It's a long shot

[D-Day_Daddy]

Okay, I know I'm about to sound like a loser, but the idea popped into my head and I got as far as I did in like two hours. So I do have life, I was jus t bored and sick, so I went for it.

I read Kibar's breakdown of his April Fools joke, terrible I know, but it got us off the trail of Blair's. This is the post made on Toolband on April 1st:

01 Apr 06

SINGLE
Here's some amazing shit: The new Tool single, "Vicarious" will officially be heard on radio on April 17th. That's all I've got... so to the Fox & Hounds I go.

locking the door...

I left the "Here's some amazing shit" thing alone.
Every thing else, I started to rearange.
I was left with these letters left over.

CIAR O IS CROWLEY TITL

This is what I got with the rest:


APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT I'LL GIVE ONE CD & LIVE DVD

Any other word puzzlers out there? Maybe we're just reaching. But everyone loves a good mystery.

[STA]

It's too late for me to see if what you've posted is actually accurate, but that's some good work if it is.

[Ganjalf]

you better email blair and get your free cd and live dvd that you have won

[HalfASandwidch]

you better email blair and get your free cd and live dvd that you have won
ftw

[D-Day_Daddy]

I.. umm.. did. No reply,What? stop looking at me!!!!

[mattw]

Rearrange this:

I THNIK YUO MAY EB LOOKNIG ITNO THNIGS TOO MUHC...


Seriously, why would Tool bother recording a 'fake' song at all...?

And even if they did, why would it go for 7 minutes and actually sound really good?

It DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!

Blair may have really meant to write what you have written but logically why would Tool make such a good song and then say it's a hoax etc?

[spiralout11235]

Nice find, but I'm not convinced Blair did it intentionally or that Tool recorded a fake song. I guess we'll find out on May 2nd.

[disaxiom]

how did you discover it said that? did you just start adding words that you wanted to get that? becuase if so you and blair are on some kind of crazy wavelength...

[dracomordag]

anyone wanna put in the time to see if he did a ream anagram there?

[a big stupid dumbass]

So let's see.....

You took this:

"The new Tool single, "Vicarious" will officially be heard on radio on April 17th. That's all I've got... so to the Fox & Hounds I go.

locking the door"

and re-arranged it to get this:

CIAR O IS CROWLEY TITL APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT I'LL GIVE ONE CD & LIVE DVD

?????

Statistically, I won't even bother mapping out the ridiculous possibilities that the original post creates. There are plenty of anagram servers on the web to use.

For you to find a re-arrangement of this length in the original post is extremely unlikely, but I will be credulous, and therefore, D-Day Daddy, you have given away your cover, and we all know how much of a code wizard you are. I will be contacting you very soon in order to decipher the Voynich Manuscript and related tasks concerning the New York Stock Exchange. Next time, be a little more covert with your talent.

[Metalgod666]

wow this is the most insane thought in a long time...

[Æmitis]

Well, it's real... at leas you can write that sentence from what Blair wrote on April 1st. Nice find, even though the leftover letters might have a real purpose if this is intentional. Maybe if you mix "Here's some amazing shit" with "CIAR O IS CROWLEY TITL" you'll get something... either way, this is fun. I want to believe. Then "Vicarious" would be a b-side and we would get one more song from the guys.

But I'm sure this is just a "forced" coincidence... or as some might say, a lalalalalalalalalie.

[SigSegV]

So let's see.....

You took this:

"The new Tool single, "Vicarious" will officially be heard on radio on April 17th. That's all I've got... so to the Fox & Hounds I go.

locking the door"

and re-arranged it to get this:

CIAR O IS CROWLEY TITL APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT I'LL GIVE ONE CD & LIVE DVD

?????

Statistically, I won't even bother mapping out the ridiculous possibilities that the original post creates. There are plenty of anagram servers on the web to use.

For you to find a re-arrangement of this length in the original post is extremely unlikely, but I will be credulous, and therefore, D-Day Daddy, you have given away your cover, and we all know how much of a code wizard you are. I will be contacting you very soon in order to decipher the Voynich Manuscript and related tasks concerning the New York Stock Exchange. Next time, be a little more covert with your talent.

I'll ask my discrete math professor, see what he thinks.

Seriously though, this is a real tool song, period.

[Morfindel]

I want to believe this, but seriously doubt the fact that a hoax may reach this far.

[oneredflag]

What the hell is going on? Did the loony bin have a break out?
This post, the one about terrorist, and the other guy tripping about binary numbers. It is a goddam TOOL record and as outstanting as it may be. that is all it is.

[oneredflag]

There must be a shit load of killer acid going around!!!!

[Metalgod666]

this guy just escaped from the asylum thats all I have to say

[anagram?]

For the record, I like Vicarious and think it's "real." However, the anagram is not that far-fetched. There are too many words that line up, IMO. I amended the initial guy's attempt to: "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED TOOL CD &..." My leftover letters are DVICYIO. Mathematically, it seems like too much of a coincidence (unscramble any phrase that is about that long...there is no way you can get that many relevant words to line up). It's certainly an interesting observation by the guy and if he's totally off-track, Vicarious is great anyway.

[bbunt302]

Blair's post seems to be missing a 'V' needed in DVD. There are only two v's in the original message, but three in this "anagram".

Other than that... everything is there. However, I did get slighty different left over letters than they did... although they were pretty damn close and I could have made a mistake. But I'm not about to go through it again to check.

[sifted]

i didn't end up with the same exact thing. but that'd be great if it were true.

[FistFck]

so does that mean we all get the dvd?

[anagram?]

i didn't end up with the same exact thing. but that'd be great if it were true.

I've got "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED TOOL CD &..." with DVICYIO left over or "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A TOOL CD & VIDEO..." with SIGNDCIY left over. Way too much of a coincidence to be unintentional. But until someone gets the whole thing, I'm still expecting Vicarious to be the 1st track on the new album.

[mattw]

i didn't end up with the same exact thing. but that'd be great if it were true.

