Tool’s social media output of late has been rivaled only by our President’s. The newest piece of information is significant and counter to the band’s recording roadblocks from the past. Guitarist Adam Jones revealed that music for the new album is “done” and the lyrics are “coming in hard.” However, it’s impossible to know whether finished music means that its merely written or completely recorded. Tool always takes a music-first approach to record making. James Maynard Keenan’s lyrics only come once the music is good and ready, a chain of events that often leads to frustration from an increasingly impatient frontman. However, everything seems to be running smoothly with the new album, despite how often it’s been in the news.

Much is unknown about the new album. When asked about a title, drummer Danny Carey told a reporter, “we don’t even go there until the record is done. It needs to have a voice of its own.” The album is not yet completed enough to have a name, but Carey said recently that “there’s a lot of material that’s already done,” and that they are “looking to go into the studio pretty quickly.”

Tool probably hasn’t completed much recording, but it seems as if they’ve reached a tipping point where new work is inevitable. The group confirmed that the album would come out in 2018. Other than that, only its quality can be assured.

Photography Credit: Marv Watson