Fear Inoculum.

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by hellopike, Aug 30, 2019.

  1. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Anyone else listening on release day?

    I’m one listen through, just starting my second go round. So here’s my hot take:

    It’s surprisingly relaxed (that might not be the right word) and almost meandering (or seemingly) for a Tool album..

    The theme seems to be about age, the wisdom and peace of mind that comes with it, but also the crisis that comes along with the realization that our days are ultimately numbered...

    I gotta say I’m not sure how I feel about that just 2 days removed from my 40th birthday...

    The overall tempo is a slow build... and I love me some long prog rock, but I dunno if every song needed to be 10+ minutes. It only got my blood pumping at the beginning and at the end.
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
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  2. TiredChildren

    TiredChildren Administrator Staff Member

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Overall I'm digging the record. I've listened through it about 5 times so far. I do wish there were a little more "songwriting" going on. I grew up on Opiate / Undertow / Aenima, so I miss the Tool that had hooks. Maynard seems to have let the rest of the band shine, which is really cool, but I like Maynard and his screams. I don't think he gets to full-on scream mode at all on FI.

    All that said though, I do really like it.
     
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  3. aarnfnchr

    aarnfnchr Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    I'm trudging my way through it. So far it seems like a cure for insomnia.
     
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  4. severen

    severen Addicted

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Pretty underwhelmed after my first time through it.
    They're working with some interesting time signatures, but nothing has really grabbed me yet...
     
  5. ungawa222

    ungawa222 Mini Boss

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    Fear Inoculum.
    As a bigtime prog-head myself, certainly not trying to yuck anyone's yums... but this is pretty fuckin' funny.
     
  6. Max Rodriguez

    Max Rodriguez Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Can’t get past the title track. I really want to like this record man.
     
  7. 3wing

    3wing Addicted

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    Fear Inoculum.
    This sounds like the last three records but, more underwhelming
     
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  8. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Well, the last two anyway.
     
  9. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    My least favourite release by them. Sounds like they are covering themselves during Lateralus/10, 000 Days rather than try something new (granted the inclusion of synths in parts was interesting). Felt like some of the riffs and drum patterns almost sound recycled from tracks such as Jambi and Disposition. With Opiate-Lateralus each having their own personality, I can’t find much to love about this one comparatively. Same old guitar tones and Maynard really dialled down on the aggressive vocal performances. Also, the lyrics suck. I used to be the biggest Tool fan as a kid, thinking they were so “deep”. Ha!

    Anyway this is my take and I don’t mean to spoil it for anyone who loves it.
     
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  10. zindabad

    zindabad Line of Credit

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Tried to enjoy it, but it's not working out. @TiredChildren hit it on the head; I miss Tool having hooks.

    Same here! Now I'm just a Danny Carey fan :lol:

    They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so I'm going to leave this link here. Be warned, it's sexually explicit and not safe for work. There, now you've been warned.

    https://i.imgur.com/7vahQCJ.jpg
     
  11. Max Rodriguez

    Max Rodriguez Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Finally got around to listening to the entire album. Gotta say it’s great, but it feels like another 10,000 Days. Like these were songs they had recorded but never used. I hope this isn’t their last album cause that would be a disappointment.
     
  12. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Ok. I’ve listened to it a few times, and ruminated on it. I’m not a fan of this album. It’s dull and boring. It goes nowhere, and takes forever getting there. There are bits scattered throughout that have the elements of cool songs, but they need to be distilled and refined.

    The band seems, in my opinion, to have reached that level where they no longer consider themselves artists, but ‘artistes’ who can do no wrong, surrounded by yes men, and won’t take criticism. (See George lucas during production of the Star Wars prequels). The album seems self indulgent in a “we know what’s best” way.

    The band needed a producer willing to push them, edit them down and tell them “no” when they floated the idea of 7 10+ minute songs and another handful of pointless segues.

    Probably the best song of the album for me was “7empest” but it needs to be about 9 minutes shorter.

    And as far as the “they’re prog rock/metal” excuse... eh. I don’t want to hear it. Just because it’s long or in a weird time signature doesn’t mean it’s progressive, or even good. If it were good I wouldn’t mind the length- go listen to the fantastic 22 minute long “Supper’s Ready” by Genesis, or “Heart of the sunrise” by Yes, or “Roundabout”, or “The Cinema Show” also by Genesis to see long songs done properly. They move and have a driving beat and feel cohesive... this Tool album sounds like a bunch of disparate parts Adam Jones and Danny Carey have played around with, but that never really grew into any real songs strung together.

    This wasn’t worth the wait.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2019
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  13. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Kinda weird how most in this thread seem to have their own criticisms yet I’ve only seen the release showered with praise by reviewers and fans alike. Perhaps it’s due to the enormity of Tool and their diehard fanbase that music reviewers dare not criticise them.
     
