The wait is over: Stream Tool’s first new album in 13 years, “Fear Inoculum”

At long last, the wait for Tool fans – and progressive rock/metal fans everywhere – is over. Tool’s long-awaited new album Fear Inoculum, the band’s first since 2006’s 10,000 Days, is now available to listen to. Are you excited? You probably should be! The long-awaited new record certainly stands up to their previous material, and it would be a strong surprise if Tool didn’t just release one of the most successful rock albums of 2019.

With Fear Inoculum, the band haven’t as much reinvented themselves as they have instead refined their previous material. While there aren’t a ton of new elements here, Danny Carey’s drumming is once again top-notch, Maynard’s vocals are just as haunting and versatile as ever, Justin Chancellor is the backbone of the band with vital bass work, and guitarist Adam Jones really gives Tool life on album (and career highlights) like the honestly amazing “7empest”.

Was the album worth the wait, though? Pretty much! Fear Inoculum is a record that might not be immediate to most Tool fans (it’s almost 90 minutes long), but with repeated listens, it’s likely a grower. Either way you slice it, Tool’s first album in 13 years is an unqualified success.