10,000 Days
by Tool
  • Record Label: Volcano
  • Release Date: May 2, 2006
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 517 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 440 out of 517
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 517
  3. Negative: 43 out of 517

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  1. MikeP
    Apr 21, 2008
    5
    Your comments are meaningless ..beware the new world order.
  2. CHRISB
    May 10, 2006
    5
    the best TOOL song on the cd is vicarious,the rest of the album is slow,lumbering,meaningless self indulgent crap,and this is coming from a TOOL fan who first saw this band in a hole in the wall bar in TIJUANA. Man how i miss the times that this band truly rocked.
  3. Christopher
    May 2, 2006
    5
    Lateralus was an excellent album. One of the best of the past 10 years. Unfortunately, this is nowhere close to it. There are a few good songs, but nothing that comes even close to their last two records. Huge disappointment.
  4. Alex
    May 3, 2006
    5
    it's not that bad.... problem is, it's not that good either.
  5. FredericP
    May 3, 2006
    6
    I hate pitchfork media to. But this is the worst record of tool. And i guess the worst record cover of all time, No joke. by the way, who really cares about a perfect circle. Tool is the shit. Nothing compare. Maybe from the "outside",pitchfork are doin great in that sens.
  6. SydneyY
    May 4, 2006
    5
    What you are buying here is an EP in disguise as a 70+ minute rock album. I loved Tool's last three, but there is just too much wasted space on this album. Tracks 3 and 7 just feature the same riff over and over, and tracks 6, 9 and 11 are just wasted space with no purpose. That leaves tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10 as the only real songs, and track 8 sounds like a Slipknot song. At What you are buying here is an EP in disguise as a 70+ minute rock album. I loved Tool's last three, but there is just too much wasted space on this album. Tracks 3 and 7 just feature the same riff over and over, and tracks 6, 9 and 11 are just wasted space with no purpose. That leaves tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10 as the only real songs, and track 8 sounds like a Slipknot song. At least tracks 1 and 2 are awesome and 4, 5 and 10 are okay. The packaging is way more interesting than this album was. So its really been a five year wait for a Tool EP.… Expand
  7. Will
    May 4, 2006
    6
    Some of it works well. . .but only because it sounds a lot like Lateralus. The best trick the devil ever played was making the world believe he didn't exist. Well, the best trick Maynard ever played was making people think that he is actually "deep, dark, and mysterious". He'll probably make a pretty penny off this album tho, and his ego will once again be inflated by every Some of it works well. . .but only because it sounds a lot like Lateralus. The best trick the devil ever played was making the world believe he didn't exist. Well, the best trick Maynard ever played was making people think that he is actually "deep, dark, and mysterious". He'll probably make a pretty penny off this album tho, and his ego will once again be inflated by every other geek that tries to pick up something godlike from the re-hashed lyrics. Yes, Maynard like it up the rear. . .big deal.… Collapse
  8. Sparky
    May 4, 2006
    4
    This album is a mess. Maynard attempts a song cycle on "Separation" as the flip side of the Lateralus "unity" theme, and manages lyrics that range from uncomfortably personal ("Wings for Marie") to simplistic ("Vicarious") to inane (everything else). Not only is it weird that the band that encouraged religious exploration is embracing Judeo-christian mythology ("10,000 days", "Right in This album is a mess. Maynard attempts a song cycle on "Separation" as the flip side of the Lateralus "unity" theme, and manages lyrics that range from uncomfortably personal ("Wings for Marie") to simplistic ("Vicarious") to inane (everything else). Not only is it weird that the band that encouraged religious exploration is embracing Judeo-christian mythology ("10,000 days", "Right in Two"), none of it exhibits the sense of humor and play that colored their previous records. Gone is the meta level joke of Art Bell phone calls, Sacred geometry and negative ions, and in its place are "whatchoo talkin bout" and "sh- the bed again". Musically its all over the place: there's an attempt to impose a definable hook and song structure to "Vicarious" and "right in two", but "Jambi" is nearly unlistenable, and nothing else coheres in any interesting way: "intention" drones on with no creshendo, "rosetta stoned" plays like a collection of random toolish riffs and sounds. The band is at least honest with the failure: the janus faced cover art speaks to the confusion and lack of direction exhibited here. Pull out your copy of Lateralus and listen to that instead. Maybe the mysticsm of 2012 will inspire a better record 7 years from now when they issue a follow up to this one.… Expand
  9. VigintiQ
    May 9, 2006
    6
    Disappointing album on the whole. Other than The Pot, Jambi and Vicarious, nothing really moves me.
  10. DukeA
    May 11, 2006
    5
    How do you go to the Band(it's Maynard featuring Tool now, right?) and say:I wanna do an album about my mommy? Oh and we can throw in some B-sides from Lateralus too. Jambi is the best track on this disk and they even screw it up with a Peter Framptonesque talk box ramble. And the tune: Right in two? Uh, did Sting right the lyrics? What is it about ageing rockstar types and How do you go to the Band(it's Maynard featuring Tool now, right?) and say:I wanna do an album about my mommy? Oh and we can throw in some B-sides from Lateralus too. Jambi is the best track on this disk and they even screw it up with a Peter Framptonesque talk box ramble. And the tune: Right in two? Uh, did Sting right the lyrics? What is it about ageing rockstar types and evolutionary spiral diatribes? All it's missing is an anti-nuke riff and you got coffee house chic. Maynard and his Band comit the ultimate sin(yes Toolfan, I said "sin") of being Boring,capital B-as in B-side. Stone(d) boring. It's a shame because their previous effort may be one of the greatest recording ventures of all time. Oh well, five more years isn't that long, I guess.… Expand
