In what is one of the most revealing interviews in the last 10 years, Justin goes into a fair bit of depth into the progress and process behind the new Tool album. Â Jon D’Auria from Bass Player speaks at length with Justin Chancellor on what is a insightful read.
While he didn’t want to be drawn into speculation as to when the album will be ready (based in my interpretation we certainly shouldn’t be expecting anything for a while yet) he does go into what and how they write, what some of the set backs have been and how he feels about the expectations of a ravenously loyal fan base:
How sick are you of people asking when it’s going to be done?
It’s understandable, and it’s a compliment that people are excited to hear it. But it’s difficult to hear that and not feel some kind of guilt. All I can say is that we’ll go back Monday and do our best to finish it for you, although that’s not really how it works. But we know the listeners will be happy with it when it’s finished.
How do you, Adam, and Danny typically write together?
Adam and I usually have the source material we’ve come up with together here. We’re playing pretty much nonstop right now, so a lot of ideas are coming out. Often, Danny and I will be playing something and Adam will rush into the room and tell us to record it, and then we’ll spend the rest of the day working on it to see if it’s worthwhile. And of course we have a whole treasure chest of ideas on our phones that we record on our own. Basically, Adam and I have riffs and Danny has rhythms or different time-signature beats, and we try to keep them basic before bringing them in to see what the other members will do with them. We establish a riff so we and the listener can identify it, and then we say, Okay, now how far away from it can we go on this journey?
Well worth the read, so check it out when you have the chance!
