Tool

[elevenism]

So I watched this PhD, Justin Sledge, who studies esotericism give a talk, yesterday, and:

Hekalot/Merkavah/Merkabah mysticism is pre kabbalistic Jewish mysticism that involves ascending by DEscending through 7 levels into the throne/chariot room of God. Iirc, the Merkabah refers to the throne itself, which is like a vehicle, and/or, the "spirit vehicle" of the practitioner.
Multiple texts exist, with ancient rabbinical sources claiming to have accomplished the feat.
There's also similar occult/mystical literature regarding bringing Yahweh itself down to YOU.
This was, perhaps, adopted and slightly changed by the Order of the Rosy Cross in the 18th century.
Note that all of this stuff is fucking complicated, and sometimes contradictory, depending on which ancient, possibly pseudepigraphal source you're looking into: lots of similar ideas, but with glaring differences between writers.
3rd Enoch is the only text I've READ that gets into this stuff, but I did get some more depth from hearing an expert explain the other texts.

Interesting to me, with my theory on a/descending having an esoteric meaning, and the prevalence of the number 7 on FI.

Edit: I'm not necessarily talking about the lyrics, here: rather, the possible intention, or mystical trappings of the music itself.

[Arcspiral]

Oh of course…a skull with a fetus inside. A collectible skull. With a fetus inside. ?!?!? Fucking hell this band.

I can't believe I'm about to equate the two bands, but how far off is NIN at this point? I am certainly no Tool apologist by any means but at least this thing is collectable right? Meanwhile, over here we are getting towels, umbrellas and every t-shirt under the sun. How many "exclusive" t-shirt lines have dropped in the last few years? RRHOF, Pandemic, Tours (2020, hellfest, etc.), collab (halsey, captain marvel, watchmen) and now Definitive shirts? How long until blankets show up at this point? Will we collectively shit on those too or turn a blind eye and sheepishly buy em?

Meanwhile, outside of new music all anyone really wants from Tool at this point is a full vinyl reissue of the back catalog or at the very least, Aenima. Instead, we get pregnant skulls. It seems like the same thing is happening here. People are clamoring for Year Zero Definitive Edition (Coming Soon since 2017!) or new NIN, but we just keep getting t-shirts or other ephemera. I am not taking the TR&AR scores into account here, just like APC and Puscifer when discussing Tool.

As someone that has made it a part-time job to shit on Tool merch, I can't shake the feeling that I am beginning to throw stones from a glass house. Who knows, maybe I'm just getting too old for all this shit, haha.

[armogi]

As someone that has made it a part-time job to shit on Tool merch, I can't shake the feeling that I am beginning to throw stones from a glass house. Who knows, maybe I'm just getting too old for all this shit, haha.

I think at this point it's become part of any large band's business model, they are a brand, just as nike or hugo boss.
I can't understand either why certain people keep buying all this shit but they do, first world problem i suppose.
And you should see the shit metallica or pearl jam pumps out on a regular basis, yet the music sucks for the most part, at least TR is still giving us good sounds.
so yeah, old fart alert here too!

[Arcspiral]

I think at this point it's become part of any large band's business model, they are a brand, just as nike or hugo boss.

100%

I can't understand either why certain people keep buying all this shit but they do, first world problem i suppose.

Hey, people buy what they like right? No shame in enjoying what you enjoy. My original post was more so an about face for my past Tool-bashing/NIN-praising when it comes to merch. Anymore these days, it feels like two sides of the same coin.

[cdm]

Hey, people buy what they like right? No shame in enjoying what you enjoy. My original post was more so an about face for my past Tool-bashing/NIN-praising when it comes to merch. Anymore these days, it feels like two sides of the same coin.

I know what you mean. The difference, to me, is the NIN stuff seems to have a bit more thought / details put into it. The Fragile pocket tee, the DS umbrella, the work they put into in getting the reissue shirts accurate...there's time and care there. The Tool stuff just seems like they sent a bunch of designs to Teespring and shit them out. The other thing is I'm just so sick of Alex Grey's stuff. It's beyond stale at this point and their weird infatuation with him is really off-putting. The skull is what it is...I guess it's interesting as a thing to some people and they'll probably sellout. It's the vague hype and the constant trolling that gets an eyeroll from me.