  11. NathanA
    May 14, 2006
    4
    I love Tool. After Pearl Jam, they are the only meaningful band in rock. However, 10,000 Days is mindnumbing. Tool fans wait patiently for 5 years for each album and have never been disappointed; until now. Lateralus was their best work and musical masterpiece. Yet Tool's latest attempt at mind bending falls flat. There are about 4 good songs and the rest is overtly long filler. I love Tool. After Pearl Jam, they are the only meaningful band in rock. However, 10,000 Days is mindnumbing. Tool fans wait patiently for 5 years for each album and have never been disappointed; until now. Lateralus was their best work and musical masterpiece. Yet Tool's latest attempt at mind bending falls flat. There are about 4 good songs and the rest is overtly long filler. Sometimes as a music fan, you just need straight forward rock songs, without having to wad through 11-12 minute diatribes. This album could be half as long an satisfy twice as much.… Expand
  12. WillieG
    May 19, 2006
    5
    I'm a long time devoted fan of the band who considers Lateralus their magnum opus. That album remains on my short list of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Even the filler type stuff on that album was bearable and at times absorbing. This album? I'll award 5 since only about half of the album consists of songs or any musical point of reference whatsoever. I'm a I'm a long time devoted fan of the band who considers Lateralus their magnum opus. That album remains on my short list of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Even the filler type stuff on that album was bearable and at times absorbing. This album? I'll award 5 since only about half of the album consists of songs or any musical point of reference whatsoever. I'm a musician, so a musical point of reference for me is a melody, harmony, or rhythm that can be conveyed or reproduced. This album however contains way way WAY too much wasted space and filler that constitutes nothing more than self indulgent bs. We're used to that as Tool fans, but this album takes the bloated filler to an unprecedented level of annoyance and disappointment. By being so sparse on the actual compositional side of things, this album represents a slap in the face for fans who anxiously awaited a new release for so long. Getting back to the self indulgent point above, the maynard family drama on this album is neither moving, nor interesting. Furthermore, I find the premise and lyrics of Wings Pt 2 to be so incredibly pretentious, contrived, and overly self absorbed that it makes me ill. Vicarious is the top tune despite Carey overplaying to a fault. The Pot is probably the 2nd most accessible tune, though it is quite lame lyrically. The other tracks that actually constitute songs have moments of hard rock brilliance, but they're very inconsistent. Jambi and Rosetta Stoned are good examples of what I mean here. There are times when these two songs are rocking, soaring, or flowing admirably...mixed with times when they feel like an old car that won't start. Parts of these tracks sound like afterthoughts, like they're just thrown together. It's like having several songs where you really crave hearing half of it repeatedly, but you dislike the other half so intensely that the song as a whole just isn't worth it. I really like the sparse and moody Intension though, which proves that I am not averse to a tune just because it lacks an overabundance of musicality and composition. This album should have been priced and marketed as 'Tool: The Expansion Pack', because this release falls well short of a fully realized album. In closing, I blame maynard for this incomplete and ultimately forgettable release. It's good for a few select tunes but not much else. Other than that, you'll find yourself skipping so called 'tracks' and fast forwarding through a LOT of bs on this one.… Expand
  13. Hein
    May 2, 2006
    4
    Most overrated band over the last 25 years.
  14. ZapB
    May 4, 2006
    5
    This album gets a 5. That's an average.. I give the songs written by TOOL a 10. I give the songs written by Yoko Ono a 0.. (number 9, number 9, number 9)
  15. NathanD
    May 4, 2006
    5
    As a long time TOOL fan, i must say i was very dissapointed. i think the album is a huge step back not only stylistically but artistically as well. the thing i admire most about TOOL is their insane ability to grow leaps and bounds with each progessive album, Maynards abillity to challenge vocal structure and create lyrical genius, and the bands amazing timing structures while executing As a long time TOOL fan, i must say i was very dissapointed. i think the album is a huge step back not only stylistically but artistically as well. the thing i admire most about TOOL is their insane ability to grow leaps and bounds with each progessive album, Maynards abillity to challenge vocal structure and create lyrical genius, and the bands amazing timing structures while executing an overall level of musicianship and progession that makes the long time between albums bearable. this album did very little of this. to me it sounds like alot of undertow mixed in with influence from bands like disturbed, staind and apc, most def. a step back. i didnt feel the creativity, the excitment or geniune emotion that has been the hallmark of each TOOL album, and was perhaps perfect with Lateralus. i think Maynard for the most part dumbed down his lyrics, i was depressed with a lot of Adams seemingly uninspired riffs. Overall i feel this album could have been made by any other band, and TOOL is anything but. and as a long time die hard TOOL fan, it pains me, and dissapoints me but i have to give it a 5.… Expand
