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. Eric
    Jun 15, 2006
    10
    amazing album that was well worth the wait, and even better live (Fox Theater, Detroit May 15). can't wait to hear more of it on tour later this summer. To Tool fans: this is preaching to the choir, but there are some real ignint motherfuckers out there reviewing music; the mainstream disrespect is nothing new. it's annoying, but inconsequential. To the negatives, and the people amazing album that was well worth the wait, and even better live (Fox Theater, Detroit May 15). can't wait to hear more of it on tour later this summer. To Tool fans: this is preaching to the choir, but there are some real ignint motherfuckers out there reviewing music; the mainstream disrespect is nothing new. it's annoying, but inconsequential. To the negatives, and the people who accuse Tool and its fans of pretention and arrogance: The Pot on 10,000 Days is dedicated to you. thanks for your opinion, have fun waiting for the new nickelback album.… Expand
  2. DennisD
    Jun 23, 2006
    10
    This is definately the best album I heard for years, even surpassing Lateralus... It has everything, from the politically laden, over strange trips, to the pure heartache of loosing family members. The way he honors his mom, whoose choises and beleifs in live he didn't agree with (and all but ridiculed with APC's "Judith"), is just amazing.
  3. willf
    Jul 14, 2006
    10
    best rock album of the year
  4. JesseM
    Jul 24, 2006
    10
    This album is the beginning of the next level of music. That is the essence of progressive music. If you don't appreciate this music you have no soul.
  5. Mattias
    Aug 21, 2006
    10
    This album is in general order an album that grows on you, you just have to give it the time it deserves. You won't find more thought-provoking music anywhere else.
  6. exdrasaaron
    Jan 16, 2007
    10
    this is agrat disc, is the best
  7. ChrisL.
    Feb 17, 2008
    10
    This album contains brilliance and genius of the highest order. I think it's the greatest album of the decade thus far and Tool is the only band I know that gets substantially better with each album.
  8. JonS
    Nov 11, 2006
    10
    Phenomenal. Every member of the group has taken a huge step up. Danny and Justin have mastered their roles. Far less accessible than anything they've ever done; it leaves you pondering "why" and "how" and makes it hard to sit back and appreciate the music. Definitely check out Jambi, Rosetta Stoned, and Right in Two, my personal favorites. Wings is very difficult to warm up to, The Phenomenal. Every member of the group has taken a huge step up. Danny and Justin have mastered their roles. Far less accessible than anything they've ever done; it leaves you pondering "why" and "how" and makes it hard to sit back and appreciate the music. Definitely check out Jambi, Rosetta Stoned, and Right in Two, my personal favorites. Wings is very difficult to warm up to, The Pot is annoying at first and hard to appreciate with the rest of the album because it's got a different attitude, Intension is practically a solo bass piece that exhibits Justin's brilliance, and Vicarious is really just a hard-hitting radio song. Yeah, it can be cheesy and childish at times, and Maynard isn't quite the focal point he used to be, but this album is utterly brilliant. I wouldn't advice listening to it quiet or with headphones, or while you're doing something else. Sit back in your chair and blast it. There's so much goodness in every second of the album, you may be unimpressed at points, but maybe only because of cohesion problems. There's a LOT of material crammed onto this disc. The songs are extremely intricate and stand-alone pieces, so it sort of lacks that underlying theme of older albums. After several hundred listens, you may begin to consider if one of your favorite albums. That's what happened to me. It's so huge, it really just flies over your head and leaves you in the dust, scowling--the second half of Right in Two, in particular.… Expand
  9. marke
    Dec 14, 2006
    10
    one of the best, if not the best, tool albums. besides, what the hell else are you going to listen to?
  10. scott
    Dec 29, 2006
    10
    Far beyond anything on the radio these days. Tool unlike many of todays bands do not play for the big bucks (which they do have) but they play for themselves and don't just follow the crowd. Tool is everything that Rock is meant to be and more. 10 out of 10
  11. Intension
    Jan 13, 2014
    10
    This is one of my favorite all-time albums and I'm a little surprised to see people just kind of brush it off and say it's not as good as some of the older Tool albums. Something I'd like to point out, is that at the time, I had never heard a full Tool album before, and so I didn't have that standard that many Tool fans seem to have. And hearing it as nothing but an album from a band I hadThis is one of my favorite all-time albums and I'm a little surprised to see people just kind of brush it off and say it's not as good as some of the older Tool albums. Something I'd like to point out, is that at the time, I had never heard a full Tool album before, and so I didn't have that standard that many Tool fans seem to have. And hearing it as nothing but an album from a band I had never listened to, I must say it is simply a masterpiece. In fact after listening to this album first and the older ones after, I tend to favour 10 000 Days more, a lot more in fact.… Expand
  12. Arctic_Banana
    Apr 4, 2013
    10
    Tool is in my opinion one of the finest rock/metal bands ever, Tool manages with 10,000 Days to blend hard rock with extremely symphonic melodies to such a degree that my 80 year old grandfather actually liked them. If you like metal, rock, punk, classical, pop, or any kind of music you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don't listen to Tool.
  13. MentalMetalGuy
    Nov 7, 2016
    10
    Lets get one thing straight, no sequel to Lateralus was ever going to get the praise it deserved. Thats just how Tool fans are, if its new its not as good as the old, and this is the case for most fanbases in all fairness, but particularly Tool.

