According to drummer Danny Carey, the powerhouse alt-progressive metal band is set to unleash a new record in 2018. For Sure. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
In an interview with Loudwire, Carey was pressed about when new Tool material would be released.
"Yes. I’m saying definitely. We’ll probably have it done in the first half [of the year] if things go as planned," said Carey when asked if the new Tool record will be out in 2018. "There’s setup times and manufacturing – I can never predict all that, it seems like it’s constantly evolving. [What time of year it will be out] I can’t tell you."
Tool's last album, 10,000 Days, came out in 2006, and in their history as a recording artist, they've only released four albums since 1993, which is highly unusual, especially for bands as popular as Tool, but then again, Tool always march to their own drummer.
Tool's Songwriting: Slow Process
For the members of the band, Carey, singer Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor, the writing process is a long, analytical one – just ask Keenan, who is often frustrated by how long it takes the group to pen songs.
"I like to release records and write things a little more quickly than those guys like to write. Their process is very analytical," said Keenan. "As far as the way Danny [Carey], Adam [Jones], and Justin [Chancellor] write, it’s a very tedious and long process, and they’re always going back over things and questioning what they did and stepping back and going back further."It took a while for Keenan to get used to the plodding process and not take it personally.
"My desire to move forward and get things done, I’m always butting heads with the guys in the band," he said. "It’s just not their process. It took me a while for me to go, this is not personal, this is just the way they have to do it and I have to respect it and I have to take my time and they take their time.”
For Tool, it's a matter of writing the music for a track, then Keenan adds lyric and melodies, then the band records. Back in June this year, Chancellor said they were "90%" there, but also noted: "It really is an evolving thing. We’ve just been really picky over what we want to put on this new album and really want to come up with something completely unique. Plus, we have endless amounts of material to sift through, so it’s just been a process . . ."
Well thankfully that process seems to be over and 2018 should be the year Tool finally releases a new album.