  16. BenT
    May 5, 2006
    5
    Tool's standard melodies come together disjointedly to create the first weak album in their catalog (compared to other tool records). Most of the record sounds like perfect circle out-takes.
  17. ThePope
    May 9, 2006
    5
    I would never have expected to give any TOOL album anything less than "10". This album is nowhere near groundbreaking and lacks an overall identity unlike all other TOOL albums. Some songs kinda sound like old TOOL but fail to deliver that primal rage which made their earlier material so powerful. I don't think Maynard has a trademark scream on the entire album. And yes you can hear I would never have expected to give any TOOL album anything less than "10". This album is nowhere near groundbreaking and lacks an overall identity unlike all other TOOL albums. Some songs kinda sound like old TOOL but fail to deliver that primal rage which made their earlier material so powerful. I don't think Maynard has a trademark scream on the entire album. And yes you can hear APC in this album, even if it's just the pretentiousness in his voice. Some of the lyrics are downright juvenile and laughable and others are spoken at such low levels you can't even hear him. "Stare like a junkie/ Into the TV/ Stare like a zombie/ While the mother, holds her child/ Watches him die/ Hands to the sky cryin,"Why, oh why?" Not to mention the ridiculous soundscapes and torturously extended title songs. My brother once said if TOOL was a religion I would be the Pope because I loved them so much and still do, but this album shows that even the most pious religion can be corrupted by arrogance and greed. I have no idea how anyone could even compare this album to any of their previous works. What the F*CK were they doing for those years off? Oh yeah, Maynard was enjoying being a rock star and he's brought that back to share with us all. Music is still good, but reaches a new level of redundancy on this album that combined with the new vocal style make it almost unlistenable. And then add on the fact that it's terribly overproduced and you end up with one soulless, empty album. Like much of the album in fact, this is just filler for the fodder. Now let me go cry for the end of something extraordinary… Expand
  18. Takezo
    May 9, 2006
    4
    Maybe the worst album from Tool yet. Great bands always end up putting out a bad album, I just didnt think it would be this bad. Big step back for tool. Big step foward on 6/6.
  19. JD
    Jun 14, 2006
    5
    This is more of a musical collage than an album. Very choppy. I've been a Tool "enthusiast" for years. Huge fan. Now I'm starting to wonder if I was just a David Bottrill fan the whole time. They decided to produce this one themselves and it didn't work out. It starts out strong but eventually becomes what seems to be a redundant improvisation. This the first Tool cd This is more of a musical collage than an album. Very choppy. I've been a Tool "enthusiast" for years. Huge fan. Now I'm starting to wonder if I was just a David Bottrill fan the whole time. They decided to produce this one themselves and it didn't work out. It starts out strong but eventually becomes what seems to be a redundant improvisation. This the first Tool cd I've ever found myself skipping through. Not a lot of work or soul was put into this.… Expand
  20. AnthonyG
    Jul 26, 2006
    5
    This is only half an album. I only consider 4 of the tracks to be truly good. The rest is filler. The album is not particularly innovative, either. No new sounds here. Disappointing.
  21. JohnD
    Jul 24, 2006
    6
    Look, it's not as bad as some of the more negative reviews would let you believe, but when you're in a record store 20 years from now, and your kid is starting to expand his taste in music, and wants to know which Tool album he should buy, "10,000 Days" should not be the response you give. As for the 200+ comments...I haven't been shaking my head this hard since I read the Look, it's not as bad as some of the more negative reviews would let you believe, but when you're in a record store 20 years from now, and your kid is starting to expand his taste in music, and wants to know which Tool album he should buy, "10,000 Days" should not be the response you give. As for the 200+ comments...I haven't been shaking my head this hard since I read the comments concerning "Frances The Mute" (not that it's bad, it's just that they get too long winded). So, yeah.… Expand
  22. sosmosis
    Sep 18, 2006
    6
    Took 5 years to make what sounds like leftovers from Lateralis. They've finally slipped. Well they're old now.
  23. charredrelik
    Jun 15, 2012
    5
    First two songs are good, there are a couple i can bearly hear, and the rest are ordinary. they all have great bits in them, but on a whole, ordinary. this from a bloke who loved lateralus and reckons anema(Spelling?) is the best album ever.
  24. mrgeebaby
    Jun 25, 2013
    5
    I give this album a 6 (I think Metacritic should count this score as yellow mixed so placed it as a 5 to register that way). I am quite new to Tool and have had the ability to listen to all the albums from a fresh perspective. This means i am not judging 10,000 days based upon any anticipation, pre- release expectations or based upon a nostalgic perspective from previous Tool records.I give this album a 6 (I think Metacritic should count this score as yellow mixed so placed it as a 5 to register that way). I am quite new to Tool and have had the ability to listen to all the albums from a fresh perspective. This means i am not judging 10,000 days based upon any anticipation, pre- release expectations or based upon a nostalgic perspective from previous Tool records.

