Rock band Tool is beloved by fans, critically acclaimed and avid players on the touring market... but the "Schism" band hasn't released a new album in eight years; it's last effort 10,000 Days was released on May 2, 2006. Rumors have swirled about tentative release dates, new singles and more for years now but finally the band is coming clean about its oft-delayed fifth studio effort.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Tool guitarist Adam Jones and drummer Danny Carey revealed that a "multi-level lawsuit" and family obligations have delayed a new album... and it's finally time for fans to know the truth.
"The fans are pissed at us," said Jones. "And while part of me is selfish and goes, 'I'm not necessarily doing it for them,' it's time that they understand what's going on."
The lawsuit at the major root of the album delay is costing the band "millions and millions and millions of dollars" for a defense, according to Jones and the root of it is a twisted and complicated web.
Back in 2007 (just one year after the world heard a new Tool album), a friend of Jones' claimed that he had created some album artwork for the band and he wanted due credit for his work. In anticipation of lawsuits such as this one, Tool had hired an insurance company. That policy, however, turned out to not have been in the band's favor when the company sued Tool for "technicalities regarding the case." Tool then countersued and the web was woven even deeper.
It's been seven years and countless trial pushbacks and family obligations have led to the suit never reaching a court. It's finally due to hit the stand in January, but the band has lost some of its former steam.
"The whole thing is really depressing," said Carey. "The bad thing is it's really time consuming. As we've gotten older and our priorities have changed, it's hard to get the band on a good, solid schedule as it is. People have kids now. And there's lots of other things that pop up. To throw this into the mix, it makes everything that much worse and stresses people out."
The pending litigation has largely kept Tool out of the studio, but the mathematical rockers have insisted that they are working on new material.
Jones, Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor have been slowly yet steadily working on new music, with the outline of 10 songs completed and one brand new track nearly finished.
Though from what Carey and Jones described in the RS interview, fans will be pleased with Tool's new sounds. "There are some good nose-bleeding riffs happening, and I'm really happy about that. It's not out-of-the-gate crazy heavy, but there are these little journeys with nice paths that end up very heavy," said Jones.
Carey said the band is hoping to have something "really solid recorded by the end of the year," but as for a concrete new date for Tool's new album... that is quite a ways away.
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