If this whole thing was true and it was all a hoax, I am claiming/buying the rights to this supposed FAKE song 'Vicarious' and am going to launch a music career with it, claiming it as my own kick-arse song...

I can't believe people are even slightly serious about this hoax shit - go watch the X-files or something...

[Khadgar346]

I want to believe!

[hawk1646]

Actually this could make sense. Don't these posts usually end with a signature of some kinda? Notice there's no "BMB" at the end of the message...so as not to throw off the anagram, maybe? Also, Blair's posts are written very well from a grammar standpoint. I could be wrong, but is "...will officially be heard on radio on ..." incorrect? Shouldn't it be "...on THE radio..."? Could be throwing the anagram off, too....

In either case, this is fun.

[anagram?]

If this whole thing was true and it was all a hoax, I am claiming/buying the rights to this supposed FAKE song 'Vicarious' and am going to launch a music career with it, claiming it as my own kick-arse song...

I can't believe people are even slightly serious about this hoax shit - go watch the X-files or something...

I think it's unlikely they took the alleged hoax this far. However, mathematically, it's impossible for the anagram to line up that well. We'll find out May 2, I guess, and I'm perfectly happy with Vicarious if that is indeed the first track. I do recall Andy King mentioning that there are several familiar moments throughout the album, as many have noted about Vicarious. We'll find out soon either way. I'm psyched to buy the album.

[Neondestruction]

I've got "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED TOOL CD &..." with DVICYIO left over or "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A TOOL CD & VIDEO..." with SIGNDCIY left over. Way too much of a coincidence to be unintentional. But until someone gets the whole thing, I'm still expecting Vicarious to be the 1st track on the new album.

With your left over letters you could almost add "receive a SIGNED tool cd & video..." but you are missing an E.

[anagram?]

With your left over letters you could almost add "receive a SIGNED tool cd & video..." but you are missing an E.

It certainly seems like the original guy was onto something. You can also have "APRIL FOOLS THIS IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL SONG ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A TELEINCISION CD & DVD" but then there are 8 letters leftover. I don't even remember how "Teleincision" started.

[Exact Functor]

CIAR O IS CROWLEY TITL


TITLE IS CROWLY O CAIR?

[Kalamazoo]

the fuck is wrong with all you morons?

[anagram?]

TITLE IS CROWLY O CAIR?

He didn't have the right letters left over.

[bbunt302]

Well, I was bored so I wrote a little C++ program that counts the number of ocurrences of each letter in the alphabet of two different strings for comparison. I ran it using the original message (minus the "Here's some amazing shit:" part) and the supposed anagram and here's what I got (forgive me if it's a little long...):

A: 7, 6
B: 1, 1
C: 3, 1
D: 4, 4
E: 8, 7
F: 3, 3
G: 4, 4
H: 7, 7
I: 11, 9
J: 0, 0
K: 1, 1
L: 10, 10
M: 0, 0
N: 6, 6
O: 16, 14
P: 1, 1
Q: 0, 0
R: 5, 4
S: 5, 4
T: 9, 8
U: 2, 2
V: 2, 3
W: 2, 1
X: 1, 1
Y: 1, 0
Z: 0, 0

The number on the left is the # of times the letter ocurred in the original and the right is the # it was in the "anagram". You'll see the OP must have made a couple of mistakes... Like I said earlier, there aren't enough v's in the original message and the letters he had left over weren't exactly correct.

However, I still think he may very well be on to something. I'm thinking "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH" may be right, while the remaing part is a little off. I'm gonna run it again with only that part and see what all letters are left and maybe we can go from there.

[hawk1646]

the fuck is wrong with all you morons?

Have an open mind! It's all in good fun.

[anagram?]

Well, I was bored so I wrote a little C++ program that counts the number of ocurrences of each letter in the alphabet of two different strings for comparison. I ran it using the original message (minus the "Here's some amazing shit:" part) and the supposed anagram and here's what I got (forgive me if it's a little long...):

A: 7, 6
B: 1, 1
C: 3, 1
D: 4, 4
E: 8, 7
F: 3, 3
G: 4, 4
H: 7, 7
I: 11, 9
J: 0, 0
K: 1, 1
L: 10, 10
M: 0, 0
N: 6, 6
O: 16, 14
P: 1, 1
Q: 0, 0
R: 5, 4
S: 5, 4
T: 9, 8
U: 2, 2
V: 2, 3
W: 2, 1
X: 1, 1
Y: 1, 0
Z: 0, 0

The number on the left is the # of times the letter ocurred in the original and the right is the # it was in the "anagram". You'll see the OP must have made a couple of mistakes... Like I said earlier, there aren't enough v's in the original message and the letters he had left over weren't exactly correct.

However, I still think he may very well be on to something. I'm thinking "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH" may be right, while the remaing part is a little off. I'm gonna run it again with only that part and see what all letters are left and maybe we can go from there.


Run mine...I think mine uses the right letters.

[Exact Functor]

the fuck is wrong with all you morons?

Hoax or not, it's interesting.

[anagram?]

Hoax or not, it's interesting.

I agree, certainly more interesting than all the "Vicarious sucks" threads.

[bbunt302]

Run mine...I think mine uses the right letters.

A: 7, 7
B: 1, 1
C: 3, 3
D: 4, 4
E: 8, 9
F: 3, 3
G: 4, 2
H: 7, 6
I: 11, 10
J: 0, 0
K: 1, 1
L: 10, 10
M: 0, 0
N: 6, 6
O: 16, 14
P: 1, 1
Q: 0, 0
R: 5, 5
S: 5, 5
T: 9, 8
U: 2, 2
V: 2, 2
W: 2, 2
X: 1, 1
Y: 1, 0
Z: 0, 0

Uses one too many e's and has a couple leftover letters.

[paraflux]

the fuck is wrong with all you morons?
probed for this.

[0100100000101110]

this is the craziest thread! Everyone knew about Vicarious being the single way before 4/1, so why would bmb say "so here's some amazing shit!"? I always thought that statement had a double meaning.

[anagram?]

