In a newly republished 2006 interview with Guitar World, Tool guitarist Adam Jones argued that the band’s lengthy breaks in-between albums were actually beneficial to both the group and their music as a whole. Conducted just ahead of the release 2x multi-platinum fourth studio album, “10,000 Days“. Jones stated to the aforementioned publication at the time:
“Our records don’t sound like other people’s records, where they release them a year apart and they end up sounding like a bad cover band version of themselves. Each record sounds different from the one before it. Those long breaks we take give us time to absorb what’s going on around us and grow. I think that shows on our records.”
That same discussion also saw Jones elaborate a bit on the actual length of the creative process for “10,000 Days“, stating that the proper sessions for it roughly took a year. He shared of that, “Despite what everyone thinks, it didn’t take us five years to make this record. We took a long time off after the last tour.” Of course, given the that nearly two decades have passed since the interview was conducted, Jones shouldn’t be held to those opinions today, as his views could have changed.
As the April 2006 release of “10,0000 Days” loomed, fans of the progressive alt-metal juggernauts were wrestling with their second five-year wait between albums from the band. As it turns out, those fans didn’t know how good they had it then, as the group’s follow-up — and current album — 2019’s “Fear Inoculum“, wouldn’t arrive until some 13 years afterwards.
Tool‘s notoriously exhaustive creative process wasn’t solely to blame for that excruciating wait. The band also dealt with undisclosed health issues and a near-decade lawsuit that kept their focus away from crafting new music.
However, since returning in 2019 with “Fear Inoculum“, there’s been numerous comments from members of the outfit which find them expressing their hopes of cranking out a follow-up with an expedited timeframe. While there have seemingly been indications some of new music being crafted, there remains little shared with the public thus far that any serious strides have been made.
Drummer Danny Carey has been spending the fall on the road with a King Crimson tribute project (‘Beat Tour‘) and a recent interview with Maynard James Keenan found him indicating that he has yet to receive any proper new material to work on.
Outside of Jones‘ views at the time of the prolonged downtime being beneficial, another interesting excerpt from this newly republished chat from the Guitar World archives also found Jones asserting his role as a key player in the group. When asked what common ground the band members share, he offered:
“All of the members of Tool agree on sacred geometry, which is a study of taking everything that’s complicated about the world and everything that’s concentrative of our world and breaking it down to the simplest things: simple patterns, shapes, colors, vibrations… all that kind of stuff. To me that is what Tool is, because everyone in my band gets that. My band. It’s my band. I asked Maynard to play with me, so Tool is my band.
I hate when art is forced, when you look at something and go, ‘God, give me a break!,’ because you can tell that that person was trying to be artistic and show off themselves as being some weird, arty guy. It’s not from the heart. Life is short, and it’s so rewarding to try to get to a certain point.”
Given the glacial precedent for their records and their first-ever proper tour of South America looming in the spring (see below,) it remains to be seen if 2025 will afford the band enough time to add any new material to their catalog.
03/07-08 Punta Cana, DOM – Tool Live In The Sand
03/12 Monterrey, MEX – Explanada del Estadio Azteca (feat. The Cult & Seven Hours After Violet)
03/15 Mexico City, MEX – Azteca Stadium Esplanade
03/18 Guadalajara, MEX – Calle 2 (feat. The Cult & Seven Hours After Violet)
03/22 Buenos Aires, ARG – Lollapalooza Argentina
03/23 Santiago, CHL – Lollapalooza Chile
03/28 Bogotá, COL – Festival Estereo Picnic
03/30 São Paulo, BRA – Lollapalooza Brasil
