Fear Innoculum - Tool: Review
is a legendary progressive metal band whose four album disography starting in the mid 90's and extending to 2006 is considered to be near perfect by metal heads across the board. After taking an extended break for their various members to work on other projects the band announced the release of their 5th record earlier this year and as a part of its promotional roll out, finally added their back catalog to streaming services.
Review By Lavender:
Am I the biggest Tool fan that there is in the entire world? No, probably not, but I do have a real appreciation for their first four records, specifically Lateralus and as a big music fan I love that record and the bands entire discography for pushing the musical envelope and challenging listeners with complex time signatures and songs with an absolutely grand scale. Since the records pre-date my reviewing by many years this is the first opportunity I've had to talk about Tool and now that the full record is here I'm feeling mostly positive about it, but make no mistake, this is the weakest Tool record yet.
This record is formatted around 6 massive songs, each of which is over 10 minute long, as well as four shorter songs which last from 2 to 4 minutes and serve as ambient or experimental interludes. One of the more disappointing elements of the record to me was these interludes as three of them, with the exception of Chocolate Chip Trip are simply wandering and aimless soundscapes which have unique textures that are interesting the first time, but become a slog on repeat listens. Cocolate was the longest of these interludes and the only one I consistently enjoy returning to, which is great considering it falls right after Culling Voices. Which while we are on the subject, of the six major songs on the record Culling Voices was the only one I truly disliked. The song never feels like its working towards anything which makes its runtime feel about three times as long. There is a random switch-up in the second half that comes completely out of nowhere and serves no real purpose aside from the initial shock of its arrival, the track just feels like a collection of ideas that were not well thought out. While that all may sound like a lot we have really only covered about a fourth of the record, and most of what is left ranges from pretty good to absolutely fantastic.
The albums only single is also its title track and the first song on the album, Fear Innoculum. While it's first passage is a touch slow it ultimately becomes worthwhile when it all gets kicked off specifically with the amazing rumbling percussion becoming the driving factor of the song and being so expertly woven into the mix. The next section introduces some slow chugging guitar riffs that sound like classic Tool paired with some effect layered vocals that all sound very grand when put together. While the song isn't the most compelling or interesting composition I've ever heard, I do really enjoy the second half of the track and still like the song just as I did as a single. Descending also gets off to a slower start with a series of very samey passages played one after another that really begin to drag. Thankfully after this it improves as some booming anthemic drums step into the mix and the wired out guitar work gets even more blistering and intricate in a technical way that I really enjoy exploring. The final passage is one of the hardest and wildest points on the record to and despite kind of coming out of nowhere it makes for a great ending to the track.
That's three of the albums big songs that have issues of their own, but the remaining three are where the record really shines and it is difficult to pick a favorite. Pneuma is an improvement with a much tighter vocal refrain and some chilling background vocals before the track erupts into its true core refrain at around the three minute. There is a very satisfying build and just a general better use of its runtime on this track that I'm really into and it just matches the energy and style of some of Tool's classic album cut style. Invincible is one of the best tracks here with a complex instrumental that is constantly evolving. Some unique keys and percussion sounds appear on this track that I don't hear anywhere else on the album and while I think some of the vocal refrains could use a little more punch of a brighter mix but ultimately it is a part of one of the best tracks here.
The albums real treat is the excellent 7empest which hits the ground running. The song has some classic Tool-isms like evolving time signatures and a dense mix full of rapid fire change of pace instrumental passages. The song is exactly what I would like to hear out of Tool in 2019 and plays right into the bands strengths while pushing and innovating their classic progressive metal sounds.
Fear Innoculum is Tool's weakest and least boundary pushing record yet but given the incredible consistency of their discography up tot this point, I think that's okay. I have a feeling we may look back at Fear as the beginning of Tool's second run of amazing records as they settle back into the swing of things and hopefully drop some more cohesive and consistent material moving forward. Fear is missing some of the important things that made Tool's first four records so classic but it does contain a number of good tunes and some memorable moments that make it clear Tool is still a metal band worth paying attention to in 2019. 7/10