A: 7, 7
B: 1, 1
C: 3, 3
D: 4, 4
E: 8, 9
F: 3, 3
G: 4, 2
H: 7, 6
I: 11, 10
J: 0, 0
K: 1, 1
L: 10, 10
M: 0, 0
N: 6, 6
O: 16, 14
P: 1, 1
Q: 0, 0
R: 5, 5
S: 5, 5
T: 9, 8
U: 2, 2
V: 2, 2
W: 2, 2
X: 1, 1
Y: 1, 0
Z: 0, 0

Uses one too many e's and has a couple leftover letters.

Yes, you are right about my Teleincision one. But my earlier ones - "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED TOOL CD &..." with DVICYIO left over or "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A TOOL CD & VIDEO..." with SIGNDCIY left over. I think those use the right number of letters.

[hawk1646]

I have a feeling that this thread will be one to remember in the coming weeks...

[conkersdeep]

the fuck is wrong with all you morons?

whats wrong with you dude

is it so hard to believe the single is a hoax. It makes perfect sense to me. the possibility that the whole thing is a ruse to divert attention away from the real material is just the sort of thing I can imagine tool doing.

And why would they go to the trouble of recording a single for a hoax?

they didnt, its a left over track from lateralus
it sounds like a lateralus track
the artwork is reminiscent of lateralus

I mean, its been 5 years, wouldn't you expect something different?

[anagram?]

I have a feeling that this thread will be one to remember in the coming weeks...

I thought Vicarious was legit (still do...kind of) until the guy started this thread. There's just no way that anagram lines up that easily with that many letters. I don't know if Vicarious is a "hoax" or not, but that April 1 message definitely has a hidden meaning.

[jAkUp]

No way, I mean radio is playing snippets of the song already! Also, the snippet is at www.toolband.com

Do you honostly think that they would send radio stations fake samples???!!

Its still pretty remarkable though :)

[hawk1646]

Yes.

[bbunt302]

Yes, you are right about my Teleincision one. But my earlier ones - "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED TOOL CD &..." with DVICYIO left over or "APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A TOOL CD & VIDEO..." with SIGNDCIY left over. I think those use the right number of letters.

Ok... for:

"APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A TOOL CD & VIDEO"

We get:

A: 7, 7
B: 1, 1
C: 3, 2
D: 4, 3
E: 8, 8
F: 3, 3
G: 4, 3
H: 7, 7
I: 11, 9
J: 0, 0
K: 1, 1
L: 10, 10
M: 0, 0
N: 6, 5
O: 16, 16
P: 1, 1
Q: 0, 0
R: 5, 5
S: 5, 4
T: 9, 9
U: 2, 2
V: 2, 2
W: 2, 2
X: 1, 1
Y: 1, 0
Z: 0, 0

That's CDGIINSY left over.... Not bad at all. Y I SIGN CD?

For:

"APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED TOOL CD &.."

We get:

A: 7, 7
B: 1, 1
C: 3, 2
D: 4, 3
E: 8, 8
F: 3, 3
G: 4, 4
H: 7, 7
I: 11, 9
J: 0, 0
K: 1, 1
L: 10, 10
M: 0, 0
N: 6, 6
O: 16, 15
P: 1, 1
Q: 0, 0
R: 5, 5
S: 5, 5
T: 9, 9
U: 2, 2
V: 2, 1
W: 2, 2
X: 1, 1
Y: 1, 0
Z: 0, 0

CDIIOVY. Very close again. There has to be something to this. Or maybe not, I dunno. Anyway, if these posts are too long I'll just start posting the left over letters from here on out. Just let me know.

[conkersdeep]

No way, I mean radio is playing snippets of the song already! Also, the snippet is at www.toolband.com

Do you honostly think that they would send radio stations fake samples???!!


why not
this is a band that doesn't have to rely on radio support, why care if they put a few noses out of joint?

[Ambugaton]

All of the music would come from Tool. It would be easy to leak a 30 second sample? Granted it seems like a ton of work, but this thread isn't about reason. It's something interesting at the very least.

[jAkUp]

Also, look at exactly what happened, if they were to give a "live cd" to everyone that found this out, they would have to give it to thousands of people as soon as this news hit the net.

Also, Tool doesn't need radio support, you think their label doesn't? They wouldn't go for something like this. They care about bottom line, not music or fans.

[hawk1646]

Keep in mind that technically stations aren't to play the single until Monday. They can send all the samples they want but sample doesnt necessarily = single...

That "secure" server from the zomba group site? Pretty sure it's still open..

[Ambugaton]

To the guy with the program...why not just post it on here? I'm sure some other folks could make use of it. I don't have C++ but it could make this process a little quicker lol.

[anagram?]

No way, I mean radio is playing snippets of the song already! Also, the snippet is at www.toolband.com

Do you honostly think that they would send radio stations fake samples???!!

Its still pretty remarkable though :)

To be honest, the fact that Toolband.com is playing the intro to Vicarious on the site is a major case against the "hoax." There is just no need to do that if it's a hoax. Also, the music itself may be "Lateralus" leftovers, but the lyrics seem to be much more relevant today than they'd have been in 2000 when Lateralus was recorded. Of course, they could have just changed the lyrics...that wouldn't have taken long.

[anagram?]

Ok... for:


CDIIOVY. Very close again. There has to be something to this. Or maybe not, I dunno. Anyway, if these posts are too long I'll just start posting the left over letters from here on out. Just let me know.


I agree, there is something to that message. You can't pull all of those relevant words out of an anagram that long unless it's intentional (intension-al ha).

[hawk1646]

To be honest, the fact that Toolband.com is playing the intro to Vicarious on the site is a major case against the "hoax." There is just no need to do that if it's a hoax. Also, the music itself may be "Lateralus" leftovers, but the lyrics seem to be much more relevant today than they'd have been in 2000 when Lateralus was recorded. Of course, they could have just changed the lyrics...that wouldn't have taken long.


Well, since the "single" leaked, putting the clip up on their site with a thrown-together intro would actually make it appear as though that is "officially" the single, even if its not, considering Tool can do with their site what they want.

Good call on the lyrics though...

