前代未聞!TOOL(トゥール)の13年ぶりとなるニューアルバム『Fear Inoculum』(フィア・イノキュラム)のCDパッケージはHDスクリーン搭載の特殊パッケージ仕様。10分超えの第一弾シングル「フィア・イノキュラム」も配信開始!
全米チャート初登場1位に輝いた2006年のアルバム『10,000デイズ』以来、実に13年ぶりとなるTOOL(トゥール)のオリジナル・アルバム『フィア・イノキュラム』(FEAR INOCULUM)が発売される。初回のみの完全生産限定盤としてリリースされる特殊パッケージには、CDに加えて、4インチ・サイズのHDスクリーン(液晶スクリーン)付きの動画プレーヤーが搭載されており、ここでしか見られない限定映像が収録されている。充電ケーブル、2ワット・スピーカー、36ページのブックレットも付いており、これまでも数々の奇抜なパッケージをリリースしてきたトゥールだが、前作『10,000デイズ』のメガネ付パッケージ(2007年度グラミー賞「ベスト・レコーディング・パッケージ」受賞)のさらに上をいく、前代未聞の驚愕仕様だけに、大きな話題を呼ぶことは間違いないであろう。
トータル85分に及ぶ本作は、セルフ・プロデュースで制作され、サウンド・エンジニアには前作『10,000デイズ』から引き続きジョー・バレシ(Joe Barresi)を起用。8月7日よりニューアルバムからの第一弾シングル「フィア・イノキュラム」の配信が開始された。10分超えの大曲となっている同曲は、独特のヘヴィネスと美しさが見事なまでに絡み合う、唯一無二のトゥール・サウンドに仕上がっている。
1990年に結成されたトゥールは、これまで発表した4枚のアルバムすべてがマルチ・プラチナム(200万枚以上のセールス)に輝いており、グラミー賞は過去3度受賞している。(1998年と2002年「ベスト・メタル・パフォーマンス」賞、2007年「ベスト・レコーディング・パッケージ」賞)
発売・販売元 提供資料（2019/08/09）
NME - 5 stars out of 5 -- "The Los Angeles progressive group's first album in 13 years is, at times, a languid and blissful work - one that will richly reward future listens."
Clash - "The songwriting is thick with imagery, long solos, sounds created by instruments that no one else really uses, ambiguous lyrics and constantly changing time signatures that will catch you tapping along out of time, even if you have perfect rhythm."
Rovi
With almost 13 years and four months between releases -- an interminable wait for their devoted legion of fans -- enigmatic alt-metal band Tool finally returned at the end of summer 2019 with their long-awaited fifth album, Fear Inoculum. Clocking in at 80 minutes with just seven official tracks, this is less a straightforward rock record and more a mind-bending journey, borrowing a classical approach that trades traditional constructs heard on early radio staples like "Stinkfist" and "Sober" for something akin to movements within a symphony. Much like the directional shift that occurred around the time of 2001's Lateralus, Fear Inoculum expands on 10,000 Days' alternative, prog-metal jam band design while recapturing some of the excitement and freshness from their commercial peak during the AEnima/Lateralus years. Seamless arrangement and complex artistry set the album in typically ambitious territory for vocalist/lyricist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor, and percussion wizard Danny Carey, who are at the peak of their collective musicianship (Carey's instrumental drum showcase, "Chocolate Chip Trip," is simply on another level). Not surprisingly, after over a decade, the foursome have matured, presenting an older, wiser perspective born of a well-adjusted shift into the hard-won comforts of adulthood. Complex metaphors about sodomy, allusions to alien abductions, and sophomoric inside jokes have been set aside, resulting in serious ruminations on aging and their legacy ("Invincible"), as well as a vested interest in humanity's future ("Descending"). They cast away negativity on the hypnotic title track, a trance-like prayer to immunize against evil and those ills that might drag us down. Instead of lusting for an apocalyptic purge a la the misanthropic "AEnima," Keenan laments society's downhill trajectory on "Descending," flipping his usual script with a late-song twist that pleads for us to save ourselves before it's too late. Shunning the fatalistic on album highlight "Pneuma," he urges listeners to break free, liberate the titular spirit, and unite as one, while Jones, Chancellor, and Carey build the hulking track to a shiver-inducing close over the span of 12 minutes. While these track times are imposing (epic closer "7empest" is a whopping 15 minutes of elevated metal exploration), the thrill of the trip is so well executed and beautiful that constructs of time and space evaporate and help Fear Inoculum feel like a brisker listen than Lateralus or 10,000 Days. As with everything associated with Tool, fans will likely spend the next 13 years and four months dissecting the complex time signatures, layered lyrics, and the symbol-loaded album artwork, which are crucial aspects to the esoteric band's enduring appeal. Considering the long gap between albums, there was a lingering fear that they couldn't live up to their own hype or legacy. Fortunately, Tool managed to improve and perfect their sound even further, resulting in one of the strongest statements in their catalog. Whether 10,000 days or the actual 4,868, Fear Inoculum was well worth the wait. ~ Neil Z. Yeung|
