Tool have begun hosting their $500-a-head 'music clinic' sessions, advertised as intimate events in which the band’s three musicians without singer Maynard, would talk at length about their songwriting and performing process, and also play a few loose jams for the small audience.
According to Consequence of Sound, a Redditor going by the name of ncast2523 said they attended the inaugural date in St. Paul, Minn and came back with some updates on the status of the prog-metal band and its long arriving fifth album. The most important news, perhaps, is that every song on the yet-unnamed album will be 10 minutes long or more.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Tool. 10,000 Days was nearly all in the six minutes or more range, and previous records are similar with their lenghty tracks. It's definitely their most ambitious project to date. Arguably most Tool fans won't be eager for them to release a surprise three-minute pop single. This record sounds like there will be a lot to digest, when it gets here.
Exactly when remains a mystery, the music clinics also included some promising news about progress. Drums tracks are finished, with presumably other instruments and vocals on the way next. Fans also got to hear a modular synth jam 'with some politically charged vocal sample' that will also appear on the album. Read the full Reddit post here.