[bbunt302]

// Here ya go. Notice the strings are actually hard coded. It's just a lot easier to
// re-compile and run b/c I was doing it through a console originally. This way
// I could copy and paste the anagrams. Oh yeah, and this is the first code
// I've written in a little while... so take it easy on me... :)
#include <string>
#include <fstream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
string first, second;
char temp;
int firstCounts[26];
int secondCounts[26];
ofstream out;

out.open("results.txt");

for (int a = 0; a < 26; a++)
{
firstCounts[a] = 0; secondCounts[a] = 0;
}

first = "The new Tool single, Vicarious will officially be heard on radio on April 17th. That's all I've got... so to the Fox & Hounds I go. locking the door";
second = "<insert anagram here>";

for (int i = 0; i < first.length(); i++)
{
temp = toupper(first[i]);
if (( temp > 64 ) && ( temp < 91))
firstCounts[temp-65]++;
}

for (int j = 0; j < second.length(); j++)
{
temp = toupper(second[j]);
if (( temp > 64 ) && ( temp < 91))
secondCounts[temp-65]++;
}

for (int x = 0; x < 26; x++)
out << x + 65 << ": " << firstCounts[x] << ", " << secondCounts[x] << endl;

return 0;
};

[Exact Functor]

could "BMB" be a left over phrase?

[Ambugaton]

What about if that "amazing shit" part was left in? An 'M' would be introduced for the BMB part. It seems like something they may do, if he left his sig out in the first post.

[ProdigyDub]

I can't believe none of you are intelligent enough to realize that with a phrase that long you can construct pretty much any anagram you want to communicate any meaning you want.

You could rearrange those letters to hundreds of different phrases. That fact, combined with the fact that you have to arbitrarily leave out some letters just to make your stupid "decoding" work means that you're creating something out of absolutely nothing.

Seriously, guys. Vicarious IS the single. There is no question--quit creating controversy when there isn't any.

[bbunt302]

What about if that "amazing shit" part was left in? An 'M' would be introduced for the BMB part. It seems like something they may do, if he left his sig out in the first post.

There still aren't enough B's.

[a big stupid dumbass]

could "BMB" be a left over phrase?


He didn't sign after this post did he?

This one always rubbed me the wrong way. I thought it might have been one of the band members posting on the site or something. Weird coincidence? Very slim chances of this being an accident....

[a big stupid dumbass]

I can't believe none of you are intelligent enough to realize that with a phrase that long you can construct pretty much any anagram you want to communicate any meaning you want.

You could rearrange those letters to hundreds of different phrases. That fact, combined with the fact that you have to arbitrarily leave out some letters just to make your stupid "decoding" work means that you're creating something out of absolutely nothing.


Good point, if we were constructing phrases with no left over letters, then we would have something. At least we are curious and inquisitive.

[bbunt302]

I can't believe none of you are intelligent enough to realize that with a phrase that long you can construct pretty much any anagram you want to communicate any meaning you want.

You could rearrange those letters to hundreds of different phrases. That fact, combined with the fact that you have to arbitrarily leave out some letters just to make your stupid "decoding" work means that you're creating something out of absolutely nothing.

Seriously, guys. Vicarious IS the single. There is no question--quit creating controversy when there isn't any.

I hate to tell you, but it is a serious statistical coincidence for it to be that close. To get within 7-8 letters in a message that big and have the result be perfectly coherent and meaningful is quite impressive. Besides, this is more fun than there being no controversy.

Either way, I'm gone to bed. You guys have my code, so have fun with it.

[ObviousParadox]

I can't believe none of you are intelligent enough to realize that with a phrase that long you can construct pretty much any anagram you want to communicate any meaning you want.

You could rearrange those letters to hundreds of different phrases. That fact, combined with the fact that you have to arbitrarily leave out some letters just to make your stupid "decoding" work means that you're creating something out of absolutely nothing.

Seriously, guys. Vicarious IS the single. There is no question--quit creating controversy when there isn't any.

no controversy, just discussion. and I would like to see ONE anagram out of that while only leaving out 0-10 letters that conveys a meaning as statistically unlikely as one about april fools THAT IS ALSO IN REGARDS TO THE NEW SINGLE. odds? not as good as you say. i'm not saying i buy this, i'm just saying its interesting.

[weak&weary]

You could rearrange those letters to hundreds of different phrases. That fact, combined with the fact that you have to arbitrarily leave out some letters just to make your stupid "decoding" work means that you're creating something out of absolutely nothing.
I thought all the sane people had inverted or died before reading this. Thank God!

[ProdigyDub]

I hate to tell you, but it is a serious statistical coincidence for it to be that close. To get within 7-8 letters in a message that big and have the result be perfectly coherent and meaningful is quite impressive. Besides, this is more fun than there being no controversy.

Either way, I'm gone to bed. You guys have my code, so have fun with it.

No it is NOT a serious stastical coincidence.

It would be a serious stastical coincidence if there was only one way a person could say "The single is fake, real one coming later," blah blah blah. If there was only 1 sentence that could convey that idea and these letters just happened to be able to form that sentence, then yes...it would be quite interesting.

But the fact is there are about 8,000 ways a person could say "The single is fake"--the original poster simply took the letters in that post and rearranged them to one possible way. There's absolutely no rarity in the ability to take a large sampling of letters and rearrange them into an arbitrary phrase that loosely communicates a more general meaning. He can add words as he sees fit or leave words out to make the letters fit better, as long as the same general meaning remains. There's absolutely nothing impressive about that.

[Fractals ROCK]

No it is NOT a serious stastical coincidence.

It would be a serious stastical coincidence if there was only one way a person could say "The single is fake, real one coming later," blah blah blah. If there was only 1 sentence that could convey that idea and these letters just happened to be able to form that sentence, then yes...it would be quite interesting.

But the fact is there are about 8,000 ways a person could say "The single is fake"--the original poster simply took the letters in that post and rearranged them to one possible way. There's absolutely no rarity in the ability to take a large sampling of letters and rearrange them into an arbitrary phrase that loosely communicates a more general meaning. He can add words as he sees fit or leave words out to make the letters fit better, as long as the same general meaning remains. There's absolutely nothing impressive about that.

quoted a million times for truth.

