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Faceplams: Let me guess! Invincible?
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Let me guess! Invincible?
Active Member
Lol Yeah, I tried to spoiler tag it for those who don't want to know, but then I realized it's there in the title and it embeds the video, so it's right there. Whatever, it's going to be impossible to avoid that spoiler anyway, right?
The Virus Inside
This might be an unpopular opinion, but that song is kinda... meh.
It just never really went anywhere. I expected it to pick up, but it never really did.
I don't know if it's just hearing it through a phone recording first is kind of underwhelming or what.
I was expecting something a little more uplifting and catchy. Seemed like an odd song to play at a festival.
Crowd didn't really know how to react either lol.
Descending with lyrics sounds good though. Sounds very third-eyeish mixed with Lateralus.
Hopefully these are growers once you hear the studio versions a few times. The thing with TOOL is, the music really needs to grow on you and one day it just clicks and it's awesome. I remember buying Lateralus on day 1 when it was released and absolutely hating it, but it's probably my favorite record of theirs now.
Active Member
Two new songs, on my birthday. Hell yeah. I’m gonna have to move mountains to make it to the KC show.
Now to avoid any and all shitty cellphone footage until later. I made it about 20 seconds and decided I’d rather my first impressions be proper first impressions of these songs. Thanks for keeping us all filled in, though, y’all!
Last edited by ImTheWiseJanitor; 05-05-2019 at 11:26 PM.
Just tickles my balls!
Originally Posted by sonic_discord
Dis-member
Don’t know if I’m really digging the new songs- like said above, they don’t rwally go anywhere- but here are some better versions:
Active Member
I feel like now would be a great time to just drop a single. Let it out however they need to.
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The Virus Inside
All the comments on that video are like "OMG this is the best thing ever" and I'm sitting here like, am I missing something? I mean... it's good... but it isn't blowing my mind.
I feel like people are afraid to admit the first song in 13 years isn't meeting their expectations.
It's weird, NIN gets criticized all the time when they release new stuff. The comment sections on social media from some of the trilogy albums were just tearing them apart to be trash, when I think some of those songs were the best he's done since the Fragile. Now here we are with tool, but it's opposite... Everyone is going crazy over this? I don't get it... Maybe i'm too old for this shit.
Based on the 2 songs we have so far, I get the feeling there is no single...
I have a feeling that this record is going to be very mellow.
I saw somewhere on YouTube, someone that heard the record said there was not a single scream on it at all. It's just very mellow and passive singing.
I get the feeling the whole record is like this... just very mellow, doesn't really go anywhere. I think the rumors are true, there are probably only 6 or 7 10 min songs that just meander.
Not to mention These are very uninspiring lyrics. The previous songs had so much emotion, power and seemingly had a message/meaning. I get the feeling Maynard just threw a bunch of words in a paper bag and picked some out to form sentences on this.
I hope there is some classic "tool comedy" on this record, like "The Pot" or "Rosetta Stoned" some of Maynards lyrics are usually very clever and thought-proviking, but these lyrics seem very cut and paste.
Last edited by ManBurning; 05-06-2019 at 12:31 AM.
Active Member
I don’t really share the uninspiring and meandering critiques. They do seem a bit meditative but that’s not a bad thing. But, yeah, the songs seem pretty whelming. But, so did Vicarious on first listen. The only time I remember being really moved immediately by a new Tool song is Wings For Marie but that’s as much a testament to the atmosphere, harmonies, and texture of the songs.
The newest Puscifer songs sound kinda lousy live—especially at festivals or larger venues—but that’s kind of because they’re intimate songs and they require a smaller space to work.
I dunno. It’s impossible to tell from these. But I’m cautiously optimistic, honestly.
Seems like dropping either of these songs would be a good idea at this point.
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Active Member
I listened to each one once or twice but I think I’ll wait for studio versions to listen more. Unless they haven’t released the single by the time I see them in Chicago. As I said a few days ago, these live phone recordings from festivals aren’t the ideal way to hear or judge a new song. It’s just all that’s available so far and I’m just fucking pumped that it’s finally happening for real.
