The wait seems to finally be over after 13 years. Tool, after having appeared on streaming services lately and playing two new songs with vocals titled "Descending" and "Invincible", unveiled last night at their show in Birmingham, AL that their new album will be out August 30. No name or title was unveiled, but the band flashed the release date on the screens at the show and let fans take pictures to prove that yes, it's coming.
More information as we get it. In the meantime, here's what Redditor hellboy1975 had to say.
At the bham show.
Edit: Alright we're leaving now. Sorry I was browsing Reddit during the countdown timer. But yeah some images are already floating around and I didn't pull out my phone for it. But the end was also sweet when MJK said "Alright everyone take out your phones, security stand down and let these fuckers do whatever it is with their phones."
@Tool Album release date is August 30th. @mjkeenan @AdamJones_tv #DannyCarey #JustinChancellor #ToolArmy pic.twitter.com/KfqpSIBmw2
— #FearInoculum (@ToolPusciferAPC) May 8, 2019
#Tool just announced the release date for their new album at the #bjcc show in Alabama tonight. #toolband #tool2019 pic.twitter.com/Kscu4aewgJ
— Trey Smith (@TreySmithy) May 8, 2019
New @tool album confirmed for August 30th pic.twitter.com/pAdc8V3VRI
— Josh Graham (@Shattered112) May 8, 2019
Update: Tool confirmed it on their own webiste:
— TOOL effing TOOL (@Tool) May 8, 2019
Here are the band's upcoming shows:
05/08 Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
05/10 Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum
05/11 Concord, NC – Epicenter Festival
05/13 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
05/14 Kansas City, MO – Spring Center
05/16 Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
05/17 Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
05/19 Bridgeview, IL – Chicago Open Air Festival
Guitarist Adam Jones discussed the process of the new album during a Q&A session in 2018 as transcribed by Alternative Nation. It should be noted, these interview clips are transcribed from some of the meet and greets Tool arranged last May.
Jones talked about how it has come to be and adds that a "lot of the songs on the new record are in 7, it's pretty incredible."
"I don't know if you've noticed but we've kind of this sense of quality. We want good music, we want good art, we want quality t-shirts. We want to put things out when they're ready. I know, sore subject.
"To jump to that burning question: 'When's the record coming out?' I appreciate it, I appreciate it. A year ago this month, the four of us met at a place called Dave's Place in LA. It's a little a rundown but very cool-vibed studio in the valley just to see where we're at. We were about 70% there.
"We continued to work on stuff and we broke from that and on and off continued to get to the finish line and just before we came here, for just over a month we were at another studio and what we usually do is we get the drums because it just doesn't work with our band to like record the guitars and get the drums.
"You have to build off the drums. Dan [Carey] has such an eclectic set. Yeah. So it just, that's the secret to our record – just kind of going into a big room, recording the drums and the last two times – it's usually Maynard [James Keenan], me and Justin [Chancellor] are all in separate rooms.
"But the last two times Justin was like, 'I wanna be in there with Danny!' So he was in there with Dan and he had his set up and then he has another set up in the room for separation.
"We're going to move into another studio and the rest of us will hit hard and then we'll figure out how to do that propaganda thing we do and we'll get it out to you guys.
"We love Joe [Barresi, producer]. Joe is a guitar guy but he's also like a music guy. The guy is just like, obsessed, and he is a really good listener. So he's a drum guy, a bass guy, a vocal guy, and I think his work speaks for itself.
"We're approaching it the same way we have a long time. So we self-produce. Also, in the old days, I think we used to like to work with a different engineer, someone who captures what you're doing and bring in a different mixer, someone who you know balances all the music and thought that was a really good idea.
"But I think we found that having the same guy do it, he could set it up like having wet blankets on your speaker and pulling them off and just going, 'Oh my gosh.' A lot of the songs on the new record are in 7, it's pretty incredible."
