TOOL will not be waiting 13 years to release the follow-up to “fear Inoculum” says band bassist Justin Chancellor
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, TOOL bassist Justin Chancellor assured fans that they won’t have to endure another lengthy wait akin to the 13-year gap between 2006’s “10,000 Days” and 2019’s “Fear Inoculum” for new material from the band.
“Danny [Carey, TOOL drummer] is 62 now, so there’s no thought of taking 13 years if we’re gonna do it,” he explained. “We’re gonna have to be more efficient, and we’ve been talking of ways that we can do that. Maybe taking a leaf out of how me and Peter [Mohamed, Justin‘s bandmate in side project MTVOID] work with MTVOID — instead of staring at each other going ‘Come on! Get it out of ya!’ maybe we could do a bit more at home. We’ll see!”
Chancellor went on to say that TOOL has in fact begun working on new music. “We put a little work in before this tour,” he said. “We gave it a stab for a couple of months. We ended up compiling all the ideas we had; normally when we do that we start writing pretty soon after, but we had a lot of stuff coming up, so we didn’t dive all the way in. When we’re done with Europe, we’re gonna dive back in during the second half of the year.”
Justin previously spoke with Loudwire Nights and revealed the band’s intention to release new material more promptly this time around, recognizing that time is ticking and the members of TOOL aren’t getting any younger.
“At that point [after touring in 2024], we’re looking at a bit of a break, but we’re also looking at a long stretch at home when we’re going to be ready to start meeting up again,” said Chancellor. “But, we’ve already started. We’ve got a few things on the table. It really starts with sharing the ideas with each other, going through what we call a listening party and just sitting at the loft where we write and just kind of re-familiarize ourselves with what’s available to us that we’ve already come up with.”
He later added: “We’re all getting older, so we’re determined to get this one cooking a bit quicker this time. That’s my pledge.”
Chancellor also touched on TOOL‘s writing process for the new material, revealing that soundchecks, while on the road, seem to be the best time to mess around with new ideas.
“Danny [Carey]’s been working on this beat everyday. It’s amazing, but I hadn’t really played with it, but we had a good half-an-hour and I just really sort of got it. Of course, there’s like three different things going on top of each other, but yeah, it is very exciting. It was like everyone just kind of stopped and we were just working on this thing. Some days you get that vibe and it’s very creative, you know?”
In 2022, TOOL made a significant splash with the release of “Opiate2,” an extended and reimagined rendition of the title track from their 1992 EP, accompanied by a visually striking short film. This marked the band’s first new video in a decade and a half. Additionally, they unveiled the Ultra Deluxe edition of “Fear Inoculum” on vinyl, a limited offering featuring five 180-gram discs adorned with unique etchings and complemented by an elaborate pictorial booklet showcasing never-before-seen artwork.
Since their formation in 1990, TOOL has built a formidable discography, including five studio albums: “Undertow” (1993), “Ænima” (1996), “Lateralus” (2001), “10,000 Days” (2006), and “Fear Inoculum” (2019). They’ve also released two EPs: “72826” (1991) and “Opiate” (1992), along with the limited-edition boxset “Salival” (2000). The band’s stellar achievements have earned them four Grammy Awards, including “Best Metal Performance” for “Ænima” (1998) and “Schism” (2002), “Best Recording Package” for “10,000 Days” (2007), and “Best Metal Performance” for “7empest” (2020).
Comprising Danny Carey on drums, Justin Chancellor on bass, Adam Jones on guitar, and Maynard James Keenan on vocals, TOOL continues to captivate audiences worldwide with their unique blend of progressive metal and artistic innovation.