[sonic_discord]

I imagine the guys of Tool being like Krusty in this classic Simpsons clip when they're approving their merch.

[cdm]

Maynard Seal of Approval

[cahernandez]

They are going to play in Daytona, FL, at Welcome to Rockville. Possible short East Coast tour at around that time?

[sonic_discord]

The Thursday & Sunday lineups look tempting. Hopefully Tool, Puscifer, and Queens of the Stone Age also show up on the Rock Fest lineup (Pantera is already confirmed so far) so I can just drive to Wisconsin.

[otnavuskire]

Looks like the skull costs $499 unsigned, $999 signed. For a half scale plastic maquette.

[sinspots]

The Thursday & Sunday lineups look tempting. Hopefully Tool, Puscifer, and Queens of the Stone Age also show up on the Rock Fest lineup (Pantera is already confirmed so far) so I can just drive to Wisconsin.

I'd love if they were in Wisconsin but Puscifer is in Europe on July 2 and 7. Rock Fest looks to be July 13-15

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[henryeatscereal]

Tool sends Agent Dick Merkin a 500 bucks skull...

[cdm]

Tool sends Agent Dick Merkin a 500 bucks skull...

Nothing says high quality $500 collectable like MADE IN CHINA printed on the bottom.

Edit: so apparently they sold out of the 515 signed pieces...that's a cool $515,000 in 3ish hours. The jokes on us, I guess.

[Frozen Beach]

This looks like something The Flaming Lips would do, only it'd have a USB inside with a 200 hour song.

[SchwarzerAbt]

Wow, it's actually a real thing! I thought it was an NFT when I saw it on their instagram. So this is still better or not?

[virushopper]

Nothing says high quality $500 collectable like MADE IN CHINA printed on the bottom.

Edit: so apparently they sold out of the 515 signed pieces...that's a cool $515,000 in 3ish hours. The jokes on us, I guess.

After seeing people earlier in the year pay $800/900 for the FI vinyl boxset, nothing surprises me anymore.

[Erneuert]

Nothing says high quality $500 collectable like MADE IN CHINA printed on the bottom.

Edit: so apparently they sold out of the 515 signed pieces...that's a cool $515,000 in 3ish hours. The jokes on us, I guess.

lol, that Made In China looks awful. They couldn’t have made it smaller or something?

[cdm]

lol, that Made In China looks awful. They couldn’t have made it smaller or something?

Or built into the mold. Really bad. And to be clear, MADE IN THE USA would look just as tacky. I don't want to come across like a MAGA chud.

[Jon]

I have no clue how much it costs to put a little plastic fetus inside one of those skulls, but you can get a regular opal "crystal" skull from China for $6–$9 depending on how many you order at once.

[Erneuert]

Also, why are they back to using the 10,000 Days era Tool logo? Shouldn't the Fear Inoculum one be the one used these days as it's the most current?

[fillow]

Also, why are they back to using the 10,000 Days era Tool logo? Shouldn't the Fear Inoculum one be the one used these days as it's the most current?

Fetus in a skull is from Vicarious video, so maybe that's why

[Erneuert]

Fetus in a skull is from Vicarious video, so maybe that's why

Ooh, that's right. And Adam put #10000days in the Instagram post.

[Erneuert]

Handmade version of demo tape in slipcase. Pretty cool reproduction.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40409367592...Cclp%3A2047675

[botley]

I thought this was cool, a video comparing the original Aenima vinyl release with the much-ballyhoo'd "Classic Records test pressing" (either from a cancelled, or extremely limited reissue, depending how you look at it... using the original metal pressing parts circa 2002):



Despite what he says toward the end, I suspect Maynard is not the one holding up a full-fledged vinyl reissue. They have the hi-res remaster ready to go, there's probably already been a handful of test pressings made of that... Adam is probably just fucking around with the artwork so they can package it more lavishly.

