourite Tool two-parter, not in the least because it is so personal and introspective as to make you wonder if Maynard can even perform it live, lest it be too much for him.
Now back to some harder-hitting and slap-in-the-face Tool with track #5, The Pot. Adam Jones has confirmed in Guitar World magazine that the title is a shortened version of "the pot calling the kettle black." The first lines "who are you to wave your finger, you must've been out your head" certainly echo this sentiment. The entire lyrical structure of the song continues to point out through descriptive metaphors numerous hypocrisies and discrepencies. This song is basically a disgusted message of how people have no right to criticize others for things they themselves are tied to, yet it remains a favourite human pasttime. The music in this song is incredible, with guitar and bass hammering out constant and teeth-rattling rhythms while Danny just does his thing back on the drums, pulling off rolls and triplets and sixteenth notes throughout that just leave you shaking your head in astonishment.
As is always the case with Tool albums, after The Pot we have what are dubbed "filler" tracks, the first being "Lipan Conjuring" a tribute to meditation with simple mantras being chanted repeatedly in different tones and inflections. A very calm, soothing track. This goes into the feedback-saturated "Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)" which is a reference to Dr. Albert Hoffman, the man who is thought to be the "father" of LSD (Dr. Albert Hoffman). The track is all feedback guitar with some notes interspersed, and we hear a nurse and a doctor talking about a patient who was just brought in that appears physically healthy but won't speak to anyone. The track ends with the doctor saying, "tell me everything" and the feedback continues into track #8, Rosetta Stoned, where the patient is indeed telling the doctor everything.
The song starts out with a distinctly Twilight Zone-esque vibe, as Maynard whispers "Alrighty then, picture this if you will" and screaming guitar in the background. Then, the track goes what I can only describe as insane, with the music staying fairly standard and rhythmic but Maynard whispering in a very creepy and demonic style of voice, going on about being outside of Area 51 when the sky was split open and aliens were revealed to him in a distinctly Grant Morrison-esque type rant. He is singing as the patient spoken about in "Lost Keys" telling his story to the doctor and nurse. We see the reference to Hoffman come in as Maynard chants "Fuck me...It's got to be...Dead head...Chemistry...The blotter got...On top of me...Got me seeing...E mother-fucking T" the patient attributing the alien presence to a bad acid trip. He then goes on to say how the alien calmed him down with some cold-spooning and revealed that he is the chosen one, selected to deliver a message to the rest of the world that will be a message of hope for those who choose to hear it, and a warning for those who don't. We see Maynard's humourous side at the end of this verse, with him saying "ha, me the chosen one...and I didn't even graduate from fucking high school." The patient continues to explain that he was really freaked out but excited because this "shit never happens to me." He then describes being strapped in his bed, being out of his head. The rest of the song is much more musical than the original marching cadence of the beginning, and Maynard begins to sing a little softer for a few moments as he explains how overwhelmed the patient is with what has transpired. He then gets angry and begins to scream some lyrics, as the patient is frustrated at having forgotten what the aliens told him and how he is supposed to be a hero. The song ends with a heavy and biting bass and guitar montage, with what sounds like drums combined with tabla and Maynard yelling "Don't know, oh no." My take on this song is that the patient lost his keys, blames Hoffman for his insanely vivid and realistic acid trip, and is now coming down in bed upset and frustrated at having forgotten the message. Oh yeah, and he "goddamned shit the bed."
We then go to Intension, a song that begins with spooky whispering and very light and chunky bass in the background. Justin then adds some harmonics for nice effect, as the whispering continues unabated. Maynard then sings very softly and peacefully, beginning with purity of being, then the discovery of a stone used to turn shelter to home and to be hurled at the stranger to crush his bones. Then a spark that becomes a flame is discovered, first used for light and heat and then to forge a blade for more effective violence. It is right around here the song takes an amazing musical turn, the guitar playing haunting notes in the style of "Disposition" while electronic drums come in with some very cool and odd effects, with Justin using harmonics on the bass to accentuate everything else that is going on. This is one of my favourite parts of the entire album, and they continue this musical masterpiece while Maynard once again sings of purity and moving by will alone. This song is obviously a reference to human progress and how we eventually use everything we discover for violent means, even though our intentions begin as pure and good. Nature of the beast, it is.