    I tend to review albums song by song in a chronological order. But for this album I do not wish to do so. By reviewing it song by song, I    Lets get one thing straight, no sequel to Lateralus was ever going to get the praise it deserved. Thats just how Tool fans are, if its new its not as good as the old, and this is the case for most fanbases in all fairness, but particularly Tool.

    I tend to review albums song by song in a chronological order. But for this album I do not wish to do so. By reviewing it song by song, I present it as a sum of its parts, when in reality, this album truly becomes legendary; when a complete picture of the experience is presented in one go.

    Arguing over which of Tool’s albums is the best it quite redundant, particularly because they are all good. In fact they are all very good, some of the best prog albums of all time. Whenever a new Tool album is release (for me at least) its not a matter of whether it will be better than the last few, rather its: ‘will it be on the same level as the rest of their stuff’. Long story short, 10000 Days IS on the same level as their other albums, and what makes this so much of an achievement for the band is just how long it took them between albums to release this.

    For every single of the 5 years this album was in limbo, its potential grew, and grew, as a snowball would rolling down a snowy hill, until in 2006 it broke into the public. This album is phenomenal. The long wait for the album to be released adds to the appeal, as it gives it a sense of worth, and need to exist. This isn’t some yearly instalment of a successful band career, this is an experience, which comes around so rarely we must cherish it, and appreciate the subtle, and visceral beauty we are presented with.

    For me, for an album to be considered great, as a pose to simply good, the album needs to have a balance between “hit tracks” which will receive radio play, and mainstream attention, as well as more subtle, and quieter tracks, which perhaps succeed in different ways to please the fans. An example of an album which DOES NOT have a mix of this is Coda by Led Zeppelin, which for fans is a decent album, but for critics has no universal appeal. Contrast Coda to Physical Graffitti, an album with appeal to both fans, with songs like The Rover, and In My Time of Dying, as well as the mainstream, with Kashmir, and Houses of The Holy. This split between critics and fans needs to be universally accepted for an album to be considered great (granted this is not always the case, but as at times reviewers royally **** up, for example reviews for Megadeth’s album). Now 10000 Days is the PERFECT mix of mainstream and hardcore acclaim.

    The song Vicarious, is one of those instant Tool classics, which does NOT fail to impress even the non-Tool listeners. It’s a universally enjoyable song. My personal favourite of the album is The Pot, a catchy, and headbanging tune about hypocracy, and drugs.

    The vocals on this album are OFF THE CHARTS, refer to The Pot, the instrumental performances are brilliant, and the lyrics are Tool’s finest, with very emotional moments around the whole album, refer to 1000 Days (Wings Pt2).

