Tool (2) – Fear Inoculum

My only complaint is I wish each lp had its own jacket that was separate and not built in to the boxset

Maybe it was the blur of Covid but I had no idea Tool released another studio album until I saw this box set sitting on the end cap of my local Barnes & Noble for 75% off. I was confused and shocked. Confused because I’d heard absolutely nothing about it and shocked that it was at such a steep discount. I’ve only ever seen something for 75% off at a liquidation sale and by then, anything worth buying is picked over and you’re left with remnants and damaged crap. I paid $45 for a $180 box set and I have to say I think I got more than my moneys worth. Reading these comments, I realize now that being late to the party turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It’s really unfortunate that Tool did that to their fans.

PRESSING & SOUND QUALITY: 5/5 As far as this release goes, it is definitely in my top ten best pressings in my collection in just about every way. To start, they’re as quiet as a mouse. It’s basically devoid of pops, clicks, and distracting surface noise. Very clean pressings. The discs are all flat as well. I have nothing but good things to say about the quality of the pressings. As far as the music is concerned, Chris Bellman has done a stupendous job mastering and mixing this album. There is a decently wide soundstage and everything sounds very dynamic and articulate. It is truly a joy to listen to through either speakers or with headphones. On headphones especially, it’s not too bassy and mids stand out, which is important to me because I listen to music pretty often on my headphones.

PRESENTATION: 4/5 The presentation of this box set is nothing short of astounding. All of the materials used for it are some of the highest I’ve seen in any vinyl box set ever. The custom etching on each disc is a little gimmicky. Five etchings is a bit excessive. I’d have preferred a 3 disc set with one etching one side F. But honestly I’m just glad they decided not to do stupid picture discs like they did with Lateralus. I’m still waiting for that album to be repressed on plain black vinyl. This is a bit trivial but I'm not a huge fan of the foil packaging on this album. They tend to get scratched up in a year or so and it just looks bad. It makes it hard to see the album art too, which I also am not a big fan of. Tool is a very visually driven band and I expected something a little more visually interesting to look at than what they chose for the album cover. Looks like a computer wallpaper from the 90s. This is all subjective, of course, and really not that important in the end, but still worth mentioning. Overall I find the packaging beautiful, but cumbersome. I just want to play the record and having to open the big heavy book and take a new disc out after every side feels like more effort than it’s worth. Tool is way too concerned with how things look. Sometimes, less is more.

ALBUM REVIEW: 2.5/5 As far as the actual album is concerned, the more I listen to it the more I'm coming to terms with how half-assed it sounds. Creatively and technically speaking, Laterlaus is a much better album in my opinion. Fear Inoculum scored well with critics with the exception of Pitchfork, which usually I take with a grain of salt because they are often critical of just about any album they review. But in many ways, they're right. It doesn't sound like the band challenged themselves or grew in any meaningful way over the last thirteen years. In many ways, they actually devolved their sound. Half the songs are instrumentals, Adam Jones doesn't do anything particularly memorable on guitar, and those signature Tool baselines are basically nonexistent on this album. They're still masters of odd time signatures and 10+ minute songs but other than that, it was tough to find anything that really stood out to me while listening. Intensity took a back seat as well. You won't find any music on this album reminiscent of The Grudge, Lateralus, or Parabola. It's just not there. I kept waiting for it to break open because it felt like there was a buildup many times but it just never happened. The most intense songs on the album are Pneuma and 7empest and they're half the intensity of anything else they've recorded previously. Some people may call this sound evolution or maturation but it just feels like Tool couldn't be bothered to write an album with the same or better creativity and technicality as previous efforts. Reading about how Keenan worked on the album around his wine making, it feels like that half focused effort bled through onto the song writing. This album just kinda chugs along without any change of pace. Like I said earlier, it’s no Lateralus. I think that album was their opus. They’ll never really be able to live up to it and I just have to make peace with that. But even still, after thirteen years of waiting for new material, Tool fans deserved a better thought out album. I honestly feel like this may be their last album as a band if I’m being honest. It just doesn't feel like Keenan is invested anymore. Between his wine making and his other two bands, he feels a little checked out. Overall, this album sounds like it was recorded to fulfill a contract. No one on the album sounded like they really wanted to record it.

