Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Had the first listen over 10000 Days tonight.
A logical progression from Lateralus. Er...much more focused on the rhythm section than any previous release, but I think the big surprise would be Maynard's voice. His singing style has changed dramatically. Quite a lot of eastern chanting mixed in with a lot of reverb in more than one song, but overall, he keeps to a lower pitch. Except in 'The Pot', where he sung such high notes as to trick me into thinking they had a guest vocalist singing it.
The heavy rhythmic focus on the music brings their music more in the direction of Meshuggah's end of the pool, what with many chugging, palm-muted guitars to be found being played alongside some very catchy drum and bass lines, almost always to a complex beat. However, Maynard can sing quite well, and he uses his range effectively, even if most songs this time 'round are in the lower end of his register. This gives me the impression that this stuff will be more appealing than Meshuggah's lyrical/vocal offerings, which are basically nonsensical gibberish bellowed out in a monotone by a swedish nerd. (Don't get me wrong: You all know I love Meshuggah for that reason)
I'd go out on a limb and say that this release sees them change direction artistically more than any other album they've put out. But for Tool, that's not saying much.
The bottom line (so it appears): I was impressed.
A logical progression from Lateralus. Er...much more focused on the rhythm section than any previous release, but I think the big surprise would be Maynard's voice. His singing style has changed dramatically. Quite a lot of eastern chanting mixed in with a lot of reverb in more than one song, but overall, he keeps to a lower pitch. Except in 'The Pot', where he sung such high notes as to trick me into thinking they had a guest vocalist singing it.
The heavy rhythmic focus on the music brings their music more in the direction of Meshuggah's end of the pool, what with many chugging, palm-muted guitars to be found being played alongside some very catchy drum and bass lines, almost always to a complex beat. However, Maynard can sing quite well, and he uses his range effectively, even if most songs this time 'round are in the lower end of his register. This gives me the impression that this stuff will be more appealing than Meshuggah's lyrical/vocal offerings, which are basically nonsensical gibberish bellowed out in a monotone by a swedish nerd. (Don't get me wrong: You all know I love Meshuggah for that reason)
I'd go out on a limb and say that this release sees them change direction artistically more than any other album they've put out. But for Tool, that's not saying much.
The bottom line (so it appears): I was impressed.
Comments:
Sure, if you like their older stuff, it's worth a shot. One other thing: The vocals are not only different because of how the singing is done, but I've also forgotten a more subtle change that seems to have taken place. In some songs, the vocals are mixed behind the music, kinda like Isis or something. Which I dig.
Back to my original point, I'm always gonna say it's worth a listen, whether I like it or not. Which I do! Very, very much! How listen to it!
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Back to my original point, I'm always gonna say it's worth a listen, whether I like it or not. Which I do! Very, very much! How listen to it!
