Tool fans are rejoicing today — and rightfully so — as the band's catalog has finally become available on streaming services.
The iconic progressive/alternative metal band's embrace of streaming is for many fans an opportunity to reintroduce Tool's music into their lives.
While Tool fans could still listen to their physical copies of Tool albums for all this time, we also live in a world where new cars don't come with CD players. As technology advanced, Tool's music was fading from memory.
The band has, of course, remained a massive live concert draw. But for many of us, the last time we heard Tool's music was in concert.
Tool's arrival on streaming services, like iHeartRadio, would have been big news at any time in the last four or five years, but this week's development also serves as a prelude to the August 30 release of the band's sixth studio album, Fear Inoculum, it's first new album in 13 years.
With the release of the new album just four weeks away at this point, there's reason to believe a new track is also on the way.
Singer Maynard James Keenan said earlier this week on Joe Rogan's podcast that he's not completely sure why it took so long for the band to embrace streaming. But he added that Tool does everything at its own, very slow pace. It comes with the territory, he says, when you have four band members who are brilliant artists and also set in their ways.
The members of Tool aren't likely to do many interviews in advance of the new album, but it's hard to argue that delaying their streaming debut (or the new album) isn't resulting in all the promotion they could ever want.
Social media has been abuzz all day with people sharing their excitement over Tool's arrival on digital formats, and that's not likely to change for several days.