In a new interview with the Cleveland Scene, TOOL drummer Danny Carey said that the band’s fans won’t have to wait another 13 years for a new studio album, like they did prior to the arrival of 2019’s “Fear Inoculum”.

“It was frustrating not having new material to play, but that time really flew by quickly,” he said. “I guess that’s just the nature of life. It’s like when you have kids, and they’re grown up, and you go, ‘What happened?’ It took a long time, but we did a lot of touring and tried to grow in different ways and take a break from each other to keep things fresh. We also wanted to bring in outside influences, so we would have something new to say to each other musically. It all came together really well on this one. I’m sure it won’t take us this long for the next one. We even had some stuff left over from the last one that we’ll develop. We have head starts on three or four new songs.”

Carey also said TOOL is readying a live DVD that will be “a good mind blower for all the hardcore fans.” He explained: “Most of it will be from the ‘Lateralus’ tour from 2002.”

“Fear Inoculum” arrived in August 2019 following years of anticipation. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned heaps of critical praise, with NPR saying “Fear Inoculum” was “worth the 13-year wait,” Revolver proclaiming the 10-track album “a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come” and Consequence Of Sound saying the release finds “TOOL in peak performance.”

Two and a half years ago, the “Fear Inoculum” title track became the longest song to ever land in the Billboard Hot 100. The TOOL cut has a running time of 10 minutes 21 seconds, 24 seconds longer than the previous record holder, David Bowie’s “Blackstar”.

“Fear Inoculum” shifted approximately 270,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 248,000 of those in traditional album sales.

TOOL kicked off its 2022 tour in support of “Fear Inoculum” on January 10 at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. It marked the band’s first live appearance since March 2020 when TOOL’s trek was cut short following a gig in Portland, Oregon due to the burgeoning pandemic.

TOOL was honored with a Grammy in the “Best Metal Performance” category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in January 2020 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. TOOL was nominated for “7empest”, a track from “Fear Inoculum”.

TOOL already had three previous Grammy Awards under its belt: “Best Metal Performance” in 1997 and 2001 for “Ænima” and “Schism”, respectively, and “Best Recording Package” in 2006 for “10,000 Days”.

TOOL formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums thus far: “Undertow” (1993), “Ænima” (1996), “Lateralus” (2001), “10,000 Days” (2006) and “Fear Inoculum”; two EPs: “72826” (1991) and “Opiate” (1992); and the limited-edition boxset, “Salival” (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance (1998, “Ænima”), “Best Metal Performance” (2002, “Schism”), “Best Recording Package” (2007, “10,000 Days”) and “Best Metal Performance” (2020, “7empest”).

USBM stalwarts Nechochwen unveil the closing track to their first new album in seven years.
The post Track Stream: Nechochwen – “Across the Divide” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Alice Cooper, Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) and Scott Stapp (CREED) are among the artists who will perform at CoopStock 2 on Saturday, April 30 at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona. The evening’s festivities include a silent auction, food trucks, and live celebrity entertainment, including appearances by Larry The Cable Guy, Ed Roland of COLLECTIVE SOUL, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Danny Seraphine of CHICAGO, the comedy and music of Gary Mule Deer, SIXWIRE, Adrian Young of NO DOUBT. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers in Mesa and Phoenix.

The Phoenix location of Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Center was built in partnership with Genesis Church and Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation. The 22,000-square-foot teen center, which opened in 2012, was meant to offer teens an outlet for their creativity and get them off the streets.

A year ago, the Mesa location of Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Center opened, showcasing more than 11,000 square feet of space in partnership with Mesa Public Schools.

“Every kid out here,” Alice said, “has got talent. Somewhere in you, there’s a talent that you want to get out. We invite you to come in and find your talent. It might not be music. It might be art. It might be dance. Whatever it is, you can discover it at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers.”

Asked in a new interview with Business Jet Traveler what prompted him to start his nonprofit, the Solid Rock Foundation, in 1995, Alice said: “I saw a very awkward drug deal go down between two 16-year-old kids, and it came to me: How does that kid not know he could be the best guitar player in town? Because he never picked up a guitar. The other kid could be the best drummer. Solid Rock provides these kids a place to change their life. One of our first success stories was Jordin Sparks, who won ‘American Idol’. She started with us when she was 14. It just shows the other kids you can start from nothing and become something really important.”

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HOT WATER MUSIC sound like a band that are sure of their identity, which is just what one would expect from musicians who have been writing since the mid ’90s. As exemplified by the single “Collect Your Things and Run”, they abide by a confident simplicity that shows no signs of faltering, even in times of anxiety. (“You’re not the only one in your head/ Don’t lose track now, the right ones must be fed/ I tell ya now, don’t wait, don’t hesitate, I know/ Don’t lose track of yourself.”)

“Feel The Void” is an album armed with both the wisdom of experience and the diehard enthusiasm of punk rock. The songs are blunt and straightforward, yet there is enough variety on the record to keep things interesting. “Turn the Dial” and “The Weeds” speak to the band’s status as post-hardcore influencers. The title track and “Collect Your Things and Run” give off a West Coast punk vibe, while songs like “Another Breath” and “Ride High” capitalize on Chuck Ragan’s (vocals / guitar) exceptionally gruff vocals for a more down-home rock feel that hints at the band’s Florida origins.

For a song called “Killing Time”, this track probably has the most drive out of any on the record. Its fast pace, warlike bridge, and catchy chorus make it one to remember. “Habitual”, “Hearts Stay Full” and “Scratch On”, on the other hand, though lyrically filled with perseverance and determination, are a little more forgettable. Taken as a whole, though, “Feel The Void” is an album that does a good job representing various sounds from different moments of the band’s lengthy and notable career.