LEARN your statistics! They prove VERY helpful once you grow up and stop worshipping rock bands!

[Wretched]

I don't think Vicarious is fake, it kicks too much ass to be fake.

[Ambugaton]

http://www.world-mysteries.com/doug_anagrams.htm

[Ambugaton]

Still interesting to examine the patterns that result, even if it may not be some secretly planted rouse by Tool. I guess this thread if for the nerds lol.

[alicetooljam]

If this whole thing was true and it was all a hoax, I am claiming/buying the rights to this supposed FAKE song 'Vicarious' and am going to launch a music career with it, claiming it as my own kick-arse song...

I can't believe people are even slightly serious about this hoax shit - go watch the X-files or something...


Nobody is saying its not Tool, just possibly adistraction from the "real" new stuff.

[drastic]

Coincidence? Check out the March newsletter on toolband, an anagram-type-thing for "Rosetta Stoned" is shown at the top. Perhaps if you add the 'rosetta stoned' letters to the group you can make sense of it?

Granted, this is probably nothing, but I have to admit.. this is fun.

[alicetooljam]

this is the craziest thread! Everyone knew about Vicarious being the single way before 4/1, so why would bmb say "so here's some amazing shit!"? I always thought that statement had a double meaning.


i always thought this was odd. We already knew this info and it was posted on April first, then there was the source code thing, then there was the anagram thing in the last newsletter. I never went the hoax conspiracy route until this stuff tonight.

[alicetooljam]

dont forget this too, found in the source code.

"S, tonight we had some visitors (yes, the dreaded ones). Our job has changed a bit. They say we've gone a touch too far with XM."


"We've got 'em hooked. If only they knew. See you soon. We've a matter to discuss."

[praefector]

got a question

you guys trying way too hard to read into this stuff

have you checked toolband lately?

the new intro contains the real vicarious...the very one we are all listening to.

complete with the new logo and artwork.

hoax talk is over...

[13rad_34]

Not to disrespect all of the time and effort that has gone into deciphering this possible encrypted message, but what if Blair had written the remark on April 1st keeping in mind that many people who would read it would be suspitious of ANYTHING written on April 1st? What if the April fools day gag is that we are all still spending time on this issue while Blair occasionally checks out the forums and has a good laugh at our behalf because there is no hoax?

[0100100000101110]

I suggest that someone e-mail blair about this theory... see what kind of response we get out of him. There are just too many variables to figuring this thing out... what if he uses slang, acronyms, or enochian!!

[Ambugaton]

This is retarded now :S. What are the chances that whoever "made" this put in X amount of hours to get this whole scheme rolling actually did all this to put a cloak over our eyes for what...2 days? They created this whole ridiculous mess to simply confuse us for two days, months after April fools lol!

Also them using the word "leaked" in the anagram would mean the leaking was intended as of April 1 or earlier. Granted it was interesting, but i'm done with it. Some of you should probably also settle down with it lol.

[intoaneye]

I just got

The leaked copy was a hoax, listen to tool on the 17th of april for the real version of vicarious, submit this for a free cd.
no letters left over
is this real? check?

[0100100000101110]

is this real? check?

its wrong

[Sauniere]

its wrong

how wrong?

[0100100000101110]

how wrong?

count the # of "g"s.... but on the very first post in this thread, the leftover letters also spell

WISELY OR TO CRITICAL

hmmm...

[Alexandra]

^
^

"APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT I'LL GIVE ONE CD & LIVE DVD // TO OUR WISELY CRITICAL"

?

[0100100000101110]

^
^

"APRIL FOOLS THIS SONG IS A HOAX LOOK FOR THE REAL THING ON TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT I'LL GIVE ONE CD & LIVE DVD // TO OUR WISELY CRITICAL"

?

could be a blair thing to say... Its too fucking late and I'm spending way too much time thinking about this, but here is my last thought on this subject. I think the following words should be in the hidden message:

1. Signed Lateralus Vinyl
2. April Fools
3. This song is a hoax
4. Real thing on Toolband
5. 17th
6. CD

eh, i'm tired

[trunksx34]

From the OP


I left the "Here's some amazing shit" thing alone.
Every thing else, I started to rearange.
I was left with these letters left over.

CIAR O IS CROWLEY TITL



Note the "CROWLEY" in the letters left over

I showed this to my roomate, and he said that he recognized the name 'Crowley' from Danny Carey's site.

If you go to http://www.dannycarey.org/page2.html and click on 'philosophy' then 'art and music' , Aleister Crowley is mentioned.


hmm..

edit: heh, i registered just to post this... this anagram hoax thing better pan out :P

[Alexandra]

LOL, we've been aware of this for a while. Sorry. :)

[trunksx34]

heh, no worries, i just didnt see it mentioned in this thread

[lachrymoIogy]

if this is true, then good for you. and i'm also sure it meens that we'd get an even better song. this song still kicks unbelievable ass, and is realistically the single. i only hope it's true, because they would be pulling the best april fools prank i know of. i'll return to listening to vicarious now.

[minusblindfold]

that april 1st post by blair always made me suspicious. the "heres some amazing shit" and the "to the foxes and hounds i go"(or whatever it was that he said there) always just seems very random and strange to me. it is also not the way blair usually writes. the other thing is that he posted it on april fools and what he posted was already widely known for quite some time. i do not know if there is anything to this, and do not think that vicarious is a hoax. it does seem to be a very strange coincidence, and maybe something to simply raise hype. also the issue of the anagram that was posted of Rosetta Stoned was very strange. so maybe there is something to this. i mean, just look how much effort blair puts into slipping hidden meanings and metephors in the newsletters.

