Title: Mer de Tool (Watered-Down Tool)
Product review: Okay, so maybe this "isn't a side project." Okay, so maybe Maynard gets to flex his vocal range a bit out of the glottal shriek he favors for Tool (a band which I have followed from the very beginning and which continues to impress me). Okay, so maybe I've just grown up since the time that I found contemptuous atheist rants engaging. Fact is, this is basically overrated goth metal, not terribly inventive - but that's not what ruins the record for me - it's the production, especially on the drums. The snare sound is pure 80's arena glam - I hear it and I think Spandex. The guitar tone on most tracks is reedy and thin. If this is unintentional it's unfortunate, as many of the songs would be both tougher and more tolerable with a bit of warmth and fullness. If, on the other hand, the chilliness is the result of the vaunted "all-digital" sound that the participants of this "not a side project" are so proud of, then all I can hope is that Maynard doesn't quit his day job.
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