    Overall, i think this is a good nearly great album. Without doubt, the amount of thought and integrity obviously included in the writing process stands out from many other mainstream bands today.

    The album has a mix of many sounds from various cultures and genres, and from the first listen, it is clear that the band members are qualified musicians with a very competent technical ability.

    The members of this band have obviously mastered their instruments (or writing) to such a professional level, that they are now comfortable exploring different styles and techniques which noticeably adds a depth and welcome variety to this album.

    This artistic professionalism shines through at various points in the album and 10,000 days includes some of my favorite Tool songs. However, many of the songs on the album i just do not like. I appreciate the song's technical ability, depth and intelligence but for some reason, many songs on this album just do not appeal to my ear.

    The exceptions are Rosetta Stoned, and Right in Two. Those are standout tracks for me, but the rest of the album sounds a little contrived, while Keenan's melodies (although containing intelligent lyrics) just do not seem to appeal to me.

    Finally, i also have to deduct some score for the overt filler in this album. Instead of making 10,000 a structured concept album, Tool have to use up album space with boring tracks such as 'Lost Keys (Blame Hofman)' to develop a concept that leads to Rosetta Stoned. Instead they could have made a more abstract approach and made a listenable song.

    This happens more than once, and many tracks are only worth a listen once before the urge to skip them during a full album play becomes inevitable. Although this is nothing new for Tool as it also happens on their previous albums (however it is more apparent and annoying on 10,000 days).

    Ultimately, this album stands above many others, in terms of artistic and technical ability and integrity. It has some great tracks and has a lot of character.

    However, it also has a lot of apparently meaningless 'filler' that compromises repeated plays of the album inits entirety.

    6/10 mixed    … Expand
  25. clem666
    Nov 16, 2020
    6
    Interesting album project, both lyrically and instrumentally. Benefits from an amazing and striking begenning. It is hovering, dreamy and relentless. Then it all becomes scattered, silent and messy. Feels like their inspiration only lasted for the three or four first tracks. Songs last for years for silence or sometimes catchy unusual sounds. In '10,000 Days', TOOL demonstrate they can beInteresting album project, both lyrically and instrumentally. Benefits from an amazing and striking begenning. It is hovering, dreamy and relentless. Then it all becomes scattered, silent and messy. Feels like their inspiration only lasted for the three or four first tracks. Songs last for years for silence or sometimes catchy unusual sounds. In '10,000 Days', TOOL demonstrate they can be awesome and then completely change their approach.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed Album of 2006
18
#18 Most Shared Album of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. AllMusic
    80
    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.
    Read full review
  2. Amazon.com
    60
    When Tool sounds as good as it does on ["Jambi" and "The Pot"] it's hard to get enough. Which makes it all the more baffling that a surprisingly large chunk of the disc is given over to mood-enhancing soundscapes like "Lost Keys" and "Vigniti Tres."
    Read full review
  3. E! Online
    75
    Sounds exactly like you would expect a Tool album to sound.
    Read full review
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