The Virus Inside
It's odd, because you know the band probably feels the same way as you do about this. You would assume the first song they put out in 13 years would want to be a nice polished professional recording to release to the world, and not some shitty iphone recording from a festival. The band is so strict about no recordings at their shows, obviously thdy know they can't really enforce that at a festival, but it just seems like they just stopped caring and were like "Yep, let's just let the shitty recordings fly"
Guessing there will be at least another song debuted at a non festival show later on the week. Maybe that song Adam teased on the riff on Instagram. That riff generally sounded pretty awesome. Would like to hear that song.
I'm just shocked they never officially released something before they started touring. I guess they have their reasons? But if the record is done... why wait to put it out? That part I don't understand. Word on the street is we ain't getting it til August, which makes no sense what-so-ever. It's clearly done. What's holding it up?
Last edited by ManBurning; 05-06-2019 at 01:21 AM.
Active Member
It sounds like marketing. The feeling I got from a few vague Maynard tweets and Adam interviews is that this is all being done very traditionally. Which means it’s a slow, boring, frustrating slog from end to end.
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Active Member
This grooves really hard, I love it. Need to hear the studio version though, I think Maynard sounds pretty good. That Invincible breakdown with Justin around 2:20 is fucking great.
Cubby NIИtastic
Wow, they actually performed new songs at a bro fest, making fodder for all the crappy phone recordings. They're really in fine 'fuck it' mode, aren't they? I'll gladly wait for the studio recording and/or attend an actual show before listening..
That being said, the conspiracy theorist in me is wondering if there's even a real new album at all and they'll just be live performances haha. Maynard's "mid-May to Mid-July" comment could have literally meant the entire album will roll out between those dates across live shows lmao.
*edit-
https://www.billboard.com/articles/c...festival-watch
Also, leave it to Billboard to post a Puscifer picture in a Tool article, and even caption it as a Tool picture. Nice journalism work.
Last edited by halo eighteen; 05-06-2019 at 07:11 AM.
Active Member
I hate you sooo much right now for putting this in my head. It would be the ultimate troll move....
"You want more Tool, ok...come to the shows...thats where you can hear the album...or from shitty cell videos" lulz
That song was Descending.
Last edited by Reznor2112; 05-06-2019 at 07:32 AM.
Active Member
As much as this new shit is hard to take in (live performance footage of songs not being accessible sounding for Tool), and all of the sudden (such a fucking long time of being used to nothing NEW)...after a few different listens of both of the songs, I'm excited still.
If there's one time I'm not gonna put stock into my judgments on material before a proper listen, it's definitely here and now.
That said, I'm quite biased as Tool's stuff dates so far back with me (they were the first band I took to the soul, after getting through the pop punk phase)...I was looking to all of their albums during my very formative years. A widely different vibing album from them today -as I believe it will really, really end up being- will feel so, so good...so right (regardless if I'm really that into it or into it right away).
This is exciting times.
Final stretch. Come on.
Last edited by Amaro; 05-06-2019 at 09:03 AM.
Active Member
I'm really really impressed with Invincible (maybe like a minute or two of the chugglng cut), not as much with Descending.
xScott
I'm gonna hold off on listening to these because I want to hear them live in person for the first time. Can't wait for next Thursday!!!! (and the following Sunday too!!)
Throbbing Member
Can I wait? can I wait? Is it worth it? There's only one first time.... but we've waiting for so long. And anybody at the show could only experience it that way anyway....
Listened to 2 minutes... and stopped. I'm going to wait. I'm working anyway, I won't focus properly.
Dis-member
Listened to Invincible this morning again... with headphones... and a better quality version of it. It’s pretty damn impressive IMHO.
Couple things going against it, for me anyways and maybe some others would agree. It’s not quite the ear worm I was hoping for. The other is I was worried about the rumor of all the songs being really long on the new album- so far this looks to be true. Problem is these songs could be a hell of a lot shorter, it almost seems forced.
In the end its definitely Tool. They didn’t seem to stray far from what they’ve been doing since Aenima, and I’m ok with that.
Throbbing Member
I reckon "auto-pilot" Tool is better than no new Tool at all.
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Fair enough. It happens with every album they release. 'These songs are meh.' then the never-ending debate, then the album drops, then we all dig it...some more than others. Then we all move on.
Dis-member
Ehhhh, Trent and co. deserve some scorn for some of the stuff released since 2013. Some of its unlistenable, and much is forgettable. The other side would be hopping over to ETS and reading the comments on how his latest work is the greatest ever by everyone who decides to post.
