Urgency is not a word you’d use with relation to Tool. Their music is often drawn out and expansive, infusing metal and hard rock with proggy tendencies that have earned them a legion of rabid, devoted fans. The same can be said for the creation of their music, with their last new album coming way back in 2006, and only four full-length albums released during the band’s nearly 30-year existence. A new album has been expected from Tool since 2013, and though the band claims to continue recording and tours regularly (sometimes with other bands), new Tool doesn’t seem to get any closer.
This all makes today’s revelation that Tool have re-recorded one of their earliest and greatest jams, 1992’s “Opiate,” all the more bittersweet. On one hand, it will be nice for fans to have a studio version of the extended song that they have been performing live of late. On the other hand, this seems like just another distraction that is keeping Tool from actually making their new album.
This appears to be connected to a remastering project that the band is taking on for expected future vinyl reissues. There’s no word yet on when we will hear the new studio version of “Opiate,” or view the announced Dominic Hailstone “ultimate video” of it. But for now, check out the teaser that guitarist Adam Jones shared on his Instagram, included above. It might not be the new album we can’t wait to hear, but it will have to do for now.