  14. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    Fear Inoculum.
    I think you’re probably more right than you realize. People have wanted and waited for this for so long they’re unable to admit it’s not that great. To go back to the star wars prequels- look how well they did in the box office. At the time, People were just happy for new star wars movies, despite the fact that if they were honest with themselves they would have to admit they were... lacking. Hell, I’ll admit it, I saw phantom menace 7 times in the theater just because I was wrapped up in the high feeling of new star wars.

    As for tool, I’ve been listening since Christmas of 94 when I got a copy of undertow. I’ve seen them live 11 or 12 times between 1996 and 2007 or so. So take that however you will, I think I qualify as a true/real/big/whatever fan of their music. I love the first 4 albums and Opiate, but I’ve got no feeling or sense of false loyalty or whatever to the band that will force me to pretend to like this, or say that it’s as great as people are saying. I don’t think it could ever really have met the expectations that have built up over the last decade, but that’s kinda on them. Maybe not take 13 years between albums? Just a thought.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2019
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  15. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    You put it well. That makes perfect sense.
     
  16. gatiio

    gatiio Post Pimp

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Tool was one of those bands always on the periphery of other things I listened to and it never caught my attention, it was alright but where it was prog- it wasn’t prog enough and where it was metal it wasn’t as fast as I’d like it.

    With 13yrs between those experiences and my tastes a lot more broad now, I think it’s not a fantastic record but it sounds like so much of the other stuff that at least I got to hear it without the scores of stans in my circles yelling at me to go check this or that release. It’s been a nice intro to a band I was never much into.

    So yeah, great introduction album for any kid these days that can’t listen to a whole album in one sitting but is willing to sit through 10min songs in the Instagram/TikTok era.

    I’m not going to listen to the whole catalog now, but I def will suggest the band to youngsters when they ask me for gateway stuff.
     
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  17. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Maybe you could suggest stuff you fully endorse instead?
     
  18. gatiio

    gatiio Post Pimp

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    Fear Inoculum.

    Yup, I do that already. What i meant is when my 16yr old cousin that loves Lizzo asks me for stuff, tool can be something she would be aware of and uninterested by, and yet so much Into the music without overbearing her with the fan base.


    It’s like introducing someone to rick and morty without having to endure their fanbase. It kinda kills the whole of it
     
  19. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    Fear Inoculum.

    Haha yes. My wife and I were just talking about R&M and how I don’t think season 4 is going to hit like the others. It’s been too long, the buildup too much and the average audience has a goldfish memory. I think Regular people have forgotten about the show and aren’t going to care, and the rabid fan base has put it on a pedestal so much that they’re not going to be except anything less than perfection, and will never admit it.
     
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  20. badteethcomics

    badteethcomics Post Pimp

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    Fear Inoculum.
    The soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood shits all over any of this Tool mumbo-jumbo
     
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  21. gatiio

    gatiio Post Pimp

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    Fear Inoculum.
    I skip that dude’s work like the plague, glad to hear he still makes some kvlt playlists to go with his films



    Yeah, it’s a bit sad that lots of the interesting philosophical questions it asks of it’s audience are lost on the eclectic behavior of one character. I was almost stoned to death by some friends for not watching it until S03. I just couldn’t deal with the onslaught of jebronies and their t-shirts.

    One of my friends convinced me by saying: “let them be, enjoy the show. They all think they’re a Rick when the reality is we’re all mortys.

    ...Mortys killing Mortys.



    But yeah, I’ve been listening to FI and I think 2 tracks will remain on my playlists and the rest are for the bin.
     
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  22. brobles

    brobles S7 Royalty

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    Fear Inoculum.
    While I respect everyone's opinion, i'll have to respectfully disagree.
    Admittedly it look a few listens to get me hooked on the title track and while listening to descending and invincible live, neither song did much for me.

    But having heard the album multiple times now I gotta say that despite the long runtimes, it never felt long or drawn out for me.

    Their sound is familiar but different enough to warrant excitement.

    The more I listened the more I started picking up some crazy drumming sections I'd missed on first listen and some spectacular bass playing by Chancellor.

    And again, i dont think FI is the album to introduce someone to Tool. That's what Undertow or Lateralus is for.

    Anyways, I do believe its a great record, time will tell where it falls in with the rest of their catalog.
     
  23. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    Fear Inoculum.
    Reading through this thread almost had me thinking that this might finally be the Tool record for me, but I think I'll just keep strolling down the Street of Crocodiles instead. It's worked for me so far.
     
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  24. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

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    Fear Inoculum.
    My feelings exactly. I couldn’t narrow down at least one track that I can say is the one for me, where I could grow off from. It all just felt like it never ended.
     
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  25. 3wing

    3wing Addicted

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    Fear Inoculum.
    The best part about this album is the packaging they put together for it.
    It’s an insane ode to industrial design.
     
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