Rovi
With almost 13 years and four months between releases -- an interminable wait for their devoted legion of fans -- enigmatic alt-metal band Tool finally returned at the end of summer 2019 with their long-awaited fifth album, Fear Inoculum. Clocking in at 80 minutes with just seven official tracks, this is less a straightforward rock record and more a mind-bending journey, borrowing a classical approach that trades traditional constructs heard on early radio staples like "Stinkfist" and "Sober" for something akin to movements within a symphony. Much like the directional shift that occurred around the time of 2001's Lateralus, Fear Inoculum expands on 10,000 Days' alternative, prog-metal jam band design while recapturing some of the excitement and freshness from their commercial peak during the AEnima/Lateralus years. Seamless arrangement and complex artistry set the album in typically ambitious territory for vocalist/lyricist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor, and percussion wizard Danny Carey, who are at the peak of their collective musicianship (Carey's instrumental drum showcase, "Chocolate Chip Trip," is simply on another level). Not surprisingly, after over a decade, the foursome have matured, presenting an older, wiser perspective born of a well-adjusted shift into the hard-won comforts of adulthood. Complex metaphors about sodomy, allusions to alien abductions, and sophomoric inside jokes have been set aside, resulting in serious ruminations on aging and their legacy ("Invincible"), as well as a vested interest in humanity's future ("Descending"). They cast away negativity on the hypnotic title track, a trance-like prayer to immunize against evil and those ills that might drag us down. Instead of lusting for an apocalyptic purge a la the misanthropic "AEnima," Keenan laments society's downhill trajectory on "Descending," flipping his usual script with a late-song twist that pleads for us to save ourselves before it's too late. Shunning the fatalistic on album highlight "Pneuma," he urges listeners to break free, liberate the titular spirit, and unite as one, while Jones, Chancellor, and Carey build the hulking track to a shiver-inducing close over the span of 12 minutes. While these track times are imposing (epic closer "7empest" is a whopping 15 minutes of elevated metal exploration), the thrill of the trip is so well executed and beautiful that constructs of time and space evaporate and help Fear Inoculum feel like a brisker listen than Lateralus or 10,000 Days. As with everything associated with Tool, fans will likely spend the next 13 years and four months dissecting the complex time signatures, layered lyrics, and the symbol-loaded album artwork, which are crucial aspects to the esoteric band's enduring appeal. Considering the long gap between albums, there was a lingering fear that they couldn't live up to their own hype or legacy. Fortunately, Tool managed to improve and perfect their sound even further, resulting in one of the strongest statements in their catalog. Whether 10,000 days or the actual 4,868, Fear Inoculum was well worth the wait. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
Rovi
13年ぶり5枚目のアルバムは、3作品連続全米1位という快挙を成し遂げたばかり。その中身はインスト曲を除く全曲が10分超えという大作主義を貫き、もはや楽曲単位というより、アルバム作品としてのアート性を究極まで磨き上げている。"Invincible"中盤すぎのシンプルなギターリフが3分ほど続くパートなんて背筋がゾクゾクする。唯一無二の大傑作。
bounce (C)荒金良介
タワーレコード（vol.431(2019年9月25日発行号)掲載）
規格品番とは、日本レコード協会が定めた規格に基づき、CD・DVDなどの市販されているメディアに対して付けられたコードのこと。英数字４文字（記号）と数値１～５桁（シリアル番号）の組み合わせを用いる。
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