ALBUM REVIEW: Fear Inoculum – Tool

Where does one even begin with Fear Inoculum? No, seriously, where do you even start when beginning to talk about this mammoth of a release. The obvious place would be the question everyone wants answering: Is it worth the wait? Well, yes. But was there any real doubt? TOOL have built their career around lengthy writing processes and eventually delivering the goods and then some, so to be even a little bit fearful of the final product was a little unfair.

What the question should be is can we see where the time has been spent. And on one hand, yes absolutely. Fear Inoculum is an expansive album, where all of its’ songs extend well past the ten-minute mark. Tracks like Pnuema herald the band’s now iconic sound with crunchy guitar tones and the building, interlaced rhythms that grow and swell into a crescendo. This is the TOOL we have all fallen for, and it’s the TOOL that we all expected. Invincible takes things even further, as it rhythmically evolves, featuring false tops a plenty all tied up in a rolling riff that transfers from a steady lead to a powerful, driving chug.

All of this is backed up by the fantastic and surprisingly reserved vocal work from Maynard James Keenan. His recognisable tones sit beautifully within the mix, and punch right through the music when he needs to. His lyrical work is among the most profound and inclusive this time round, with themes about perception and personal growth in a world of conflict, there is a lot to take and digest from his lyricism. Descending and the following Culling Voices are where he makes his mark most felt, crooning over the building instrumentation and creating the exact soundscapes everyone has come to expect and love from TOOL.

Then there comes the other hand of the earlier question. Because Fear Inoculum isn’t simply made up of these monolithic compositions. The filler tracks that populate the space in between cannot go un-criticised for their genuine near pointlessness, especially when compared to the towering creations they sit next to. Chocolate Chip Trip is the resounding exception, as Danny Carey fully gets to flex his immense drum chops and solidify his claim as best damn sticksman in the world. But even here, the track feels out of place, out of tone with he rest of the album. And yes, there is an argument to be had that it simply reaffirms the sense of humour TOOL have always had, but when the actual songs featured are this damn good, then it just becomes a bit tiresome. Ultimately, these are all entirely skippable entries into the TOOL catalogue…until someone discovers how they mysteriously fit together like a jigsaw akin to what fans did for The Holy Gift/Lateralus album.

Fear Inoculum Is definitely stooped in mystery even now that it is released. For example, Descending is such a meandering and evolving track to the point where the opening bass line is brought back, grounding the song before it again takes off on another tangent, and this is the song that has been in circulation for coming on two years now. It is in these moments that the album really takes shape, and begins to offer the fruits of the 13-year labour. Meandering is a word that can be used in both positive and negative ways though, as even though a triumphant ending, 7empest trudges along in parts of its duration, and undoubtedly falls a bit short in places as a result. Descending is also chronically guilty of this as well, as whilst being a genuine musical journey, there are moments where things can become a bit long winded. It really doesn’t help that Invincible remains the best song on the album, and even approaches one of the best TOOL songs written, so the thunder gets well and truly stolen from these later progressive numbers early in the album.

Fear Inoculum jumps from being a truly transcendental time, to stoking the fires of annoyance that it took 13 years for us to listen to some warped voices for three minutes on the song Litanie contre la Peur. Among some of the best music the band have produced, Fear Inoculum both cements the TOOL legacy as one of the most deeply interesting musical outfits we have ever had the joy to experience, but also as a band that will likely always remain an enigma. How the group have gotten this popular whilst going against almost every rule to commercial music success is perhaps the best thing about TOOL, and Fear Inoculum is another stellar notch in the band’s history, but it won’t give you any answers to that question.

Rating: 8/10

Fear Inoculum is out now via Music For Nations/Sony Music.

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