[minusblindfold]

also, toolband originally reported in 2001 that Systema Encéphale was the name of the new cd. later we found out it was a hoax and the real name was Lateralus. maybe, just maybe, somehow Systema Encéphale works into those left over letters or something. its too late though and im too tired to check it out though. just thought i would mention it

[Perseensilmä]

Not to disrespect all of the time and effort that has gone into deciphering this possible encrypted message, but what if Blair had written the remark on April 1st keeping in mind that many people who would read it would be suspitious of ANYTHING written on April 1st? What if the April fools day gag is that we are all still spending time on this issue while Blair occasionally checks out the forums and has a good laugh at our behalf because there is no hoax?

If that´s the case and Vicarious is real, then I´ll pull a late April Fool´s prank AND DON´T BUY THE FUCKING CD.

[s ti N Kfizt]

i just figured it all out.. Lateralus rocks, omg. i listen to Schism over and over again.. i never loved Schism as much as most of the other songs of the album.. but now i love it very much..

[Lagomorph]

it kickass ass aye, this recent confusion over Vicarious has lead me back to listening to lateralus and it is a brilliant and clever album.

[Cucumber_11]

This is the best thread i've read on here for a while, i absorbed everything i could and i am starting to swivel in the OP's direction.

There has got to be something to this, I only wish I could help. Alas I am missing the essential grey matter to be of any use to any of you.

[MondoMan]

Anyone up for taking the latest newsletter and rearranging all the letters in it as well?

[aneurysm09]

While I agree that it would easily be possible for someone to deduce almost any kind of significant anagram from Blair's message, I feel that those who are dismissing the idea of a hoax on these grounds aren't using enough inductive thought.

I hadn't thought about the April 1st post on toolband until reading the OP in this thread, but I do remember that it seemed odd to me when I originally read it. What did stick in my mind was my initial reaction upon hearing "Vicarious". I was among those who were dissapointed by the leaked song, and was almost convinced it was not the true single for a number of reasons.

First off, I thought it was odd that the record label could make such a simple mistake as to leave the FTP unprotected after the band had gone through so much trouble to keep this album under wraps. They're flying critics to LA to review the album instead of just sending them a copy for christ's sake!

What's more is that the song itself seemed in many ways "un-toolish", especialy considering all that I'd heard and read about the album. While "Vicarious" is good, it isn't that good. It is somehow less polished and refined than one would expect. The percussion and time changes aren't as crisp or as intricate as I have come to expect from Tool. With Danny's new electrontic drum kit I also anticipated them to be much more elaborate. In an interview I read, the band also stated that this album was going to be much heavier than Lateralus due to Tool's being influenced by touring with band's like Meshuggah, and working with side projects like Pigmy Love Circus. "Vicarious" is by no means a heavy song, certainly not heavier than anything on Lateralus. Adam had also promised more solos and guitar work on 10,000 days. If anything can be said of the guitar on "Vicarious" it seems over simplified. While it's still interesting, the riff construction is a step backward; more reminiscent of aenima than anything else. This is perhaps what dissapointed me most since it seemed like reversion rather than progession on Tool's part. The most glaring shortcoming on "Vicarious" is the lyrical and vocal work. Not since Opiate have Maynard's lyrics been so straightforward or transparant. Is there any question about the meaning of this song? When's the last time a Tool song was so openly accessible? Beyond lyrics, the vocals themselves are undeniably more reminiscent of APC's Thirteenth Step than anything Tool has done. When asked if he was having trouble writing songs for Tool while touring with APC, Maynard responded that he has always had the ability to "change hats". Indeed, he even goes so far as to alter his physical appearance to create a distinction between his two bands. Given this, it would be hard to allow that Maynard may have simply borrowed vocal stylings from his other project. All in all, while "Vicarious" is better than 99.9% of the slop that currently plays on the airwaves, it seems like something that musicians as talented and experienced as the members of Tool are could create in their sleep. Or perhaps as part of an elaborate joke?

Another thing that bothered me is the new splash page on toolband. It seems hastily done. While playing the 30 second clip, it gives the options to enter either toolband or toolarmy. However, when I have clicked on either, it simply takes me to the original into page for toolband where I have to again select whether I want to enter toolband or toolarmy. Seems like something designed without much care to be easilly disposed of.

Anyway, I apologize for the length of this post. I've been chastised for the last few days for suggesting that "Vicarious" might be a hoax and I have been forced to keep these thoughts bottled up. I couldn't help but feel a little vindication and comradery when I stumbled across this thread. Obviously none of this is nearly as concrete as finding a perfectly fitting anagram, but it's some food for thought.

[Lagomorph]

nice post aneurysm09, but yeah, i mean, imagine Vicarious is NOT the real single. it is a song by tool, that is certain, so did they make it purposely crap just to show all the dumbass fans that they don't know REAL music?

i agree with you that Vicarious is lacking, and doesn't sound like the exciting new sound they have promised. but to pull a hoax like this seems like a lame-ass thing to do for the world of music, maybe not. i actually hope it is fake, but i highly doubt it is, and if it was, it would be seen as pretentious by people i think.

[Rexmentula]

So..soon they will leak the decoy album and everyone believes that this is the shit! Then, on May 2nd we'll buy the got damn cd and it's totally different from the leaked version. That would be fun. I see possibilities.

[tangent]

told you so :)

[Lagomorph]

jeez i am not gonna say i think it will happen, but if anyone can do it it's tool. the single didn't come out accidentally, it was leaked on purpose, i am very confident of that. but to think they would give it to radios and let them play it and promote it and then go: no way, that is us trying to be shit, then to say 10,000 days is a hoax, the real album is self-titled, the 7th track Vanity is the single, and it is awesome.

shit it would be my wet dream but it is not gonna happen.

[Exact Functor]

A metric fuckton of words

Must you post your opinion on why Vicarious is a hoax in a WORD SCRAMBLING thread? Do you seriously think that this thread/forum would be readable if every single tool that thinks it's a hoax came in here and told us "good job with the anagram guys. i always thought this was a haox because..."?

[Dolophane]

but to pull a hoax like this seems like a lame-ass thing to do for the world of music
This is the issue I take with this idea. This thread is probably the only interesting thing I've read while here, but I just find it hard to believe that Tool would go to such great lengths just to pull a joke on people. The payoff just seems kind of...not worth it?

