Tool’s “Fear Inoculum” Becomes The First Ten-Minute Song To Make The Billboard Hot 100

Tool ended a nearly 13 year studio hiatus earlier this month thanks to the release of their most recent single “Fear Inoculum,” which is the first sneak peek  and title track for the band’s upcoming album. The release of this song eventually became Billboard first, becoming the first 10 minute song and the longest song to ever hit the Billboard Hot 100.

The track debuted at 93 on the Hot 100 and at number 20 for the mainstream rock charts hosted by Billboard. Prior to this release, the longest song that reached the Hot 100 was David Bowie’s 2016 single “Black Star,” which reached number 78 that year.

,According to Spin.com, streaming numbers may have contributed heavily to the record landing on the hot 100 as they allow fans to listen and engage with an artist’s track more easily, as opposed to traditional means of music listening. Although Tool have had relatively long hiatus from producing more music, the group has just recently added their entire catalog to various music platforms.

The band’s upcoming album is set to be just as large as the title track and first single suggest, clocking in at over 85 minutes. After a nearly 13 year hiatus since their last album, the upcoming album will give fans a taste of their musical progression.

“I feel like this is [about] wisdom through age, through experience…” frontman Maynard James Keenan said in an with Revolver. “Learning from your mistakes, learning from your successes. So if anything is a broad stroke of this album, it would be embracing where we are right now, acknowledging where we’ve come from and some of the things we’ve grown through.”

Tool, which has always been known for their cryptic lyrics and experimental style has grown a strong the fan base due to their unique style. This has led fans to put in a large amount of effort online into deciphering their lyrics.

“Some things are subjective, and some things are not,” Keenan explained in an interview with Kerrang. “Some things are logical: take a step back, take away all the grandiose stuff and the idol-worship part, and look at something practically and you’ll come up with an answer that’s fucking reasonable – rather than this crazed Twitterverse of horseshit. Shut the door to the shit room.”