10,000 Days (Tool album)
10,000 Days is the fourth studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released by Tool Dissectional and Volcano Entertainment on April 28, 2006 in parts of Europe, April 29, 2006 in Australia, May 1, 2006 in the United Kingdom, and on May 2, 2006 in North America. It marked the first time since recording 1993's Undertow that the band had worked at Grandmaster and without producer David Bottrill. 10,000 Days spawned three top ten rock singles: "Vicarious," "The Pot," and "Jambi."
| 10,000 Days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Digital cover. On physical formats, the cover features a flap with two large 3D lenses over the eyes. | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 28, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | August – December 2005 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Progressive metal,[1] alternative metal[2] | |||
| Length | 75:45 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | Tool | |||
| Tool chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from 10,000 Days | ||||
It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 564,000 copies. The album was awarded a double platinum certification by the RIAA.[3]
10,000 Days was Tool's last release for more than a decade; the band would not release their next studio album, Fear Inoculum, until August 30, 2019.[4]
Background and recording edit
Tool recorded the album at O'Henry Sound Studios in Burbank, as well as at The Loft and Grandmaster Studios in Hollywood, California. It was mixed at Bay 7 in North Hollywood, CA and mastered at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.
Guitarist Adam Jones employed various recording techniques for the album, including a "pipe bomb mic" (a guitar pickup mounted inside a brass cylinder), and a talk box guitar solo on the song "Jambi."[5][6] Drummer Danny Carey operated many of the sound effects on the interlude tracks on the album using electronic drums called Mandalas. 10,000 Days has a heavier sound than its predecessor, largely because of the influence of avant-garde metal band Fantômas, who toured with Tool before the writing process.[7]
The title 10,000 Days is thought to refer to the orbital period of the planet Saturn (actual time period is 10,759 days). According to singer Maynard James Keenan, the Saturn return is "the time in your twenty eighth, twenty ninth year when you are presented the opportunity to transform from whatever your hang-ups were before to let the light of knowledge and experience lighten your load, so to speak, and let go of old patterns and embrace a new life." Keenan expected that the songs composed would "chronicle that process, hoping that my gift back would be to share that path and hope that I could help somebody get past that spot."[8]
Packaging and artwork edit
The compact disc packaging for 10,000 Days consists of a thick cardboard-bound booklet partly covered by a flap holding a pair of stereoscopic eyeglasses, which can be used to view a series of images inside. Viewed with the glasses, the artwork produces an illusion of depth and three-dimensionality. Alex Grey, who created a majority of the album art for Lateralus and its accompanying video "Parabola," reprised his role for 10,000 Days. The CD face itself is decorated with stylized eyes, arranged in a seemingly logarithmic spiral toward the center (adapted from a previous Alex Grey painting, "Collective Vision").[9] As with Tool's other albums, the lyrics are not printed within the artwork; vocalist Maynard James Keenan has instead released the lyrics online.[10] On May 5, 2006, the band's official webmaster hinted that "the four individual photos [of the band members] can be used as the pieces of a kind of puzzle," but the puzzle and its meaning "will just be another nut to crack."[11]
In an interview, Alex Grey, who worked on the illustrations for the 10,000 Days and Lateralus covers, said that many of his artworks for Tool have been based on and influenced by the visionary journeys of a brew called ayahuasca. He described the 10,000 Days cover as "a blazing vision of an infinite grid of Godheads during an ayahuasca journey",[12] and also talked about the Lateralus cover in a similar fashion.[13] Grey stated in another interview when making the 10,000 Days cover that it depicts visions received during a DMT trip.[14]
Release edit
On March 27, 2006, Billboard posted an article about 10,000 Days,[15] which mentioned that "Vicarious" would be the album's first single. "Vicarious" was officially released to radio on April 17, and entered both the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts both at number 2. A music video for the song was released on DVD on December 18, 2007.[16] The song has also been featured as a playable track on the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. The second single from the album was "The Pot", which peaked at No. 5 on the Modern Rock chart. It was the band's first number 1 single on the Mainstream Rock chart. A video for "The Pot" was scheduled to shoot over the 2006 holiday season.[17] "Jambi" was the third radio single and received airtime on both Modern[18] and Mainstream Rock[19] formats.
Reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[20] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [21] |
| Alternative Press | [22] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[23] |
| Los Angeles Times | [24] |
| NME | 8/10[25] |
| Pitchfork | 5.9/10[26] |
| PopMatters | 6/10[27] |
| Rolling Stone | [28] |
| Stylus Magazine | D+[29] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [30] |
10,000 Days received generally favorable reviews, albeit with less enthusiasm than previous Tool albums. Most critics praised the album as another example of Tool's musicianship.[21] Critics who gave 10,000 Days a relatively low score questioned the merits of its ambient interludes, which Tool have also used on their previous releases. Nevertheless, the album won a 2006 Metal Storm Award for Best Alternative Metal Album.[2] In addition, the song "Vicarious" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Rolling Stone magazine named it the 38th Best Album of 2006.[31] The album also received a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Recording Package. In 2008, 10,000 Days garnered another Grammy nomination when "The Pot" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance.
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 68, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 19 reviews.[20] Rob Theakston of AllMusic wrote: "It's not only a step forward for the band, but a re-embracing of the epic-length rock songs found at the roots of early heavy metal."[21] Nick Cowen of Drowned in Sound praised the album, describing it as "probably the most engagingly brilliant heavy metal album that'll be released on a major label all year."[23] Alternative Press magazine wrote: "As with everything in Tool's oeuvre, 10,000 Days packs enough beauty, heartache and triumph that it will be dissected, studied and envied by younger bands for years to come."[20] Evan Serpick of Rolling Stone stated that on the album, the band "maintains a level of craftsmanship and virtuosity unparalleled in metal."[28]
Nevertheless, Adrien Begrand of PopMatters stated: "Stupendously packaged, the music robustly mixed and often achieving new levels of bleak beauty, 10,000 Days is too strong a work to call a disappointment, but the constant need to fill out a CD to 75-80 minutes is threatening to become the band's undoing."[27] Jess Harvell of Pitchfork Media was critical in his assessment of the album: "Rather than delving further into experimentation or exploring their strengths, Tool have made an...A Perfect Circle record."[26] Ayo Jegede of Stylus Magazine panned the album, criticizing the band in the terms of "being progressive": "I'm not sure, but I think "progressive" is about growth and change. I think it's about not being trapped in your own little universe where everything you say matters."[29]
Commercial performance edit
10,000 Days entered the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at number 1, selling 564,000 copies in its first week. It was Tool's second album to top the Billboard 200 chart upon release. In the UK, the album debuted at number 4, the highest chart position the group have managed in that country.[32] It was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA on June 9, 2006.
