Tool hint they’ll play new material on upcoming tour

By Scott Munro
( Metal Hammer )
published

Maynard James Keenan posts meme suggesting Tool might perform some of their new material on the road

Tool band
Tool

Are Tool (opens in new tab) about to premiere material from their new studio album on their upcoming tour dates?

Well, according to frontman Maynard James Keenan (opens in new tab), that’s a distinct possibility.

There’s still no official word exactly when the long-awaited follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days will arrive, with the vocalist checking in back in February to say: "Midway through mixing. Most likely be a few recalls, then some arguing, then mastering, artwork, video, special packaging etc.

"Best ballpark guess – release date somewhere between mid-May and mid-July. More focused updates to follow as we progress."

But fans attending shows in the US and Europe over the coming days and weeks could be in for a treat.

Keenan posted a meme on Twitter of the band, with a thought bubble from him saying: “Feeling cute. Might play some new material on this upcoming tour. I don’t know.”

It was accompanied by the hashtags #riotgearretired and #whileyouwerewhiningwewereworking

Tool’s live shows will get under way this coming weekend (opens in new tab) when they play a set at Welcome To Rockville. 

They’ll then play further shows across the US, before heading to Europe in June for more performances – including a headline set at Download UK.

Here’s the ultimate timeline of Tool’s new album (opens in new tab).

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Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.