Metal Hammer magazine spoke with Tool back in September about their long-awaited new studio album Fear Inoculum.
In the interview, the band spoke about how they created the follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days, while bassist Justin Chancellor explained the concept behind the album title – and spoke about his fears for the band.
He said: “It means immunising yourself against the things that make you afraid. As you grow older, you want to learn, you want to change, you want to evolve and you don’t want to live in fear. Fear is the mindkiller."
Asked what the biggest fears of Tool’s past were, Chancellor added: “I can’t speak for everybody, but I guess it would be: Do you have anything left to give? What’s your purpose?
“When you’re getting older, you think about what you have to offer, and what’s the point of your life. We are all musicians, and we’re not really good musicians. But we have this gracious gift that has been bestowed on us, and we don’t want to disappoint. So I guess our biggest fear would be, just giving up.”
He added: “I’m not self-deprecating really... I think it’s an accident. The chemistry and the alchemy of this band, we’re very lucky to have fallen together.
Drummer Danny Carey, meanwhile, was more direct about the title.
He said: “We were kind of feeling like we were growing into our next level as a band, making progress in the way we composed, and just not giving a shit any more about what anybody thinks. Kind of conquering our fears about critics.
“The Fear Inoculum thing was, ‘Get rid of the fear and don’t worry about it,’ especially after we had taken so long, because we knew we were going to take heat.”
Fear Inoculum was recently revealed as Metal Hammer’s best album of 2019, with the magazine’s deputy editor Eleanor Goodman saying: “Fear Inoculum's no.1 spot is testament to the signature sound and mysterious cult of personality that Tool have built over the years – no one else sounds or behaves like them.
“For some of our writers, the record was nothing short of a spiritual experience. It not only lived up to the hype, but proved there's still an appetite for challenging heavy music. Bring on the next one!”
Tool will head back out on tour in January for a run of shows across the US, before turning their attention to Australia and New Zealand in February.
Tool 2019/2020 US tour dates
Nov 16: Newark Prudential Center, NJ
Nov 18: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Nov 19: Brooklyn Barclay’s Center, NY
Nov 21: Uncasville Mohegan Sun Casino Arena, CT
Nov 22: Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, NJ
Nov 24: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Nov 25: Washington Capital One Arena, DC
Jan 10: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Jan 12: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Jan 15: FresnovSave Mart Center, CA
Jan 17: Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena, NV
Jan 18: Glendale Gila River Arena, AZ
Jan 21: Austin Frank Erwin Center, TX
Jan 22: Dallas American Airlines Center, TX
Jan 28: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jan 29: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jan 31: Memphis FedEx Forum, TN
Feb 01: New Orleans Smoothie King Center, LA
Feb 14: Perth RAC Arena, Australia
Feb 17: Sydney Qudos Bank Arena, Australia
Feb 20: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Australia
Feb 22: Melbourne Rod Laver Arena, Australia
Feb 28: Auckland Spark Arena, New Zealand
