Tool falls into the general hard rock/alternative/metal landscape. They’re not really honed in on a genre enough to compare them to say, Slipknot, and pick which band puts out the better metal record, because from a pure genre standpoint, it’s usually going to be the band that touches more of the bases.
The new album is fine. I don’t know exactly how I feel about it after a couple complete listens. It’s doesn’t stand out to me as a particularly exceptional album in general, and I think there are probably 2-3 other Tool albums I put above it if we’re talking their catalogue alone. Sounds very much like a band with a specific sound staying true to that sound. They did a good job after a long break. Probably a 7/10 overall.
Reminds me how I felt about Blur’s return. Good album, but it probably won’t get a ton of plays for me. If I’m in a Tool mood, I’ll lean to a different album from the catalogue.
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