Tool yesterday revealed the artwork for their new album Fear Inoculum, out 30 August.
The fifth studio LP, which is their first for 13 years, comes after numerous setbacks during the recording process - including a vesper crash to drummer Day Carey and a difficult lawsuit which they eventually won.
The mind-bending artwork - which you can see above; and in an animated version below - immediately went viral. The excitement from the feverish fanbase was helped by the news Tool will release the title track tomorrow (7 August) and have links for LP pre-orders.
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The most detail to come out about the album yet came out in an interview with guitarist Adam Jones soon to be published in Guitar World (via The PRP). He told the magazine that the album is a massive 85 minutes long with seven tracks, and two transitions.
The active decision to have seven tracks is there because the band recognised the number kept cropping up during recording. "I took a picture pointing to the number seven while we were recording, and a lot of the riffs Justin [Chancellor] and I brought in were in seven," Jones explains.
More: Read an exclusive interview with A Perfect Circle
The same interview with Jones also reveals the surprising coincidence that singer Maynard James Keenan had written a whole concept he had about the number seven. "We were all like, ‘Oh My God! This is too weird!’ Then Alex Grey [Tool album artist] basically said the same thing and he has a concept that will reveal itself through video."
Meanwhile, Jones told Guitar World about his guitar technique and how his playing has evolved since 10,000 Days: "The last time I saw Kirk Hammett, I asked and he sent me a video of this forwards/backwards run going up and down the neck of the guitar and it really helped my playing a lot […] I think it’s better to learn how someone practices and apply it to your own ideas. I highly recommend it.”
Elsewhere, Tool's entire back catalogue was uploaded to streaming services on Friday 2 August. Their first EP Opiate, debut album Undertow, the 'Schism’-spawning Ænima, Lateralus, and their 2005 masterpiece 10,000 Days are now featured on all major music streaming sites. Lateralus is top of the US ITunes chart. They also have five tracks in the top ten of the iTunes song chart.
MORE: Tool's greatest tracks - Top 10
Keep an eye on Gigwise tomorrow to listen to the new song.