"Haha, fooled you! Here's the real thing."
"Oh. Okay."

It just seems like a whole lot of work for nothing in particular.

[Lagomorph]

Must you post your opinion on why Vicarious is a hoax in a WORD SCRAMBLING thread? Do you seriously think that this thread/forum would be readable if every single tool that thinks it's a hoax came in here and told us "good job with the anagram guys. i always thought this was a haox because..."?

yes.. he must.

[aneurysm09]

You're absolutely right. It's late/early, I'm a bit tired, and I got carried away. My apologies.

[Cucumber_11]

Anyone notice that the latest post on toolarmy refers to Vicarious as "...new TOOL song..." as apposed to "the new TOOL single".

I'm sure its nothing, but it could be in favour of the hoax theory.

[bbunt302]

I hope no one actually tried to use my code last night... in trying to clean it up a little before I posted it I made a slight little mistake. Nothing major really, but the print out of the results wasn't labeled correctly. I needed to cast the result of x + 65 back as a char for it to print out correctly. Or just do it this way, which is much cleaner. This is how I originally had it, but changed it in order to shorten the code. That's what I get for trying to be smooth...

So...

for (int x = 0; x < 26; x++)
out << x + 65 << ": " << firstCounts[x] << ", " << secondCounts[x] << endl;

Should become...

for (int x = 0; x < 26; x++)
{
temp = x + 65;
out << temp << ": " << firstCounts[x] << ", " << secondCounts[x] << endl;
}

As for "The leaked copy was a hoax, listen to tool on the 17th of april for the real version of vicarious, submit this for a free cd"... it's nowhere near right.

And as far as my knowledge of statsistics... tell me something about it after you get out of junior high. Trust me, I've done my time with statistics (and many other fun and enjoyable disciplines of math).

[anagram?]

And as far as my knowledge of statsistics... tell me something about it after you get out of junior high. Trust me, I've done my time with statistics (and many other fun and enjoyable disciplines of math).

You're right about the statistics. Maybe that guy can take any three consecutive sentences in this entire thread (not from the actual anagram) and try to come up with half of a message indicating the song is a hoax. Any three consecutive sentences...he has no shot. That post on 4/1 was definitely an intended anagram, but until someone completes it, we won't really know what it was implying. As I said last night, this is the first time I thought Vicarious may be a hoax of some sort. As I also said, I like the song and would buy the album regardless of what I thought of the first single. But this thread is much more interesting than all the threads claiming the song is Nu-Metal or has cheesy parts or the rest of that nonsense.

[D-Day_Daddy]

Hey, guys I need to make one point clear; I love Vicarious. It's not my favorite song by Tool, but it's great. My only problem is that it sounds alot like Lateralus. Plus it seems to be going alng with that tee-shirt that became availible quite a while ago. Maybe they have been planning on releasing some of the unused stuff from Lateralus. So just to restate, I like Vicarious, but I find myself waiting for a long scream when it gets to that long quiet part.

[bbunt302]

Hey, guys I need to make one point clear; I love Vicarious.

Yeah, I should probably go ahead and say I love it too. I really think it would be a shame if it wasn't included on the new album. I don't necessarily believe in the hoax theory, but it was a fun way to pass the time last night. It is also a very strange concidence, however, if it was indeed unintended.

We'll all find out today anyway.

[ProdigyDub]

Again, there is absolutely no question that Vicarious is the first single off the upcoming album.

It's absurdly ironic how some of you can cite it as a possible hoax and use "logical thinking" as your reason. Your wacky claims are the farthest thing from logical.

[praefector]

also, toolband originally reported in 2001 that Systema Encéphale was the name of the new cd. later we found out it was a hoax and the real name was Lateralus. maybe, just maybe, somehow Systema Encéphale works into those left over letters or something. its too late though and im too tired to check it out though. just thought i would mention it

shouldnt you insert "coelacious" or however it was spelled too...(the 2nd fake lateralus)

[Squishy]

I can't believe none of you are intelligent enough to realize that with a phrase that long you can construct pretty much any anagram you want to communicate any meaning you want.

You could rearrange those letters to hundreds of different phrases. That fact, combined with the fact that you have to arbitrarily leave out some letters just to make your stupid "decoding" work means that you're creating something out of absolutely nothing.

Seriously, guys. Vicarious IS the single. There is no question--quit creating controversy when there isn't any.

THANK YOU, YOU ARE A SHINING BEACON OF SANITY IN THIS VORTEX OF LUNATICS.

Seriously, you spared me having to write the exact same post.

[D-Day_Daddy]

Again, there is absolutely no question that Vicarious is the first single off the upcoming album.

It's absurdly ironic how some of you can cite it as a possible hoax and use "logical thinking" as your reason. Your wacky claims are the farthest thing from logical.


You know guy, I never said I was right. I'm probably wrong; but come on it's not that far fetched. Put an unreleased song from an old album out, so it takes the attention away fom the real thing. It was mentioned that a decoy album would be around. But again, I am not banking on this being anything more than a coinidence. Please let's not make another you "you suck cause I don't agree," thread. If you don't agree, say that. Back it up, but keep the personal slams to yourself. And what's illogical about this? The fact the original post was made on April first? That the word anagram was in the code of the march newsletter? Or that Kibar used the same trick on his prank?
This may or may not be legit, but it's interesting to say the least. All I wanted was someone with a better head for this stuff to have a look. I mean me posting this here probalby killed my chace f getting a free copy of the CD and DVD...Heh!

[Perseensilmä]

That the word anagram was in the code of the march newsletter? !

There was that Rosetta Stoned shit... so that pretty much sums that up.

I believe in decoy album/song, though.

[anagram?]

THANK YOU, YOU ARE A SHINING BEACON OF SANITY IN THIS VORTEX OF LUNATICS.

Seriously, you spared me having to write the exact same post.