[Erneuert]

I thought this was cool, a video comparing the original Aenima vinyl release with the much-ballyhoo'd "Classic Records test pressing" (either from a cancelled, or extremely limited reissue, depending how you look at it... using the original metal pressing parts circa 2002)

The latter is news to me. When/where did the "Classic Records test pressing" appear?

I would have jumped on that back when I ran toolcollector.net.

[bobbie solo]

_

Tool are plotting a ‘big tour’ for the fall of this year. The band’s acclaimed drummer Danny Carey recently teased as much amid a video acceptance speech for an award from Drumeo. Carey took home Drumeo‘s award for ‘progressive drummer of the year’ and had the following to say towards the end of his speech, “I hope to see you out there on the road in 2023. We have a big tour coming in the fall, a few festivals in the summertime.”

_

[botley]

The latter is news to me. When/where did the "Classic Records test pressing" appear?

It was up for sale on Classic Records' website in the late 2000s, according to Mike Esposito in that video, before they and all their assets were acquired by Acoustic Sounds in 2010. Classic was apparently responsible for mastering the original LPs, and thus they had the original metalwork and would have been able to sneak out a small boutique pressing from that under the guise of being test pressings... but whether that was something technically allowed or sanctioned by the band is hard to say. My guess is that metalwork is probably still in good condition, sitting at Acoustic Sounds' warehouse somewhere in Kansas, but the band's preference would be to cut an official reissue from the digital remaster they approved and released in 2019.

[wampa]

I thought this was cool, a video comparing the original Aenima vinyl release with the much-ballyhoo'd "Classic Records test pressing" (either from a cancelled, or extremely limited reissue, depending how you look at it... using the original metal pressing parts circa 2002):



Despite what he says toward the end, I suspect Maynard is not the one holding up a full-fledged vinyl reissue. They have the hi-res remaster ready to go, there's probably already been a handful of test pressings made of that... Adam is probably just fucking around with the artwork so they can package it more lavishly.

You're going to have to buy a resin feta-skull to get a vinyl

[Zur En Arrh]

I can't believe I'm about to equate the two bands, but how far off is NIN at this point? I am certainly no Tool apologist by any means but at least this thing is collectable right? Meanwhile, over here we are getting towels, umbrellas and every t-shirt under the sun. How many "exclusive" t-shirt lines have dropped in the last few years? RRHOF, Pandemic, Tours (2020, hellfest, etc.), collab (halsey, captain marvel, watchmen) and now Definitive shirts? How long until blankets show up at this point? Will we collectively shit on those too or turn a blind eye and sheepishly buy em?

Meanwhile, outside of new music all anyone really wants from Tool at this point is a full vinyl reissue of the back catalog or at the very least, Aenima. Instead, we get pregnant skulls. It seems like the same thing is happening here. People are clamoring for Year Zero Definitive Edition (Coming Soon since 2017!) or new NIN, but we just keep getting t-shirts or other ephemera. I am not taking the TR&AR scores into account here, just like APC and Puscifer when discussing Tool.

As someone that has made it a part-time job to shit on Tool merch, I can't shake the feeling that I am beginning to throw stones from a glass house. Who knows, maybe I'm just getting too old for all this shit, haha.

My issue is the price of everything. 800 dollar vinyls, 1000 dollar skulls. Even fragile deviations was pricey and knowing nails shit sells fast I spent 100 bucks, at Christmas because I was scared it would sell out. It finally sold out six years later!. I love all the meta stuff don't get me wrong but the one damn thing I do want, that reptile single isn't even a real item...

You're right though,I think we're getting old and I think we're just grumpy..unless we're not.. I don't know anymore...

[BenAkenobi]

Okay, i might be beating a very dead proverbial horse here, but at the time when Tool catalog hit streaming sites, their demo EP was briefly available and then quickly pulled. What's the status on this? The Sony BMG got no proper rights or the band put a veto on it?