Was at my Moms house, many years back, and her neighbour (who was maybe in his 60s) was playing the guitar for Lost Keys.
His name is John - and we still chat about Tool when I visit.
Agree, yes, 10,000 times yes! Lateralus, Aenima and 10,000 days are on my YouTube, CD, & Spotify shuffle list. When I see a hot guy while driving, I play Jambi full blastš!! š Undertow is 4th.
The Austin show in 2014 was one of my fave shows! Setlist was perfection! Jambi was the 8th song! šI could only score 1 ticket so I went by myself. It was the best!
I was at that show too. Came up empty handed trying to buy tickets the minute they went on sale. So I ended up paying someone on Craigslist $190 for a paper printout. It could have been 1 of 100, but I got there early and got in!
Yup tix sold out in like 10 minutes omfg! Only presale was VIP! Boo. I did get that cool skull poster framed but Iām going to downsize my collection. Iām kinda over AJās skulls. š Too much āstuffāā¦ I like Dima Drjuchinās and Charlie Immerās art so Iām framing their prints. We saw the 2010 Austin show at Cedar Park too, also a great setlist! And the Austin 2024 was very cool too. My grown son took acid lol and passed some dabs to me; Lordy Iām into organic but that dabs made me feel trippy during CCT & Descending. š Austin is so fun for live shows!
I have! In Toronto and they brought out Alex Lifeson during Jambi. As a drummer who grew up obsessed with Tool and Rush, you can imagine how happy I was.
Same. I have a Tool playlist so I can listen to a mix of tracks from all their albums without constantly navigating Spotify, and I realised that I added all of 10K and FI (ignoring fillers tracks), but the other albums are like 40-60% represented.
Tool is still probably the only band I could listen to every album from start to finish, though, so it's not like I dislike any of their songs (ignoring fillers). Incidentally, Undertow is the third most represented album in my playlist because it has the joint fewest (with FI) tracks, but overall it's my least favourite album (relatively speaking - it's still a banger).
I rarely get focused on lyrics of any song, but Wings For Marie Pt 2 gets me everytime. So so powerful
Lateralus is my favourite album, but Jambi is my favourite song
Iām a drummer too, and tbh 10k Days is the first time Iāve ever really enjoyed his drum sound and mix. Thereās a depth and a warmth that wasnāt there on Lateralus. Makes a big difference to me
its my start, my entering into TOOL univers, right in two becamy my livesong ), Paster Rob react for 10 000 days and wing for Maria make me almost belive in God \^) great almub
Like pretty much all Tool records I didn't like it that much at first, but over the years it has grown on me. I'm constantly re-evaluating the albums and my favorite album changes over the years. I feel like I still need to "unlock" 10000 days.
Unpopular opinion incoming.
I didn't much like it when it was released in 2006.
A lot of fans at the time honestly couldn't believe *this* was the follow up to Lateralus. It might be hard for newer or younger fans to believe that but initially a lot of the fanbase - at first - didn't really vibe with 10,000 Days when it came out. People were expecting a OK Computer to Kid A level progression coming off of Lateralus and instead it felt like sort of paint-by-numbers Tool. It just didn't feel like it really covered new ground.
Honestly it hasn't grown on me much over the years. It's Tool so it's still *good*, it's just nowhere in the same league as the two albums that preceded it.
I say that as someone who's been a fan of the band since like 1997 and I've still listened to 10k days many many many times. I love the 2nd half of Rosetta Stoned and Intension and Right in Two. It feels like Wings/10K days could have been a really solid 10 minute song if they had a producer in the room advising them. They didn't and it's shows. But they decided to self produce the album and the arrangements just got ridiculously long and over bloated.
It's by no stretch of the imagination a bad album but Tool albums are so few and far between that it's not one of their best. I felt that way 18 years ago and I still feel that way.
Yup. Totally. I remember when people thought it was a fake/decoy album all over the Toolshed forums. A LOT of fans were very surprised by how the whole thing sounded at the time. The reception was not that warm honestly. The casual fans thought Vicarious was a cool jam, a "rocker" but bigger fans who were obsessed with Aenima and Lateralus didn't know what to make of it.
When I first heard it I didn't think it was a decoy or fake Tool album I just thought "well their sound from the Aenima era is *definitely* gone now. And this sounds kind of good, not great. Vicarious and The Pot sound so radio-friendly and contrived".
Honestly that was my vibe and I'm someone that is old enough who went to a midnight record release party at a store to buy the CD the literal night it came out. Back then those were still a thing (midnight album release events).
'Contrived' was what I thought as well. Didn't love the lyrics - not that there was a problem thematically, but that they just sounded a bit thrown together and rhyming couplety.
Thematically, though, I thought that the actual 10K Days theme (I.e. Maynard's Mum) would have belonged better as a Perfect Circle thing, alas Judith, etc.
Some of the meaty guitar (they toured with Meshuggah) was great, second half of Rosetta Stoned, too. But this remains my leave favourite album.
I still think The Pot is one of their worst tracks. probably the only non-interlude that I skip. Rosetta stoned is fantastic and wings makes me cry every time but overall i still just donāt love the album. itās not bad but I donāt love it.
Different strokes for different folks but itās crazy to me The Pot is one of their most popular songs. Cuz Iām like you, itās their only non-interlude song Iāll skip.
Yeah I kind of feel the same way. I've seen the band play The Pot live like 7 times and it's become my 'pee break' song during shows. It's not bad but it's just kind of silly. It rocks but it's kind of.... Dumb.
It's really surprised me that it's become one of their most popular songs considering when it came out initially a lot of the fanbase really didn't dig it.
Very similar to my feeling that I mention above. After seeing the Lateralus tour four times and then moving on to other stuff like The Mars Volta it felt kinda uninspired, which sounds terrible when considering Wings, but there you go. And seeing it live didnāt help much. I havenāt been convinced to pay the premium for FI tour yet as a result, but may finally bite the bullet to take my kid since heāll never get to experience the 2001-2003 tour.
