Release Date: May 2006
Track List
1. Vicarious
2. Jambi
3. Wings for Marie (Part 1)
4. 10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)
5. The Pot
6. Lipan Conjuring
7. Lost Keys
8. Rosetta Stoned
9. Intension
10. Right in Two
11. Viginti Tres
For the good:
They're probably playing Vicarious on radio already so it speaks for itself. I'll start off with "The Pot". The alienating bass and vocals intro of this song might throw some listeners off but it somewhat revisits the "Undertow" album. They'll probably issue it as the next single since it's the shortest song (6+ mins) off 10,000 Days. Next comes "Rosetta Stoned". It's like "Third Eye" (Aenema) except with heavier guitars and some more experimentations (megaphone on steroids type early verses). Great bridge ("Overwhelmed as one would be...") and verses. If you like "Third Eye" (like me) you'll probably find this easier to digest even though there are seemingly recycled parts here that sounds like they're ripping themselves off. "Right in Two" starts out light and gradually gets heavier especially at the drum, bass, and vocals bridge which feels exhausting (in a good way).
For the ok:
Wings for Marie (Part 1) and 10,000 Days (Wings Part 2) are a bit too dragging since the climax for the latter was brief but makes up for it by being great. "Intension" feels like Lateralus' "Disposition" and "Reflection" tracks but not as engaging I guess it's the title track's parts 1 and 2 that should get that title. "Jambi" doesn't really stand out that much but in true Tool fashion really shines halfway through the 7.5 minute song.
For the ???s:
The "segues" are ok. "Lipan Conjuring" is a Native American Indian chant; "Lost Keys" (Blame Hoffman) is just some guitars with a skit at the end; "Vigniti Tres" is a creepy-ambient album closer. There isn't really a "Die Eier Von Satan", "Disgustipated" or "Faaip de Oiad" thing here with the exception of "Lost Keys" which isn't as interesting as the afformentioned tracks.
Instrument-wise, the drum work by Danny Carrey is the strongest part of the guitar-drum-bass ensemble. I'm no drummer but he makes the songs sound a lot more interesting. Adam Jones (guitars) is a bit too loud easilly drowning out the rest of the band while Justin Chancellor (bass) holds his own. On the vocals side, Maynard sounds a bit higher this time as well as buried in the mix.
Great album overall. Different from "Lateralus" as it is different from "Undertow" and so on. It's good to see that Tool still has some mileage left on them.