    In essence, this album is a worthy successor to Lateralus, and does not disappoint in any way. This is a MUST OWN, and let’s hope the next Tool album can achieve what this one did, whenever they ****ING DECIDE TO RELEASE IT ALREADY.    … Expand
  14. ZeManeiro
    Jan 2, 2020
    10
    My favorite album from my favorite band...
    Not a single bad song here, everything is top level
    Rosetta Stoned is a complex masterpiece, at first I didnt get it, it was long and pointless. But after some listening, it became one of my favorites songs of all time
  15. Maximum996
    Mar 17, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. JAM IN IT'S ENTIRETY ,10/10 This record is just as good as its predecessors. This is a band that I find pointless too compare albums with one another. On a musical standpoint every album is just
    As equally important.    … Expand
  16. BarbiterREAL
    Jan 26, 2022
    10
    2022 Album of the Year Baby Yahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
  17. Nick
    May 5, 2006
    9
    Better after every listen. Though the album lacks the anthemic, driving sound found on earlier releases, the complexity and movement of the songs really make this a great record. Some may think it's pretentious, but if you sit down and let yourself completely engage in the musical movements, it stands out as Tool's finest work since Aenima.
  18. KatM
    May 3, 2006
    9
    Hello people, every good band has an album like this in their career. Where they try something new and pepper it with their old sound. I see this as a transition album. Only bad thing is, we have to wait another 4-5 years to see what they're transitioning to, But if any experiment is worth hearing, it's Tool's.
  19. RussellA
    May 4, 2006
    9
    After giving this one several spins, I have decided: it's pretty dang good. It most certainly is not just a cheap rehash of Lateralus; the band moves in an odd new direction, as should be expected. It's probably not as good as Lateralus, but they have definitely broken new ground. Most impressive was Maynard's vastly expanded range, Jones' mind-bending solos, and After giving this one several spins, I have decided: it's pretty dang good. It most certainly is not just a cheap rehash of Lateralus; the band moves in an odd new direction, as should be expected. It's probably not as good as Lateralus, but they have definitely broken new ground. Most impressive was Maynard's vastly expanded range, Jones' mind-bending solos, and especially Chancellor's absolutely superb bass work. Chancellor really stands out here, especially on the track "The Pot."… Expand
  20. DanK
    May 5, 2006
    9
    Not as accessible as aenima but fantastic all the same. Similar to Lateralus in that it only has five 'songs' to speak of - but oh! they are as good as anything else they have ever done. Since this is prog metal this amounts to about 35-40mins of audio gold-dust and another 30 of 'interesting' filler. And not in the slightest bit like perfect circle save for the guys Not as accessible as aenima but fantastic all the same. Similar to Lateralus in that it only has five 'songs' to speak of - but oh! they are as good as anything else they have ever done. Since this is prog metal this amounts to about 35-40mins of audio gold-dust and another 30 of 'interesting' filler. And not in the slightest bit like perfect circle save for the guys voice. Off you go! Buy it :) !… Expand
  21. AdamW
    Jul 29, 2006
    9
    In a pool of mindless music we've all heard again and again, tool brings to the plate yet another genious endeaver. Yet, not as good as a few previous albums. But tool's back yeahhhhh!!!!
  22. coreys
    Jan 14, 2007
    9
    one of tools best.from kick ass bass lines in The Pot all the way to the constantly changing epic that is Rosseta Stoned,then the thought provoking tracks that follow.
  23. angelv
    Oct 31, 2006
    9
    This album is better every time you listen to it.
  24. AndreP
    May 2, 2006
    9
    Obviously Stylus Magazine doesn't know what the words "Progressive Rock" mean. And the writer from Pitchfork has never listed to A Perfect Circle. The "wannabe-journalists" that wrote those great pieces probably enjoy listening to Nickelback. Great album as usual, Tool always surpases expectations. A little too much "Intermission style" songs, but that is always expected from Tool. Obviously Stylus Magazine doesn't know what the words "Progressive Rock" mean. And the writer from Pitchfork has never listed to A Perfect Circle. The "wannabe-journalists" that wrote those great pieces probably enjoy listening to Nickelback. Great album as usual, Tool always surpases expectations. A little too much "Intermission style" songs, but that is always expected from Tool. But Vicarious, Jambi, The Pot, Rosetta Stoned, 10,000 Days...amazing songs. Go buy this album IMMEDIATELY, otherwise, you'll end up being a Nickelback fan, or an opinianated "journalist". And you wouldn't want to end up like that, would you?… Expand
