American progressive metal band Tool is shattering several records. Its latest album Fear Inoculum was released on August 30, and debuted at the number one position on the Billboard 200 charts. It knocked off pop megastar Taylor Swift’s Lover , released just a week earlier.
Musical milestones
Fear Inoculum is now the third highest selling album this year, after Swift's Lover and the Jonas Brothers hit Happiness Begins. Considering that sales are normally hogged by pop and hip-hop, this is great news for rock and metal. Most importantly, Fear Inoculum became the first instance where all its 10 songs made it to the top 25 of the Billboard Hot Rock Songs charts. Six of these, all over ten minutes of length, were in the top ten - a record previously held by the duo Twenty One Pilots, with five tracks from its 2018 album Trench.
At 87 minutes, Fear Inoculum is long. It took 13 years to make after its last release 10,000 Days in 2006. In 26 years since its debut Undertow, Tool has released only five albums - which may be another landmark of sorts. So much for statistics, the fact is that Fear Inoculum is a giant of a record, which grows on repeated listening. The songs, though long, are filled with surprises and sudden changes in melody line. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor are in supreme form, but it’s drummer Danny Carey who really rises to another level.
Sonic balance
The title track opens the record. Chimes, synthesiser, tabla and sampled santoor make way for a very Tool-like progressive build-up. The songs ‘Pneuma’, ‘Invincible’ and ‘Descending’ are all anthems moving from one soundscape to another, aided by sizzling guitars. ‘Chocolate Chip Trip’ has amazing drum patterns, and the 16-minute ‘7empest’ is bound to thrill the headbangers amongst us.
Some might complain that the short, ambient interludes don’t fit in. But on regular loop, these act as good breaks between the heavier stuff. While Tool extends the sound heard on its earlier albums Lateralus and 10,000 Days , it manages to add a freshness that gives Fear Inoculum its own charm. Though it’s been classified as progressive metal, various genres are smoothly blended.
Among younger folks, Tool and other post-1990s progressive rock and metal bands have had their fans in India. Dream Theater’s latest album, Distance Over Time was well-received. Porcupine Tree has had a huge following, Tunisian band Myrath and Canadian star Devin Townsend are also gaining an audience. The NH7 Weekender festival in Pune and Meghalaya this November will feature Swedish band Opeth, Karnivool from Australia and Canadian group Intervals. With Tool receiving such an overwhelming response, prog-metal is definitely getting a boost.