I agree on the “getting to old for this shit” comment though. Newer music doesn’t hit me the same way it did when I was younger so I tend to be a bit less patient and more pessimistic when my favorite bands/musicians drop new music these days.
Active Member
I listened to each again this morning with headphones, too. The version I found is further back with a little more even. And you can hear vocals.
My opinion of each actually improved. Descending could still benefit from something(??) at the end. Invincible grew on me immediately and actually seems like a decent single. It has a chorus and a bit of a hook.
Descending is interesting in that it seems very deliberate. I guess I don’t get the autopilot impression. I was actually surprised by how much more Maynard seems to have to say than my initial impression last night.
I’m totally on the “too old for this” train, though. I’m insanely passionate about music, though. I’ll get obsessed with this music and, in time, I’ll process it all. Then one night I’ll have a few drinks, sit back and it’ll all sink in. I just know I’m gonna have less time to process 10+ minute long songs with three kids and a constant work schedule.
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Throbbing Member
Sounds great, consider me hyped. Long ass song as well!
Throbbing Member
You guys are forgetting the most important part of the show, the Mohawk is back and MJK is wearing glasses on stage, cool outfit!
The Virus Inside
Least you know what a "bro" is. The topic came up with a friend a couple weeks ago about "music for bros" and he was like "What is a bro" and I'm like dude... there is no way you don't know what a bro is. It's 2019.
Yeah, I was really hoping for he first song they released in forever was something a little more catchy that had a chorus or something you could get stuck in your head.
I hope there's at least 1 song on this record like that, but sometime tells me there won't be. I also can't help but get the feeling that maybe this record is meant to be 1 giant continued piece of 70 min music just "split up" into "songs" but they all connect to make 1 giant song. Wouldn't that be something.
I actually had a similar conversation with my girlfriend last week about artists that don't release music for a decade or more. We talked about whether we would rather have a band like Tool, Rammstein or System of a Down that has gone 10+ years without a record stay as a touring band with the records they have now and just enjoy the music back catalog they released OR risk a new album coming out but it being sub-par and kind of "meh" putting their legacy to shame with this lackluster music they released at the end of their career.
I would almost rather have a band not release new music after so long if it risks not being very good and just be happy the band is still around and playing shows.
In TOOLs case, I feel like they played it too safe and just stayed with a specific formula. I would have liked for them to have changed their sound for the new record. I almost feel like TOOL are 2 different bands at this point. Nice and short 3-4 minute catchy pre-Lataralus TOOL and mega magnum opus 10+ min song and weird time signature post AEnima TOOL.
I would have preferred a completely new sound to be honest. I feel like they played it a little too safe here.
Last edited by ManBurning; 05-06-2019 at 12:42 PM.
Throbbing Member
Not giving Tool a pass if new music is bad. But also not going to have unrealistic expectations that new music will surpass their previous work. They're not Spring chickens anymore; I don't expect their fires to burn like that incredible first decade of music. Also ignoring the 13 years between albums as any precursor as to why an album should or shouldn't be better than any other great band. Obviously I hope the album is worth the wait. But plenty of legendary albums have been made in, literal, days. Too much time can lead to second guessing and over production. Regardless, quality depends on the writer's passion, ideas clicking amongst talented musicians and a lot of luck besides. Sometimes it takes years to flesh out. Sometimes a quick stroke of genius in a matter of hours.
That all being said, I did what I wasn't going to do and listened to the new material at Rockville put together / edited by ToolArchive. I enjoyed what I heard. It didn't blow my cynical mind, but it was good. Certainly better than being disappointed. Album can't get here soon enough.
Last edited by pulse; 05-06-2019 at 12:54 PM.
The Virus Inside
Here's a decent shot of what Maynard looked like up close last night.
Banned
I mean Maynard could release an hour of music of him banging pots and pans and whistling and Tool fanboys will claim its the second coming of christ...There are people here trying to claim the shitbomb known as APCs last album is an unheralded masterpiece......This sounds like Tool on autopilot...basically EXACTLY what I expected of a singer in his mid 50s that hasn't released an album with this band in 13 years.....I expect this album to sound like 10,000 Days B sides and I also expect Tool fanboys to lap it up and claim how brilliant it is....
Last edited by Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell); 05-06-2019 at 02:54 PM.
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