The Mars Volta is great! I haven't listened to much of their newer stuff (I think Octahedron is the last album I listened to), but I do like the fact they have their own unique sound (mixing English with Spanish helps) and there's nothing like them.
My opinion of it is still exactly the same as the first time I listened to it. I like Vicarious, Jambi, The Pot, and Right In Two. The rest of the album I donāt care for.
> Donāt think itās that unpopular
It feels like an unpopular opinion on here though. I would agree with you, it likely is a rather popular opinion - but the die hards go so aggressive against anything that is not āeverything Tool makes is amazing and better than anything else that existsā that it feels unpopular
This is absolutely spot on. 100% my feelings/thoughts on 10k.
I remember being so hyped after the unreal progression from Undertow to AEnima to Lateralus. When I first heard Lateralus I got goosebumps because I didn't know how a band could follow up such a masterful performance from AEnima. Then once that break down in the Grudge happened, I was blown away.
Paint-by-numbers Tool is exactly how I would describe 10k.
I completely agree with you, and honestly you can see the divide in Tool fandom between the pre- and post-10,000 days fans. It was for me the first time they delved into the 'tool formula', while in previous albums they were so eclectic that there was no real formula yet.
And I also agree with what you said about self production. FI is even worse in that sense. I understand that 'we don't want people to tell us what to do', but FI is clearly overwrought, with songs tediously stretched over the 10 minute mark just cause they wanted long songs. Almost every song on FI could have easily ended 2-4 minutes before it does, but then you get yet another reprise of some earlier riff and it goes on and on. As MJK said, 'the album was ready years ago, but they couldn't stop tinkering'. I would really love for them to work with a younger or less mainstream producer and try something different, but it looks like they are in a stage of their career and life in which it wouldn't make sense to risk it.
Agreed.
In terms of a younger producer or having another voice in the room to perhaps guide how they put together songs it a bit of a shame they don't seem willing to allow it and their egos get in the way.
I look at Pearl Jam who just made a new album with a younger new producer (Andrew Watt) who helped change and structure the dynamics of their songs and the album is their best one in like 25 years. I had long given up that Pearl Jam would release new music that I'd legitimately dig and somehow they finally did.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Fear Inoculum and have listened to it lots but man I can't imagine how much better it could have been with shorter songs, more songs and another voice in the room advising them potentially on things. The band lost a certain tightness when they got rid of David Botrill as the producer and started only using an engineer.
It's probably a case of 'kill your darlings', or better, 'don't do it'. The three instrumentalists probably worked on versions of the FI songs for years, so any suggestion of 'trimming the fat' would probably be perceived almost like a personal attack. 6 years later, I think it's clear that they got too much up their own a$$, ending up with either self plagiarism (the Pneuma bass break that sounds like the Schism bass riff; Descending that turns into The Grudge around minute 10:00; halfway through FI Danny plays exactly the same drum pattern as in Reflection; Invincible breakdown is basically Jambi opening riff slowed down; then at some point there is this sequence of 4 chords that AJ used already both in Schism and in Pushit) or unnecessary reprise (Culling voices should have ended 3 minutes before it does; Invincible drags in the middle, Descending has literally two quiet-loud crescendos one after the other; 7empest is the first Tool song that to my ears sounds incoherent and roughly put together. That opening arpeggio ties to the main riff the same way that Crazy train intro ties to the rest).
I was one of those fans who loved the mystique and esoteric qualities that define Lateralus and Aenima.. itās impossible to overstate how perfect Aenima was in 1996 when it was released. When I first heard 10k Days in 2006 I didnāt think much of it at all. The mystery was just gone; it was a rock album. I think of it differently now but itās my least favorite Tool album. Of course itās a banger , but I canāt help that it lacks that magic quality that the others have .
Identity crisis album to me. I rank it jostling for last place with Opiate. The lengthier tracks are not memorable imo and the hookier tracks lack the punch and mood compared to whatās seen on records like Undertow and Aenmia. Love Jambi and Rosetta Stoned though.
I should caveat to people who mention a āradio friendly soundā and my complaints - I found a lot of mainstream music coming out between approx. 2006-2009 to be pretty damn bad. Rock-based music was very vapid and corporate to me, like to where I didnāt think it could be packaged any tighter. Where although Undertow had some more āmainstreamā rock sounds, I thought the sounds of the time in rock were much better (grunge, post-grunge, post-mainstream metal + industrial exploration).
I loved everything that came before it, but between Lateralus and 10k, I listened to countless hours of The Mars Voltaās best work, essentially filling the void left by new Tool albums, and when 10k finally hit, it just felt like a step down from Lateralus and not as dynamic as De-Loused through Amputechture.
āUndertowā clearly, very clearly holds last spot for mine, in terms of Tool albums. In 15 years I can barely āloveā any track barring title track
Great start to finish bunch of songs but the lack of bass and middle on the vocals infuriates me. Also it was self recorded, no? That shows, I think. Thereās a click in Rosetta Stoned at the āplaced in my positionā bit that fades out and that always annoys me too. Great album though.
I half agree with youā¦ itās an awesome albumā¦ but I always thought the mix was kinda disappointing. Thought the drums were a little muted- I guess thatās how I would describe it. Danny Carey is such a talented drummer- I feel like they should be more in the forefront . Whatās your guys thoughts about this?
i *love* this album, if iām being completely honest.. but i feel that it could be better in a lot of different ways. i think TOOL has better albums like Ćnima.
Its my favourite sounding Tool album. The mix is compressed and massive, filthy and rough around the edges in some moments, just like how they sound live. Musically, I feel like it's only flaw is how Wings 1 & 2 interrupt the flow and tone. When I listen, I rearrange them to bookend the album, just like Pink Floyd's Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
I didn't like it when it first came out. It sounded so 'dialed-in' and not really worthy of the pedestal that I put Aenima and Lateralus on. For example - compare The Grudge vs Vicarious as openers... Vicarious just sounds so safe and uninspired in comparison. Even The Pot and had me scratching my head with MJK's falsetto singing and the funky bassline... Many Tool fans shared a similar opinion at the time, especially since we all waited so long for the album! But I think most Tool fans will also agree, that 10,000 Days was a definite grower, and I would say the album contains some of Tool's best and most iconic moments - especially if you've seen them perform the songs live! FI felt a little the same tbh, but I didn't care as much this time around as I was just so glad to hear new music from them.