  25. JamesToolfan
    May 2, 2006
    9
    I'll preface this by saying that I love Tool, but that they are not my all time favorite band. Everyone knows those people who live and die with every word Maynard James Keenan says writes or sings, I'm not one of them. That being said I listen to Tool as much as or more than any other band in a given week, month or year. I have had this album for a little over a week and I'll preface this by saying that I love Tool, but that they are not my all time favorite band. Everyone knows those people who live and die with every word Maynard James Keenan says writes or sings, I'm not one of them. That being said I listen to Tool as much as or more than any other band in a given week, month or year. I have had this album for a little over a week and contrary to what you may have heard or read this is not their best album. I think both Lateralus and Aenima are better albums, however, I think those are two of the greatest albums ever made. I gave this album is a solid 9, there are parts where Tool blows me away with their musicianship, song crafting and originality. In my opinion, the talent in this band rivals any band in music and probably in music history. Their influence will be felt for generations, this album included. That being said this album tends to drag at points and does not have the same "WOW" factor as Tool's previous work. But then again, who does ? The case and artwork are amazing and the album maybe the best album released this year by anyone. I would definitely pick it up if you haven't already.… Expand
  26. VincentT
    May 2, 2006
    9
    How does the new Pearl Jam album (which is crappy at best) have better scores than this? I can't stop listening to this amazing album...Vicarious, Jambi, Wings for Marie (both parts), The Pot, Rosetta Stonned, Right In Two...how can this album be bad? Tool fans will not be disappointed unless they are expecting the second coming of AEnima or Lateralus. I actually think it is as good How does the new Pearl Jam album (which is crappy at best) have better scores than this? I can't stop listening to this amazing album...Vicarious, Jambi, Wings for Marie (both parts), The Pot, Rosetta Stonned, Right In Two...how can this album be bad? Tool fans will not be disappointed unless they are expecting the second coming of AEnima or Lateralus. I actually think it is as good as Lateralus.… Expand
  27. KeytonE
    May 3, 2006
    9
    If you can't take long songs just go back to your Fall Out Boy and Simple Plan. If you're a fan of Tool you'll love this album. The one review is correct, this is exactly what a Tool album should sound like, but it is definitely unique.
  28. JasonN
    May 3, 2006
    9
    First of all, Maynard is the best rock voice out there right now, simple as that. This is probably not their best cd to date, but after a 5yr wait, I definitely am not complaining. And how does this NOT sound like a Tool album? You could play me the 1st 2 notes of any of the songs and it screams Tool. I don't get it, what are "critics" looking for? Amazing vocals, tight musicianship, First of all, Maynard is the best rock voice out there right now, simple as that. This is probably not their best cd to date, but after a 5yr wait, I definitely am not complaining. And how does this NOT sound like a Tool album? You could play me the 1st 2 notes of any of the songs and it screams Tool. I don't get it, what are "critics" looking for? Amazing vocals, tight musicianship, a distinct sound, etc. Tool is the leader of the pack in my opinion, and unfortunately, the gap between them and the rest of the pack is far to wide.… Expand
  29. Blackshadow
    May 4, 2006
    9
    Another good effort from the band. There is a lot going on with the instrumentation and it takes several listens to fully enjoy it.
  30. vicg
    May 4, 2006
    9
    I have to disagree with the critics,this is a really good album. I cant really explain why i like it, i just do. I would recommend you listen to it just once and decide for yourself.
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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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