First and foremost I’d like to express the fact that “10,000 Days” has left
me content and satisfied. The latest T00L product is not a disappointment
and it does, as an album, have its high points without a doubt. I won’t run
down the review with a song-by-song analysis as some have done in previous
works, but rather share my thoughts and experiences, thus far, with this
current piece.
I have to admit; I was a bit slighted by the soundscapes and lyrical content
of this latest album. I’ve been a big T00L fan for a long time now, but
nothing stands out to me more than their “Lateralus” album. To me that was a
definitive work. The whole album was a masterpiece and the songs were
powerful. Granted I do enjoy their previous work as well, but to me
“Lateralus” was T00L evolved; it was more mature and progressed in nature.
So naturally I expected “10,000 Days” to be the next progressive step.
In my view, however, “10,000 Days” is a mix of what we’ve come to love about
this band.
Maynard himself, in a recent interview, mentioned you had to travel all the
way back to the “Undertow” album to hear similar soundscapes. One worth
mentioning, that bears that type of resemblance in my mind, is “The Pot”.
I also have this strong “Aenima” nostalgia when listening to “Rosetta
Stoned”.
“Vicarious” is something that could be found in the realm of “Lateralus”,
thus it comes as no surprise that it’s currently my favorite track on the
album. I do believe “Wings for Marie” and “10,000 Days”, respectively, fall
into a brand new category of T00L-ishness. While too quiet for my personal
tastes, I still take nothing away from the integrity of those two works.
They’re good works in their own right. Still, not to be overlooked is
“Jambi” — likely my personal favorite behind “Vicarious”.
Bottom line: “10,000 Days” stands on its own. While it might not be quite
what some of us expected, the guys certainly didn’t disappoint us. It’s a
good listen and worth the purchase. Plus, on the bright side, we have one of
our favorite shows on the road again. And as most of us know…T00L never
disappoints with their live gigs! So on with the new show!