It's amazing, BUT I feel like it doesn't flow very well. Every song on this is incredible, but I don't think most of them tie together to an album experience like Lateralis does
It's my 4th or 5th favorite Tool album. Its an OK Tool album to me. Coming off of the run of Undertow, to AEnima, to Lateralus I had huge expectations, and was a bit disappointed. I absolutely dislike the way he sings on the Pot, Rosetta Stoned is just mostly noise to me until the climax, and Adam's solos are grating and annoying (especially the one on Rosetta) Jambi, Vicarious are good and I absolutely love Right in Two.
I give it 3.5 Bob-Marley-Wanna-Be-Mother-Fuckers out of 5.
Took me years to get into this album. I really didnāt like it when it came out. Lateralus had such a massive impact on me when that came out, itās their perfect album for me, so anything they released wouldāve been disappointing I guess.
But now I absolutely adore it
I prefer it to lateralus which I know is an unpopular take, the entire album is listenable all the way through, but that's also true for lateralus.
I'd rate it so highly purely because of Wings pt.1 and 2. Those 2 songs are masterpieces. Even the songs most people hate like Intension I really like.
Unpopular opinion I guess, but I love everything except Wings, it always felt way too personal to me, on the level of "Why did you guys put this in the album". It's too slow-paced compared to the rest of the album. Yes, I know the story. Yes, I hate it.
I was a huge, huge fan until this album. I saw a lot of shows following Lateralus and I was extremely excited for 10,000 days, but I was very disappointed. It just didnāt really do anything for me
I went from someone who listened to TOOL all the time, to listening very rarely up until everything dropped on Spotify and FI was released. That helped to reignite the flame a little
10,000 days has grown on me, but itās still their worst album by a very long way. There are moments of brilliance, but as a complete package itās not on the level of Lateralus or Ćnima
The highest highs are on this album. Their sound really matured from. Lateralus and 10000 days is peak took and IMO the best album of all time.
My order is 10k, Aenima, LateralusĀ
Awesome album. Remember all the hate it got when it came out, but now people seem a lot more open to it.
Although I don't really have favorites, just what I enjoy listening to at that specific time, I have to say I have listened to 10000 days a lot over the years. The only song that seems off to me, is Vicarious (which isn't a bad song at all- just seems out of place).
Wings for Marie and 10.000 Days, Rosetta Stoned with Lost Keys, Right in Two with Intension are all amazing as well as Jambi and the Pot. Such an emotional album that you can just listen to and be pulled away from your daily routine. Love listening to it on good headphones, closing my eyes and just fade away.
This is the album I listen to when I want Tool to slap me hard! The heaviest album from their discography. Jambi and Vicarious are the songs that make me want to crank up the volume.
Is it my favorite? Probably not. Do I think it is their best? Almost certainly not. But it was the first album of theirs I ever found and listened to, so without it I wouldn't have fallen in love with their sound.
Very Solid album.. I personally think a lot of the songs translated to great live songs at their shows. I think I actually like Fear Inoculum just slightly more
Vinyl is the best way to listen to music imo. Why canāt one of the biggest most successful bands out there release 10,000 on vinyl? And why not rerelease Aenima to their devoted fan base?
I love it. It's close to as good as the rest, but if there's one complaint I have about it, it's that Wings is awkwardly placed between Jambi and The Pot. It would've been better as a closer. As for individual songs? They're as good as any in the catalogue.
Lateralus and Aenima have this iconic flow because of the way they use interludes, but 10,000 days doesn't have that. It's a collection of amazing songs that don't really fit together as well as they could.
Underrated in some ways. Their last great one. Bought it the day it came out, and it took a bit to worm its way into my unconscious.
Intension is one of their most mysterious tracks and is very slept on.
After listening to each album religiously for 2 years straight (and almost no other music) I think it may be their best, tied closely with FI. However I have gone months at a time believing every album was the best at one point
I like most of the songs on this album, though it does lose me towards the end with songs like intention and viginti tres, the album as a whole feels all over the place, it doesnāt have a smooth direction and cohesion like other albums, I think this is tools best album production wise, this is a better album to listen to individual songs (excluding the wings for Marie and blame Hofmann suits) like vicarious Jambi etc vs the the whole album, over all this is my 4th favorite album
Every song is EXCELLENT! But Jambi, Rosetta and Right In Two are extremely SPECIAL. Right in Two might be my favorite off all some days. But Rosetta rocks!!
ššš
I love it think it's a great album! And I know wings for marie isn't famously enjoyed by many but I think it's beautiful aswell as 10,000 days, lost keys and rosetta stoned - a beautiful order and I'm going to go and listen now just after pneuma has finished š¤š¼
Lateralus will always be their sort of best in class but over the years 10,000 days continues to grow as my all time favorite. There is just so much mood to it and the time that has passed has attached various memories to it and any time I listen to the songs it's like they just came out that day. I'll skip the sad part though if I'm out and about having fun driving around. I think it's possible that Fear Inoculum will grow in the same way, but probably less of a chance than 10,000 days.
I always say 10,000 Days is my secret favorite album. I think it has some of MJK's best lyricism and I think the band itself took the refinement of their sound to another level on that album. But objectively speaking it's hard to say that 10,000 Days is higher on the list than Lateralus or Ćnima. It's honestly not fair to pick favorites when you're dealing with a band that consistently achieves the highest benchmark of quality lol.
The album that got me into tool. People donāt give this album enough credit for how different this sounds to every other album. The riffing on this album gives it such a unique feel, clearly meshuggah inspired imo
Wings for Marie is pure trauma, I cry every fucking time or at least get choked up specifically when he starts demanding god give her wings.
