The first song off Tool’s new album was just released (TOOL - Fear Inoculum (Audio) - YouTube).
On first listen the vocals don’t really grab me, but the drumming is pretty stellar. Kinda how I felt about 10,000 days on first listen, but now I’m a huge fan. Feels a lot like Lateralus too. We’ll see how and if it grows on me. I’m still excited for the new albums, but am hoping for something that feels fresher.
I refuse to listen until such time as I can get all my audio gear out of storage and hear it right. But I’m very excited to hear it.
I was excited to click that link and the excitement faded pretty quickly. The band is unmistakably the same people, and the guitar and drums were okay, but there’s little to no passion in either performance and there is zero passion in MJK’s voice. At best he sounds like he’s softly singing, at worst he just sounds like he’s tired of being a vocalist. At ten minutes, this was waaaaaaaaaaay too long IMO.
I clicked the link before reading the rest of what Snarky Kong wrote, but when I came back to it, I was pleased to see that comparisons were to 10,000 Days and Lateralus. I skipped both of these when hey came out, being tired of the way that a Tool album is like 4 good songs and a bunch of bullshit filler material. I finally picked up 10,000 Days 6 or 8 years ago, and I despise it. Not at all worth listening to, IMO. As a result, I still don’t own Lateralus and now I won’t own Fear Incoulum as well.
What I liked about the band back in the day was that they were dark but fierce, introspective but lashing out, anguished but contemplative. What I hear from them now and on 10,000 Days is contemplative but not particularly anguished, not really dark and not at all fierce and the lashing out is, well, it’s just not there for me.
I’ll stick with Opiate, Undertow and Aenima.
Thank you for posting the link, Snarky Kong. I was curious (and hopeful), and I appreciate being able to check their new material out, even if ultimately it isn’t to my liking.
Nothing will beat aenima.
But 10,000 days and laterals really really grew on me. I never hated them, but yeah, at first I was kinda meh. But holy shit, eat a fistful of mushrooms and sit on the couch and watch some visuals on a big screen while going through their entire catalog in order. Great stuff.
Oh, I have much better music for that sort of thing than Tool. 
No doubt. But it really changed my feelings towards those two albums.
(Not No Doubt the band)
Too late to edit: I like No Doubt, but I think if listened to them on shrooms, I go on a killing spree.
I like Tool, and their albums grow on you. I was moderately eager to listen to their new work. But not so eager I wanted to spend $70 on a CD, even if it includes useless extras. I will happily buy it once the price comes down — I can get it in paperback, not hard cover. But from what I’ve heard, it is pretty good without reaching several previous heights.
I really thought that this thread was going to be about the purchase of a new drill. Very disappointing.
TBF, an actual drill sounds about as good.