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Maynard James Keenan; all music is composed by Adam Jones, Danny Carey, and Justin Chancellor
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vicarious" | 7:06 |
| 2. | "Jambi" | 7:28 |
| 3. | "Wings for Marie (Pt 1)" | 6:11 |
| 4. | "10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)" | 11:13 |
| 5. | "The Pot" | 6:21 |
| 6. | "Lipan Conjuring" | 1:11 |
| 7. | "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)" | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Rosetta Stoned" | 11:11 |
| 9. | "Intension" | 7:21 |
| 10. | "Right in Two" | 8:55 |
| 11. | "Viginti Tres" | 5:02 |
| Total length: | 75:45 | |
Personnel edit
- Maynard James Keenan – vocals
- Adam Jones – guitars, sitar, talkbox on "Jambi"
- Justin Chancellor – bass, additional guitars (7)
- Danny Carey – drums, percussion, tabla
Guest musicians edit
- Lustmord – weather effects on "10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)"
- Bill McConnell – vocals on "Lipan Conjuring"
- Pete Riedling – voice of "Doctor Watson" on "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)"[33]
- Camella Grace – voice of "Nurse" on "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)"[34]
Production edit
- Joe Barresi – engineering and mixing (credited as "Evil Joe Barresi")[35]
- Adam Jones – art direction
- Alex Grey – illustrations
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Mackie Osborne – design, layout
- Travis Shinn – photography
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
| Year-end charts edit
|
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[70] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[71] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Belgium (BEA)[72] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[73] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| Ireland (IRMA)[74] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[75] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[76] | Gold | 10,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[77] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[79] | 2× Platinum | 1,736,000[78] |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Vicarious" | Billboard Hot 100 | 115 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | ||
| "The Pot" | Billboard Hot 100 | - | |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 5 | ||
| 2007 | "Jambi" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 23 |
References edit
- ^ Grow, Kory (January 18, 2018). "Tool's New Album: Everything We Know". Rolling Stone. from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ a b "Metal Storm Awards 2006 - Metal Storm". from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ . RIAA. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (May 8, 2019). "Tool Set Summer Release Date for New Album". Rolling Stone. from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Gill, Chris (June 2006). "Tool: Sea Change". Guitar World. Vol. 27, no. 6.
- ^ Jeff Forlenza. . Mix. Archived from the original on August 25, 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2006.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (April 7, 2004). "Tool Hammer Away At New Album". MTV.com. from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "9 Years Ago: Tool Unleash '10,000 Days'". Loudwire. from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Alex Grey. "Net of Being". from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ lyrics to "10,000 days" February 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Blair Mackenzie Blake. . Billboard. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2006.
- ^ "Interview for the Examiner". Alex Grey. from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
- ^ Bain, Katie (October 3, 2013). . LA Weekly. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ Jonathan Cohen. . Billboard. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
- ^ . October 18, 2007. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
- ^ . The Rock Radio online. November 29, 2006. Archived from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
- ^ . Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
- ^ . Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
- ^ a b c "10,000 Days Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c Theakston, Rob. "10,000 Days – Tool". AllMusic. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
- ^ "10,000 Days Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Cowen, Nick. "Tool – 10,000 Days". Drowned in Sound. May 12, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2011. November 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ If "10,000 Days" lacks the absolute intensity and focus of 2001's "Lateralus," the new album at least stands as a stirring repeat of the Tool musical manifesto. [6 May 2006]
- ^ It's clear this group have ways of getting beneath your skin. [20 May 2006, p.33]
- ^ a b Harvell, Jess. "Tool: 10,000 Days". Pitchfork Media. May 1, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2011. February 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Begrand, Adrien. "Tool: 10,000 Days". PopMatters. May 6, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2011. October 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Serpick, Evan. "10,000 Days". Rolling Stone. June 7, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2011. July 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Jegede, Ayo (May 2, 2006). "Tool – 10,000 Days – Review". Stylus Magazine. from the original on June 4, 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ Gumshoe. "Tool – 10,000 Days". Tiny Mix Tapes. from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ . Rolling Stone. December 29, 2006. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
- ^ "Hard Work Pays Off For Tool's 'Days'". Billboard. from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ . Tool website. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ . Butcher website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012.
- ^ "Joe Barresi". McDonough Management. from the original on November 4, 2013.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tool – 10 000 Days" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Tool – 10 000 Days" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Tool – 10 000 Days" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Tool Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 06.Týden 2006 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tool – 10 000 Days" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Tool: 10 000 Days" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tool – 10 000 Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Greekcharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2006. 19. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ . GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "10,000デイズ | Tool" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tool – 10 000 Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Tool Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Tool Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. from the original on January 27, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2006". Ultratop. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2006". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Tool – 10,000 Days". Music Canada. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ . Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tool; '10,000 Days')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2006 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "British album certifications – Tool – 10000 Days". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Grein, Paul (July 7, 2010). . Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Tool – 10,000 Days". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links edit
- 10,000 Days at Metacritic
- 10,000 Days at Discogs (list of releases)
- 10,000 Days at MusicBrainz (list of releases)