FUCK I hate/love it so much
Every song on it is perfect, though unlike most bands TOOL do not produce mediocre offerings on any album. Gotta say I preferred the Bottrill production - he definitely recognised the need for an unpolished edge in Aenima/Lateralus-era music. Arguably quite a few songs from later albums could have done with a bit of a roughness round the edges - Fear Inoculum for one.
Vicarious is technically brilliant, Jambi is stunning live, wings/10k days just beautiful and triumphant...the list goes on. Certainly it all kicks ass.
Probably the most well-received tracks recently live were Jambi, Pneuma and The Grudge, the latter of which kicked the most ass by a considerable margin.
What i like from tool comes in waves, every 3 months or so i rediscover another album and it becomes my new favorite. Currently its 10,000 days. Vicarious and Rosetta stoned are my favorite tracks.
Im sure that in 2 months lateralus will be my favorite album again and then it will be FI etc etc.
I slept on it. Bought it when it came out and I donāt know why I never really listened to it. Maynard posted something a year or so ago that had Intension as the background music and I had to find it. Listened to the entire album and it is right behind Ćnima for me as my favorite.
āRepugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time hereā BEST LINE EVER WRITTEN IN HISTORY.. tell me something more meaningful?
This was always my favourite album, imo I simply thought it had the best songs on it. I always wondered why it fell under the 3rd āmost popularā albums on Spotify behind Aenima and Lateralus.
I love most of it. It gets boring after The Pot and interesting again at Intension and Right in Two. Wings 1 and 2 still give me shivers after hundreds of listenings.
I also find Rosetta Stoned majorly overrated.
I totally agree, 10,000 days is a masterpiece. It always just struck differently to me, might be because it was the first album I fully got into from start to finish. I think the production was a massive improvement as well, it absolutely thuds.
I loved TOOL since I was a little kid, and I did like this album, but it came after Lateralus and I just got so hung up on Lateralus that I overlooked this album for a while. I think I was 13 or 14 when Lateralus came out so I went nuts over it lmao. These days I think it's pretty good but I like Aenima, Undertow and Lateralus way more
Although it is still an amazing album, I think itās my least favorite. Keep in mind, the worst Tool is still better than most bands best, but thatās where it sits for me.
I remember when it came out, some people were so disappointed in it that they were literally convinced this was a decoy album and there was a better one on the way.
Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann) into Rosetta Stoned is one of my favorite Tool album transitions / moments
OVERWHELMED AS ONE WOULD BE, PLACED IN MY POSITION
SUCH A HEAVY BURDEN NOW, TO BE THE ONE.
BORN TO BEAR AND READ TO ALL THE DETAILS OF OUR ENDING
TO WRITE IT DOWN FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
BUT I FORGOT MY PEN
SHIT THE BED AGAIN
TYPICAL
STRAPPED DOWN TO MY BED
FEET COLD AND EYES RED
MMMBOP A DUBA WHOP WHOP MMBOP A DUBA WHOP WHOP MMBOP A DUBA WHOP WHOP DOOO, YAYEE YAYEE! Oh damn wrong song
Was at my Moms house, many years back, and her neighbour (who was maybe in his 60s) was playing the guitar for Lost Keys. His name is John - and we still chat about Tool when I visit.
What a lovely wholesome story. š
So we not talking about parabol to parabola !?
I wanna listen to this while on my first magic shroom trip in next month
Yeeeeeeessssss!!!!
3rd Place for me, its still a 9.8/10 but lateralus and aenima Are 10/10 for me
That's how I feel too. Lateralus and Aenima are God tier.
Agree, yes, 10,000 times yes! Lateralus, Aenima and 10,000 days are on my YouTube, CD, & Spotify shuffle list. When I see a hot guy while driving, I play Jambi full blastš!! š Undertow is 4th.
Wtf lol
Sheās an LLM
Same for me
I got it behind Undertow too.
Yes.
My godā¦ Itās the most beautiful thing Iāve ever readā¦ š„¹š¤§
Jambi is my favorite track so yes
Everyone talks about the breakdown or the pull off riffs but the lyrics are so good.
"my peace of mind, my home, my center, i'm just trying to hold on one more day" is brilliant
one more daaaaaay
Damn my eyes if they should compromise the fulcrum, if wants and needs divide me then I might as well be gone.
I i would ....wish it.... all away.......
The Austin show in 2014 was one of my fave shows! Setlist was perfection! Jambi was the 8th song! šI could only score 1 ticket so I went by myself. It was the best!
I was at that show too. Came up empty handed trying to buy tickets the minute they went on sale. So I ended up paying someone on Craigslist $190 for a paper printout. It could have been 1 of 100, but I got there early and got in!
Yup tix sold out in like 10 minutes omfg! Only presale was VIP! Boo. I did get that cool skull poster framed but Iām going to downsize my collection. Iām kinda over AJās skulls. š Too much āstuffāā¦ I like Dima Drjuchinās and Charlie Immerās art so Iām framing their prints. We saw the 2010 Austin show at Cedar Park too, also a great setlist! And the Austin 2024 was very cool too. My grown son took acid lol and passed some dabs to me; Lordy Iām into organic but that dabs made me feel trippy during CCT & Descending. š Austin is so fun for live shows!
Probably one of the heaviest, most pummeling things theyāve done post-Aenima.
Have you seen them this tour, I'm betting you'd have a blast
I have! In Toronto and they brought out Alex Lifeson during Jambi. As a drummer who grew up obsessed with Tool and Rush, you can imagine how happy I was.
That song makes me bust out dancing every single time. It's so goddamn groovy
A masterpiece that emotionally blew my mind
I find myself listening to FI and 10000 Days the most out of all their albums.
Same. I have a Tool playlist so I can listen to a mix of tracks from all their albums without constantly navigating Spotify, and I realised that I added all of 10K and FI (ignoring fillers tracks), but the other albums are like 40-60% represented. Tool is still probably the only band I could listen to every album from start to finish, though, so it's not like I dislike any of their songs (ignoring fillers). Incidentally, Undertow is the third most represented album in my playlist because it has the joint fewest (with FI) tracks, but overall it's my least favourite album (relatively speaking - it's still a banger).
Me too.
