Most reviews I've seen, as well as general online discourse I've observed, has tended toward rapturous praise. But Fear Inoculum has finally arrived, 13 years after their previous release, 2006's 10,000 Days. The long-running delays and recording difficulties since their last release had become a punchline among fans, with Tool's as-yet-unreleased fifth album being considered as imminent as Half-Life 3 or The Winds of Winter. It shouldn't be a secret that I love all of Tool's previous output, with their 2001 album, Lateralus, being among my all-time personal favorites. They mixed the darker sound of early '90s alt-rock with progressive ambition and mind-bending psychedelia to forge a unique sound that resonated with a huge swathe of the population, myself included. They're one of the most popular progressive metal bands of all time their first four studio albums all went platinum multiple times over and are critically revered. For a band with the stature that Tool has, writing my usual two-paragraph intro feels almost superfluous.

Sound forge 15 review