Maynard James Keenan offers update on future of Tool
Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan has provided an insight into the inner workings of the band, explaining why they took so long to return with Fear Inoculum in 2019.
After releasing their debut record Undertow in 1993, Tool quickly returned with their sophomore record, Ænima, just three years later. Since then, the time between their album releases has steadily increased. Five years passed before the arrival of Lateralus, and another five before the release of 10,000 Days.
The longest wait for fans of Tool came with their fifth record, Fear Inoculum, which was continually delayed for over a decade. The album finally arrived in 2019, 13 years after its predecessor.
In a recent conversation with Metal Hammer, Keenan spoke about the workings of the band and why it took them so long to unleash Fear Inoculum on the world. The singer described Tool as a “more complicated beast” than his other projects A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, suggesting there are “a lot of egos and a lot of other things going on in our lives.”
While the singer maintained that “all the creativity’s there, the songs and the ideas can flow,” he noted that arguments can stunt the realisation of it. “As soon as we get past the arguments,” he quipped, “We can get shit done!”
Keenan concluded that the band could be more efficient in their process, and that this is something they’re aware of and working on. “And I think everyone’s on the same page that we have to get through that,” he stated, “because we can’t drag this out another 14 years.”
While fans wait for the band’s sixth record, hoping that Tool make good on their promises that it won’t take quite as long as Fear Inoculum, they can catch the band live.
Since the release of Fear Inoculum five years ago, Tool have been actively on the road, taking to stages across North America as recently as February. They’re set to take their live show to Europe this summer, with a tour kicking off in Germany in late May.
Tool are also set to play a few festivals this summer. They will take to the stage for a headline slot at Tons of Rock in Norway alongside Metallica, Judas Priest and more. The band are also set to headline Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium on the same night that Alice Cooper takes to the stage.
Revisit Fear Inoculum by Tool below.
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