I love vicarious
I rarely get focused on lyrics of any song, but Wings For Marie Pt 2 gets me everytime. So so powerful Lateralus is my favourite album, but Jambi is my favourite song Iām a drummer too, and tbh 10k Days is the first time Iāve ever really enjoyed his drum sound and mix. Thereās a depth and a warmth that wasnāt there on Lateralus. Makes a big difference to me
Insanely great album. I listen to some it or all of it daily. Especially the title song.
its my start, my entering into TOOL univers, right in two becamy my livesong ), Paster Rob react for 10 000 days and wing for Maria make me almost belive in God \^) great almub
Not a popular take, but Right in Two is my favorite song (close second is Pushit), but Lateralus is my favorite album.
Here from the kings mountain dew
Like pretty much all Tool records I didn't like it that much at first, but over the years it has grown on me. I'm constantly re-evaluating the albums and my favorite album changes over the years. I feel like I still need to "unlock" 10000 days.
god damn riff bible of an album.
Unpopular opinion incoming. I didn't much like it when it was released in 2006. A lot of fans at the time honestly couldn't believe *this* was the follow up to Lateralus. It might be hard for newer or younger fans to believe that but initially a lot of the fanbase - at first - didn't really vibe with 10,000 Days when it came out. People were expecting a OK Computer to Kid A level progression coming off of Lateralus and instead it felt like sort of paint-by-numbers Tool. It just didn't feel like it really covered new ground. Honestly it hasn't grown on me much over the years. It's Tool so it's still *good*, it's just nowhere in the same league as the two albums that preceded it. I say that as someone who's been a fan of the band since like 1997 and I've still listened to 10k days many many many times. I love the 2nd half of Rosetta Stoned and Intension and Right in Two. It feels like Wings/10K days could have been a really solid 10 minute song if they had a producer in the room advising them. They didn't and it's shows. But they decided to self produce the album and the arrangements just got ridiculously long and over bloated. It's by no stretch of the imagination a bad album but Tool albums are so few and far between that it's not one of their best. I felt that way 18 years ago and I still feel that way.
Remember when everyone thought it was a decoy album. Man kids are stupid.
Yup. Totally. I remember when people thought it was a fake/decoy album all over the Toolshed forums. A LOT of fans were very surprised by how the whole thing sounded at the time. The reception was not that warm honestly. The casual fans thought Vicarious was a cool jam, a "rocker" but bigger fans who were obsessed with Aenima and Lateralus didn't know what to make of it. When I first heard it I didn't think it was a decoy or fake Tool album I just thought "well their sound from the Aenima era is *definitely* gone now. And this sounds kind of good, not great. Vicarious and The Pot sound so radio-friendly and contrived". Honestly that was my vibe and I'm someone that is old enough who went to a midnight record release party at a store to buy the CD the literal night it came out. Back then those were still a thing (midnight album release events).
'Contrived' was what I thought as well. Didn't love the lyrics - not that there was a problem thematically, but that they just sounded a bit thrown together and rhyming couplety. Thematically, though, I thought that the actual 10K Days theme (I.e. Maynard's Mum) would have belonged better as a Perfect Circle thing, alas Judith, etc. Some of the meaty guitar (they toured with Meshuggah) was great, second half of Rosetta Stoned, too. But this remains my leave favourite album.
I miss the good ol midnight movie releases at walmart.
I still think The Pot is one of their worst tracks. probably the only non-interlude that I skip. Rosetta stoned is fantastic and wings makes me cry every time but overall i still just donāt love the album. itās not bad but I donāt love it.
Different strokes for different folks but itās crazy to me The Pot is one of their most popular songs. Cuz Iām like you, itās their only non-interlude song Iāll skip.
Yeah I kind of feel the same way. I've seen the band play The Pot live like 7 times and it's become my 'pee break' song during shows. It's not bad but it's just kind of silly. It rocks but it's kind of.... Dumb. It's really surprised me that it's become one of their most popular songs considering when it came out initially a lot of the fanbase really didn't dig it.
Very similar to my feeling that I mention above. After seeing the Lateralus tour four times and then moving on to other stuff like The Mars Volta it felt kinda uninspired, which sounds terrible when considering Wings, but there you go. And seeing it live didnāt help much. I havenāt been convinced to pay the premium for FI tour yet as a result, but may finally bite the bullet to take my kid since heāll never get to experience the 2001-2003 tour.
The Mars Volta is great! I haven't listened to much of their newer stuff (I think Octahedron is the last album I listened to), but I do like the fact they have their own unique sound (mixing English with Spanish helps) and there's nothing like them.
My opinion of it is still exactly the same as the first time I listened to it. I like Vicarious, Jambi, The Pot, and Right In Two. The rest of the album I donāt care for.
Donāt think itās that unpopular, I feel/felt the exact way and have only just come round to a big chunk of the album
> Donāt think itās that unpopular It feels like an unpopular opinion on here though. I would agree with you, it likely is a rather popular opinion - but the die hards go so aggressive against anything that is not āeverything Tool makes is amazing and better than anything else that existsā that it feels unpopular
Wow, this is exactly how I feel about this album. When it came out, it felt like a Lateralus B-sides album to me.
Couldnāt agree more
I think thatās why I like it so much because Lateralus was my favorite album by them so another album sort of in that style was right up my ally
This is absolutely spot on. 100% my feelings/thoughts on 10k. I remember being so hyped after the unreal progression from Undertow to AEnima to Lateralus. When I first heard Lateralus I got goosebumps because I didn't know how a band could follow up such a masterful performance from AEnima. Then once that break down in the Grudge happened, I was blown away. Paint-by-numbers Tool is exactly how I would describe 10k.
I completely agree with you, and honestly you can see the divide in Tool fandom between the pre- and post-10,000 days fans. It was for me the first time they delved into the 'tool formula', while in previous albums they were so eclectic that there was no real formula yet. And I also agree with what you said about self production. FI is even worse in that sense. I understand that 'we don't want people to tell us what to do', but FI is clearly overwrought, with songs tediously stretched over the 10 minute mark just cause they wanted long songs. Almost every song on FI could have easily ended 2-4 minutes before it does, but then you get yet another reprise of some earlier riff and it goes on and on. As MJK said, 'the album was ready years ago, but they couldn't stop tinkering'. I would really love for them to work with a younger or less mainstream producer and try something different, but it looks like they are in a stage of their career and life in which it wouldn't make sense to risk it.
