Fear Inoculum/ Tool - progressive metal

By Narendra Kusnur

Album: Fear Inoculum
Artiste: Tool
Genre: Progressive metal
Label: RCA
Rating: *****

This is one cracker of an album. Only progressive metal giant Tool could come up with an 87-minute collection of songs, and manage to keep your interest alive not once, but on every subsequent listening too.

Their fifth studio outing, Fear Inoculum comes a good 13 years after the Los Angeles band’s last release 10,000 Days. And come to think of it, five albums in a 26-year career clearly doesn't seem like a prolific discography, even with the extremely popular Lateralus still appearing on playlists. Yet, their fans waited patiently, and Tool has delivered in style.

Naysayers may pinpoint flaws other than the sheer length. There's a lot of material here that reminds one of earlier beauties like ‘Schism’, ‘Sober’, 'Ticks and Leeches' and ‘Parabola’. There are obvious influences of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and a few 1990s superheavies. The song build-ups may seem formula-driven, and the whole thing may sound like just another Tool experience.

Honestly, it’s much more than that. On Fear Inoculum, vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor create tunes that simply grow on repeated listening. Loosely, the band has been described as progressive metal, but this album has doses of just about everything - classic rock, prog-rock, 1980s metal, thrash, grunge, art-rock, ambient, modern jazz, new age, world music and even shades of psychedelic trance. And the mix is so seamless, so effortless, and yes, so faultless.

Six of the 10 songs cross the 10-minute milestone. But the beauty is that each of these tunes consists of many movements that appear like separate slices of music. There are a few atmospheric interludes that provide unexpected twists. And there are mid-length songs that impress with their experimentation, virtuosity and avant garde pizzazz.

The title track sets the mood. A few chimes, a Middle Eastern drone, a tabla rhythm and sampled santoor sounds make way for the lines “Immunity, long overdue, Contagion, I exhale you, Naive, I open up to you, Venom and mania, Now, contagion, I exhale you.” Keenan’s vocals are subdued and clear, and Jones then kills it on his guitar. Very typical Tool, one might say, but on closer listen, it's a smart extension, a well-defined evolution.

‘Pneuma’ has a steady and thrashy rhythm guitar line, with Carey's drums doing an assortment of gymnastics. Powerful vocals, swift tempo changes and a Moog-like synth passage make way for a short and explosive guitar crescendo. You can headbang to this or keep your head straight in focused concentration, but for a quick break, there's the short ‘Litanie contre la Peur’, which sounds like a flying visit to the Mediterranean or Middle East.

‘Invincible’ is three songs – or maybe 30 – rolled into one. It begins with a foot-tapping guitar and march-past percussion build-up, and Keenan makes use of dramatic pauses between words on the lines “Warrior struggling to remain relevant, Warrior struggling to remain consequential.” Mid-way through, the song stuns you by getting into another thrash-shredding space altogether.

With its wave effects, whispers and Enigma-styled chants, ‘Legion Inouculant’ is an interlude that seems straight out of the new age schoolbook. ‘Descending’ begins with a sea-shore effect, moody cymbals, a subtle bassline and an incredible percussion spell. Before you can blink, Jones walks in and out of the song, only to return with a swashbuckling wah-wah coda.

On initial hearing, ‘Culling Voices’ might seem like the album’s only weak spot, with its slow-tempo start. But Tool picks up beautifully and the track grows slowly, as you suddenly find your feet tapping, your head swaying and your ears waltzing, till you reach a point of delight. In a complete detour, ‘Chocolate Chip Trip’ is a world music marvel, beginning with gongs and getting into a repetitive loop backed by a whopping drum bombardment.

Then comes the fan-friendly ‘7empest’, which begins with a santoor-like dulcimer, before Keenan sings, “Keep, keep, keep it calm” and later, “Calm before the torrent comes, Calm before the tempest comes to reign all over.” Two extended guitar solos take this 15-plus-minute number into another zone. Finally, ‘Mockingbird’ uses sounds of chirping birds and synthesiser effects to add to the many surprises Fear Inoculum has to offer.

What's most commendable about this album is the way each song is layered. The intricate textures are like dainty crochet-work. The improvisation seems so spontaneous and the artistry of each musician is amazing. Keenan, Jones and Chancellor make great and equal contributions, but it's Carey who makes the real difference. Seriously, this is the most mind-blowing piece of drumming one has heard in rock/ metal in a while, with a special penchant for 7/8 and 7/4 structures.

For those cribbing about the length, a good idea would be to take time off to listen to it properly once, choose a couple of early favourites and let them sink in. The rest should automatically take over, and one can go back and forth. All in all, Fear Inoculum is as fearless as one could imagine.