I like Tool, but I'm not a "Tool Fan". I am, however, a big fan of well mastered and produced vinyl records. That being said, I was very impressed by the quality of the mastering and production of this vinyl. My previoulsy purchased copies of Undertow and Opiate were underwhelming, particularly given that I generally have appreciated early punk rock tool more than later prog rock Tool. I was also not overly impressed when I digitally streamed this album. I actually only bought this album when I was able to purchase it at a comparable price with the three disc version. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised upon listening to this version of the album. It is extremely well done and I feel that this vinyl version breathes new life to the material. I have described listening to this version as being similar to listening to a recent Pink Floyd reissue or Nine Inch Nails vinyl remaster. If this price drops, I will definitely pick up extra copies for both myself and certain Tool Fans that I know who are just getting in to vinyl.

It's a beautifully made box set but my god what a spit in the face to tout this as a special thing, seemingly the only vinyl release of the album, only to release a standard version a few months later. Really shitty. The whole "trolling your own fans" thing is getting pretty old.

I’ve burned through a few copies now trying to get a decent disc 4 (side G). I didn’t look closely at the first couple, but the poorly pressed one I still have actually has a different runout than what’s listed here (19439-86879-1-SIDE G). My latest replacement has the runout listed here so it seems they changed the plate at some point. No pressing issues with this copy, meaning perhaps the “SIDE G” version is to be avoided.

Great sounding vinyl and great album overall. I don't think I would have paid full retail for this, but I was lucky to be able to get it as a monthly swap from Vinyl Me Please so for that low price it was well worth it. The included art and etchings on the reverse of the albums look great but doubt it is something I would display.

I'm not a huge Tool fan so I didn't pay much attention to this album at release. Watching the price drop lower and lower I decided to pick it up. I know Tool and I know how much effort goes into their music so I figured at the very least this was also going to sound great. And it does, the sound quality is amazing, it’s very full and very clean. It plays quiet, every instrument is represented well in the mix and the heavy sections rip on a good system. The presentation and packaging is also done well, it’s almost like an art book, a little over the top but that's Tool. Musically it’s the more "formulaic" Tool, nothing you haven't heard before but everything you like to hear and damn does it sound great. If for what ever reason you’re on the fence about picking this up just go for it, it’s worth it.

The packaging is solid, the album is beautiful, heavy, with interesting graphics. The discs are pressed very well, the music is dynamic, with a punch, the soundstage is wide. The only downside is the background noise. I have many records bought for as little as 5 euros new and they are quiet. They have no background noise. This album has an audible hum on all discs.

Bought this in the EU though I think its the US version. Sounds great on a good system! To me seems like there may be a touch less compression and a bit more bass/low mids than the digital release, but some of that could be down to the vinyl mastering/manufacturing process. There is no analogue master here, the album was recorded to tape then mixed in digital. Regardless, great sounding release. My only dissapointment is a minor/moderate non-fill on side G through the second half of Culling Voices. Typical cyclical shushing sound. I even got a replacment G disc from the seller (Juno) and same problem. I'm going to keep it as I love the artwork and sound on the rest of the album but sad that the pressing quality didn't live up to the mastering and packaging.

(7empest lyrics)
So I have already commented on this in the past and I stand by that the sound quality of it is great but I have a question about the lyrics on the last disk.

My copy that I believe is the US version, I bought it from my local record shop in Canada. The song 7empest on my version absolutely has the lyrics. Even the cookies and cream part lol.

I have now seen comments online stating that some versions have lyrics and some versions do not, I have seen comments stating that zero versions have lyrics. I am just wondering if there are other people here that actually do have lyrics on that song.