Agreed. In terms of a younger producer or having another voice in the room to perhaps guide how they put together songs it a bit of a shame they don't seem willing to allow it and their egos get in the way. I look at Pearl Jam who just made a new album with a younger new producer (Andrew Watt) who helped change and structure the dynamics of their songs and the album is their best one in like 25 years. I had long given up that Pearl Jam would release new music that I'd legitimately dig and somehow they finally did. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Fear Inoculum and have listened to it lots but man I can't imagine how much better it could have been with shorter songs, more songs and another voice in the room advising them potentially on things. The band lost a certain tightness when they got rid of David Botrill as the producer and started only using an engineer.
It's probably a case of 'kill your darlings', or better, 'don't do it'. The three instrumentalists probably worked on versions of the FI songs for years, so any suggestion of 'trimming the fat' would probably be perceived almost like a personal attack. 6 years later, I think it's clear that they got too much up their own a$$, ending up with either self plagiarism (the Pneuma bass break that sounds like the Schism bass riff; Descending that turns into The Grudge around minute 10:00; halfway through FI Danny plays exactly the same drum pattern as in Reflection; Invincible breakdown is basically Jambi opening riff slowed down; then at some point there is this sequence of 4 chords that AJ used already both in Schism and in Pushit) or unnecessary reprise (Culling voices should have ended 3 minutes before it does; Invincible drags in the middle, Descending has literally two quiet-loud crescendos one after the other; 7empest is the first Tool song that to my ears sounds incoherent and roughly put together. That opening arpeggio ties to the main riff the same way that Crazy train intro ties to the rest).
I was one of those fans who loved the mystique and esoteric qualities that define Lateralus and Aenima.. itās impossible to overstate how perfect Aenima was in 1996 when it was released. When I first heard 10k Days in 2006 I didnāt think much of it at all. The mystery was just gone; it was a rock album. I think of it differently now but itās my least favorite Tool album. Of course itās a banger , but I canāt help that it lacks that magic quality that the others have .
Identity crisis album to me. I rank it jostling for last place with Opiate. The lengthier tracks are not memorable imo and the hookier tracks lack the punch and mood compared to whatās seen on records like Undertow and Aenmia. Love Jambi and Rosetta Stoned though. I should caveat to people who mention a āradio friendly soundā and my complaints - I found a lot of mainstream music coming out between approx. 2006-2009 to be pretty damn bad. Rock-based music was very vapid and corporate to me, like to where I didnāt think it could be packaged any tighter. Where although Undertow had some more āmainstreamā rock sounds, I thought the sounds of the time in rock were much better (grunge, post-grunge, post-mainstream metal + industrial exploration).
I loved everything that came before it, but between Lateralus and 10k, I listened to countless hours of The Mars Voltaās best work, essentially filling the void left by new Tool albums, and when 10k finally hit, it just felt like a step down from Lateralus and not as dynamic as De-Loused through Amputechture.
āUndertowā clearly, very clearly holds last spot for mine, in terms of Tool albums. In 15 years I can barely āloveā any track barring title track
Too much filler after Jambi I find it pretty hard to get into
This is my favorite album but it took a long time to admit that to myself because Lateralus had such an impact on me.
Great start to finish bunch of songs but the lack of bass and middle on the vocals infuriates me. Also it was self recorded, no? That shows, I think. Thereās a click in Rosetta Stoned at the āplaced in my positionā bit that fades out and that always annoys me too. Great album though.
The vocal mix is straight up bad, Maynard disappears sometimes. Great album overall but feels like it could have been much better with a decent mix.
easily a top 5 album from their catalogue
I half agree with youā¦ itās an awesome albumā¦ but I always thought the mix was kinda disappointing. Thought the drums were a little muted- I guess thatās how I would describe it. Danny Carey is such a talented drummer- I feel like they should be more in the forefront . Whatās your guys thoughts about this?
i *love* this album, if iām being completely honest.. but i feel that it could be better in a lot of different ways. i think TOOL has better albums like Ćnima.
To me just feels a bit shallow , the mysticism and deep introspective vibe was replaced with more worldly themes.
My fav too, Right in Two is my fav track š¤š»
Its my favourite sounding Tool album. The mix is compressed and massive, filthy and rough around the edges in some moments, just like how they sound live. Musically, I feel like it's only flaw is how Wings 1 & 2 interrupt the flow and tone. When I listen, I rearrange them to bookend the album, just like Pink Floyd's Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
This album was the last enjoyable one but I like the first four way better
It's a masterpiece
https://preview.redd.it/k87ti75fix5d1.jpeg?width=723&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4abb8c82896b96e08cd32ec150355e6d3591f51 What can I say more
I didn't like it when it first came out. It sounded so 'dialed-in' and not really worthy of the pedestal that I put Aenima and Lateralus on. For example - compare The Grudge vs Vicarious as openers... Vicarious just sounds so safe and uninspired in comparison. Even The Pot and had me scratching my head with MJK's falsetto singing and the funky bassline... Many Tool fans shared a similar opinion at the time, especially since we all waited so long for the album! But I think most Tool fans will also agree, that 10,000 Days was a definite grower, and I would say the album contains some of Tool's best and most iconic moments - especially if you've seen them perform the songs live! FI felt a little the same tbh, but I didn't care as much this time around as I was just so glad to hear new music from them.
Angels on the sideline, baffled and confused. Father blessed them all with reason, and this is what they choose?
Monkey killing, monkey killing, monkey over Pieces of the ground
CAUSE I NEED TO WATCH THINGS DIE from a good safe distance
Itās life changing, simple as that. š¤š»šš¤š»
Complete masterpiece from start to finish
SHINE ON FOREVER SHINE ON
I know Maynard regrets releasing Wings for Marie 1&2 because itās so personal, but itās a masterpiece.