The next song, track #9, is my favourite song on the entire album. Musically it is a cascade of hammer-ons, pull-offs and guitar harmonics accompanied by lilting yet powerful bass riffs and orchestral cymbal-work. But the lyrics are what I love about this song. Maynard sings of Angels observing humans, being all at once puzzled and amused and baffled and confused. They question why Father (God) gave these humans free will, because now we're all confused. Then they refer to us as talking monkeys, essentially joining the ever-divided factions of Religion and evolutionary theory. A great line "monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground" shows what we've chosen to do with this reason we've been blessed with. He goes on to state "silly monkeys give them thumbs they forge a blade, where there's one they're bound to divide it right in two" showing once again how we choose violence and how what we have is never enough, we always need more. He then speaks to the Angels disgust at how "Repugnant is a creature who would, squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here." It is the combination of Wings 1 & 2 and the lyrics of this song that have indicated to me a metamorphosis in their religious beliefs (at least Maynard's). He ends with the Angels wondering when this "tug-of-war" between us humans is going to end. Lyrically and muscially this is one of my favourite Tool songs of all time (not surprising considering how H. like it is, H. having been my favourite Tool song for many years). Amazing track in all shapes and forms, with a great message hidden in there AND the parsing of religion and evolution. Brilliant.
The album ends with the track "Vigniti Tres" which is Latin for "twenty-three." If you know anything about numerology, occultism, the Illuminatus! trilogy, science, or mathematics, then you know just how significant the number 23 is considered to be. This track isn't music at all, it is simply humming and what sounds to be electricity coursing through something. It then goes into a distinctly train-going-through-a-tunnel type sound for quite a while, then jumps back to what sounds like a malfunctioning computer with a soul, finally to the end of the album. 5 minutes long. It's essentially an extended version of "(-)Ions" a filler track from Aenima.
So that's the album. As a long-time and well versed Tool fan, I was a bit curious to see where they would go with this one. At first listen, I wasn't blown away, but this isn't rare for a new Tool album. One of the reasons it took me so long to get this review out is that I wanted to listen to the album enough times to get a good feel for all the music and the lyrics. With Tool, that can take years, and I mean it. I still hear things on Undertow 13 years later I'd never noticed before. This album is another jewel in Tool's hard-rock crown, a more subtle and less in-your-face effort but still with poignant and relevant lyrics and some phenomenal advice. Danny, Adam and Justin have only gotten better, and I was especially impressed with Justin and Adam on this album. Adam seems to have let more of his emotions seep into his music, something we've all been waiting a long time for. The album art is once again aboslutely stunning, with Adam again serving as art director and renowned occult artist Alex Grey heavily contributing his incredible vision to the project. Tool is always innovative with their album art, using animation on Aenima and the "peeling-of-the-layers" greatness for Lateralus, which Grey was also resposible for. 10,000 Days is no exception at all, and in fact is the most innovative album art yet, what with the addition of "stereoscopic" glasses on the outside of the thick cardboard casing. These glasses are used to look at the inside album art, including pictures of each band member in odd and occult style settings. The stereoscopic effect gives you the impression of amplified 3-D, making for some amazing discoveries hidden in some of the artwork. I'm not going to reveal any of these; I can't tell you EVERYTHING, now can I? What fun would that be? I will say that before you do anything else after you read this, go right out and buy the album. Musically and visually it is as stunning a piece of work as has been produced in the last 5 years (hmmm, what a coincidence!! Lateralus came out about 5 years ago hehehe). Another incredible effort from the surreal rock gods of the universe. Buy it. NOW!

Sir Smittius