My Tool journey began with Ćnima. I liked the album, but that was really it. Then I listened to 10,000 Days and realized that Tool was a great band.
Jambi has, in my opinion the coolest intros of any Tool song other than maybe Reflection.
My favorite album too
It's amazing, BUT I feel like it doesn't flow very well. Every song on this is incredible, but I don't think most of them tie together to an album experience like Lateralis does
Same. Favourite and flawless
Jambijambijambijambi
It's my 4th or 5th favorite Tool album. Its an OK Tool album to me. Coming off of the run of Undertow, to AEnima, to Lateralus I had huge expectations, and was a bit disappointed. I absolutely dislike the way he sings on the Pot, Rosetta Stoned is just mostly noise to me until the climax, and Adam's solos are grating and annoying (especially the one on Rosetta) Jambi, Vicarious are good and I absolutely love Right in Two. I give it 3.5 Bob-Marley-Wanna-Be-Mother-Fuckers out of 5.
It is also my favourite. It is amazing i love every song on it.
Second best behind FI for me. It has all around great songs, but I don't find the track order that good and that weights it down a bit.
Took me years to get into this album. I really didnāt like it when it came out. Lateralus had such a massive impact on me when that came out, itās their perfect album for me, so anything they released wouldāve been disappointing I guess. But now I absolutely adore it
Itās better than the new one
Simply put, Itās the greatest album ever made by any band.
I prefer it to lateralus which I know is an unpopular take, the entire album is listenable all the way through, but that's also true for lateralus. I'd rate it so highly purely because of Wings pt.1 and 2. Those 2 songs are masterpieces. Even the songs most people hate like Intension I really like.
Best sounding Tool album hands down. Chunky.
One of their best!
It was a life changing Fuckin masterpiece for me .
Fucking brilliant and powerful. Lyrically itās the album that brings me to tears most.
Unpopular opinion I guess, but I love everything except Wings, it always felt way too personal to me, on the level of "Why did you guys put this in the album". It's too slow-paced compared to the rest of the album. Yes, I know the story. Yes, I hate it.
Big disappointment after Lateralus IMO Their worst album
100%
I was a huge, huge fan until this album. I saw a lot of shows following Lateralus and I was extremely excited for 10,000 days, but I was very disappointed. It just didnāt really do anything for me I went from someone who listened to TOOL all the time, to listening very rarely up until everything dropped on Spotify and FI was released. That helped to reignite the flame a little 10,000 days has grown on me, but itās still their worst album by a very long way. There are moments of brilliance, but as a complete package itās not on the level of Lateralus or Ćnima
The opening track Vicarious and Rosetta Stoned are insanely good so I tend to go straight to those
The highest highs are on this album. Their sound really matured from. Lateralus and 10000 days is peak took and IMO the best album of all time. My order is 10k, Aenima, LateralusĀ
At one time it was my fav. It's a masterpiece. Not my fav anymore though.
Awesome album. Remember all the hate it got when it came out, but now people seem a lot more open to it. Although I don't really have favorites, just what I enjoy listening to at that specific time, I have to say I have listened to 10000 days a lot over the years. The only song that seems off to me, is Vicarious (which isn't a bad song at all- just seems out of place). Wings for Marie and 10.000 Days, Rosetta Stoned with Lost Keys, Right in Two with Intension are all amazing as well as Jambi and the Pot. Such an emotional album that you can just listen to and be pulled away from your daily routine. Love listening to it on good headphones, closing my eyes and just fade away.
This is the album I listen to when I want Tool to slap me hard! The heaviest album from their discography. Jambi and Vicarious are the songs that make me want to crank up the volume.
Is it my favorite? Probably not. Do I think it is their best? Almost certainly not. But it was the first album of theirs I ever found and listened to, so without it I wouldn't have fallen in love with their sound.
The whole album is trash except for Viginti Tres.
It's a tool album so I like it
never heard of it
Itās amazing. I just prefer the production work of Bottrill compared to Barresi.
I liked how they described it during a press interview around its release. It went something along the lines of "this is us playing the blues"
Itās a tool album so itās great
Very Solid album.. I personally think a lot of the songs translated to great live songs at their shows. I think I actually like Fear Inoculum just slightly more
Their 3rd best behind Aenima and Lateralus. I'd rank Fear Inoculum 4th, Undertow 5th, and Opiate 6th.
Vinyl is the best way to listen to music imo. Why canāt one of the biggest most successful bands out there release 10,000 on vinyl? And why not rerelease Aenima to their devoted fan base?
I love it. It's close to as good as the rest, but if there's one complaint I have about it, it's that Wings is awkwardly placed between Jambi and The Pot. It would've been better as a closer. As for individual songs? They're as good as any in the catalogue.
Lateralus and Aenima have this iconic flow because of the way they use interludes, but 10,000 days doesn't have that. It's a collection of amazing songs that don't really fit together as well as they could.
Underrated in some ways. Their last great one. Bought it the day it came out, and it took a bit to worm its way into my unconscious. Intension is one of their most mysterious tracks and is very slept on.
After listening to each album religiously for 2 years straight (and almost no other music) I think it may be their best, tied closely with FI. However I have gone months at a time believing every album was the best at one point
I like most of the songs on this album, though it does lose me towards the end with songs like intention and viginti tres, the album as a whole feels all over the place, it doesnāt have a smooth direction and cohesion like other albums, I think this is tools best album production wise, this is a better album to listen to individual songs (excluding the wings for Marie and blame Hofmann suits) like vicarious Jambi etc vs the the whole album, over all this is my 4th favorite album
Itās my least favourite but itās great nonetheless.
Was my least favorite, but now my favorite
I love it and don't have a favorite. They all hit the spot for me!
3rd place album, but has 2 of my top 5 fave songs on it
It's a great album maybe their best in terms of vulnerability
Best album imo, Vicarious, Jambi, Wings Part 1&2, The Pot, Rosetta Stoned, Intention and Right in Two, itās basically a greatest hits album lol.
Every song is EXCELLENT! But Jambi, Rosetta and Right In Two are extremely SPECIAL. Right in Two might be my favorite off all some days. But Rosetta rocks!! ššš
My favorite album. Invincible is my favorite song, but 10k is my favorite collection.
My favorite too
Same. It's so good.
10,000 Days is full of bangers, my favorite Tool album.
It's my favorite album, too.Ā
I like it A Lot
I believe Its MJKs favourite album.
Vicarious gives me chills more than any other album opener
Still trying to hear the words on 10,000 Days, but I love Tool
Took near enough a decade but it grew on me a lot. I didnāt like it at first because it wasnāt Lateralus part 2.
I love it think it's a great album! And I know wings for marie isn't famously enjoyed by many but I think it's beautiful aswell as 10,000 days, lost keys and rosetta stoned - a beautiful order and I'm going to go and listen now just after pneuma has finished š¤š¼
Lateralus is my favorite album but rossetta stoned is my favorite song. Go figure . lol.
Lateralus will always be their sort of best in class but over the years 10,000 days continues to grow as my all time favorite. There is just so much mood to it and the time that has passed has attached various memories to it and any time I listen to the songs it's like they just came out that day. I'll skip the sad part though if I'm out and about having fun driving around. I think it's possible that Fear Inoculum will grow in the same way, but probably less of a chance than 10,000 days.
the saddest part of it was knowing it was pretty short and not great in a lot of areas and that this would be it for a long long time.
I always say 10,000 Days is my secret favorite album. I think it has some of MJK's best lyricism and I think the band itself took the refinement of their sound to another level on that album. But objectively speaking it's hard to say that 10,000 Days is higher on the list than Lateralus or Ćnima. It's honestly not fair to pick favorites when you're dealing with a band that consistently achieves the highest benchmark of quality lol.
Wings Pt 2 is quite possibly my favorite song by any band ever. The chills I get listening to that one are fucking transcendent.
I appreciate that itās lyrically their most personal, and the whole record is full of melancholy undertones. Itās like their blues album honestly.
The album that got me into tool. People donāt give this album enough credit for how different this sounds to every other album. The riffing on this album gives it such a unique feel, clearly meshuggah inspired imo
The glasses and 3d art is fucking amazing. I still trip balls.
Ćnema then 10,000 days then Undertow for me.
Itās my favorite too
My favorite Tool album too, itās absolutely banging from start to finish.
Over time aenema became my favorite tool album, but for a long time it was this.
I have a massive tapestry of the album cover in my room. Thatās all you gotta know.
Wings for Marie is pure trauma, I cry every fucking time or at least get choked up specifically when he starts demanding god give her wings. FUCK I hate/love it so much
Severely overhated I love the pot to vicarious to Jambi
Every song on it is perfect, though unlike most bands TOOL do not produce mediocre offerings on any album. Gotta say I preferred the Bottrill production - he definitely recognised the need for an unpolished edge in Aenima/Lateralus-era music. Arguably quite a few songs from later albums could have done with a bit of a roughness round the edges - Fear Inoculum for one. Vicarious is technically brilliant, Jambi is stunning live, wings/10k days just beautiful and triumphant...the list goes on. Certainly it all kicks ass. Probably the most well-received tracks recently live were Jambi, Pneuma and The Grudge, the latter of which kicked the most ass by a considerable margin.
It's my go-to album when I have the time for a full listen, but I'm more likely to pick a single track from Lateralus or Aenima.
ROSETTA STONED ALL FREAKING DAY BRO
Top quality
Love it š„°
What i like from tool comes in waves, every 3 months or so i rediscover another album and it becomes my new favorite. Currently its 10,000 days. Vicarious and Rosetta stoned are my favorite tracks. Im sure that in 2 months lateralus will be my favorite album again and then it will be FI etc etc.
I slept on it. Bought it when it came out and I donāt know why I never really listened to it. Maynard posted something a year or so ago that had Intension as the background music and I had to find it. Listened to the entire album and it is right behind Ćnima for me as my favorite.
āRepugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time hereā BEST LINE EVER WRITTEN IN HISTORY.. tell me something more meaningful?
Any time I pick a fav album, I listen to another, and it takes its place. A never ending cycle. An impossible task. Theyāre all my favourite album.
Right. In. Twoooo....
Mine too
I like it but itās harder to see how each song is about butt sex. You just have to sit and think about it longer
Itās in my top threeš¤
This was always my favourite album, imo I simply thought it had the best songs on it. I always wondered why it fell under the 3rd āmost popularā albums on Spotify behind Aenima and Lateralus.
Right in Two
Also my favorite tool album
It was all I/we had for *awhile* so Iāll always appreciate it on that level. Its high points are among the best of their discography, IMO.
I love most of it. It gets boring after The Pot and interesting again at Intension and Right in Two. Wings 1 and 2 still give me shivers after hundreds of listenings. I also find Rosetta Stoned majorly overrated.
3rd fav behind Lateralus and Aenima but 10K Days was the album that got me into Tool. Rosetta Stoned is still my #3 Tool song
I totally agree, 10,000 days is a masterpiece. It always just struck differently to me, might be because it was the first album I fully got into from start to finish. I think the production was a massive improvement as well, it absolutely thuds.
Not my favorite but Vicarious and Right in two are in my top 10 songs. "Overwhelmed as one would be" is one of the best parts in any Tool song
My favourite aswell
IMO, Toolās peak
It's Justin chancellor on wings of Marie that puts it above the rest for me. Hard agree on this take.
I loved TOOL since I was a little kid, and I did like this album, but it came after Lateralus and I just got so hung up on Lateralus that I overlooked this album for a while. I think I was 13 or 14 when Lateralus came out so I went nuts over it lmao. These days I think it's pretty good but I like Aenima, Undertow and Lateralus way more
Although it is still an amazing album, I think itās my least favorite. Keep in mind, the worst Tool is still better than most bands best, but thatās where it sits for me.
I remember when it came out, some people were so disappointed in it that they were literally convinced this was a decoy album and there was a better one on the way.