Let me know when you can find any three-sentence sequence in anything else Blair has ever written that can be rearranged into anything resembling what the OP has. You can't. The odds that it's merely a coincidence that Blair's 4/1 post and the anagram line up almost exactly is about 0%. And the fact that there are 5 or 6 letters left over doesn't make it a silly theory...just one that is slightly off and hasn't been completely decoded yet. Vicarious may or may not be on a Tool album entitled 10,000 Days, but Blair's post that day was not simply a face value message. Mathematics do not support your claim that it is a coincidence.

[D-Day_Daddy]

No, not that. Right under this line:

"Q: Can you tell me something about the 'terrible' secret that one of the songs on the new record speaks of?"

is a space. If you ight click on it show you that it's an unloaded flash movie. Now if you view to code and find where that space is, it has a couple pictures named "anagram" I thought this discused. Hopefully something happens soon to either completely disprove or prove this, Ive got to go to work in a few hours.

[Perseensilmä]

Let me know when you can find any three-sentence sequence in anything else Blair has ever written that can be rearranged into anything resembling what the OP has. You can't. The odds that it's merely a coincidence that Blair's 4/1 post and the anagram line up almost exactly is about 0%. And the fact that there are 5 or 6 letters left over doesn't make it a silly theory...just one that is slightly off and hasn't been completely decoded yet. Vicarious may or may not be on a Tool album entitled 10,000 Days, but Blair's post that day was not simply a face value message. Mathematics do not support your claim that it is a coincidence.

You have to remember that to make whole words he probably had to add a couple of letters to make the words complete.

[Perseensilmä]

No, not that. Right under this line:

"Q: Can you tell me something about the 'terrible' secret that one of the songs on the new record speaks of?"

is a space. If you ight click on it show you that it's an unloaded flash movie. Now if you view to code and find where that space is, it has a couple pictures named "anagram" I thought this discused. Hopefully something happens soon to either completely disprove or prove this, Ive got to go to work in a few hours.

Yeah, there is a picture of an anagram A OR ET TESTS D - ROSETTA STONED.

[anagram?]

By the way, if I had told you that Kabir's 3/31 headline of "It's Four (4) Open & Loud Listening Parties!" was an anagram for "April Fools Ten is Pretend Outings 4 U & I" you would have thought I was crazy, too, but that's what it turned out to be. I wonder if those who don't think Blair's message could possibly be an anagram actually showed up to those listening shows...I mean, everything on these sites is to be taken at face value, right?...particularly when they're posted on or around 4/1.

[D-Day_Daddy]

Well, my local station WCYY, is right now playing Vicarious. The one have all heard, so it seems that I wasted a couple hours in a flu induced hallucination. But man that part about five minutes into it with the voices in the background. The music reminds me so much of The Patient.

[anagram?]

Well, my local station WCYY, is right now playing Vicarious. The one have all heard, so it seems that it wasted a couple hours in a flu induced hallucination. But man that part abut five minutes into itwith the voices in the background. The music reminds me so much of The Patient.

The first 40 seconds is the Patient intro too with maybe a very slight variation.

[Perseensilmä]

Well, my local station WCYY, is right now playing Vicarious. The one have all heard, so it seems that I wasted a couple hours in a flu induced hallucination. But man that part about five minutes into it with the voices in the background. The music reminds me so much of The Patient.

Why couldn´t they send a song to radio that is not on their album? would it hurt sales?

[5%yak]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didnt bands like the Beatles use to put out singles that weren't on the album? Maybe Tool is going back to that practice.

[Perseensilmä]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didnt bands like the Beatles use to put out singles that weren't on the album? Maybe Tool is going back to that practice.

Not only singles, but DOUBLE A-SIDE singles!!!!

[Nietzsche's Dead]

There must be a shit load of killer acid going around!!!!

yes, and i feel left out :(

but anyway, i think this is a *great* find. and if it isnt true?? then blair is one insane little motherfucker, and there is a demon inside of his mind :)

but yeah - i think it was intentional. that is quite the fucking coincidence. gj!

[Nietzsche's Dead]

From the OP



Note the "CROWLEY" in the letters left over

I showed this to my roomate, and he said that he recognized the name 'Crowley' from Danny Carey's site.

If you go to http://www.dannycarey.org/page2.html and click on 'philosophy' then 'art and music' , Aleister Crowley is mentioned.


hmm..

edit: heh, i registered just to post this... this anagram hoax thing better pan out :P

yeah, id say most people who've been listening to tool for a good while now, have at least a decent idea who Crowley is (was). And everyone else for that matter, lol.

[Nietzsche's Dead]

that april 1st post by blair always made me suspicious. the "heres some amazing shit" and the "to the foxes and hounds i go"(or whatever it was that he said there) always just seems very random and strange to me. it is also not the way blair usually writes. the other thing is that he posted it on april fools and what he posted was already widely known for quite some time. i do not know if there is anything to this, and do not think that vicarious is a hoax. it does seem to be a very strange coincidence, and maybe something to simply raise hype. also the issue of the anagram that was posted of Rosetta Stoned was very strange. so maybe there is something to this. i mean, just look how much effort blair puts into slipping hidden meanings and metephors in the newsletters.

i thought the same thing first time reading that post from him. it seemed oddly out of place and offbeat. and the date, and the pure fact that all of those (coherant) words arise from it, and go together so well...i want to believe, i do :)

but regardless, the Vicarious we've been hearing is a great song imo, and ill enjoy it eitherway. :)

[Æmitis]

Well here's a turn off: http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?p=917874&posted=1#post917874

[Nietzsche's Dead]

Again, there is absolutely no question that Vicarious is the first single off the upcoming album.

It's absurdly ironic how some of you can cite it as a possible hoax and use "logical thinking" as your reason. Your wacky claims are the farthest thing from logical.

first of all - how is that irony? lol.

oh, and we're not saying its 100% true. obviously. but it is *extremely* coincidental, from a mathematical standpoint. look it up. but anyway - why not get over it? we're having fun here, not trying to be assholes :)

[Perseensilmä]

Well here's a turn off: http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?p=917874&posted=1#post917874

I thought they spread the single over internet, not physical copies.

[Nietzsche's Dead]

I thought they spread the single over internet, not physical copies.

exactly. for some reason i think this is bs.

[Perseensilmä]

Even if they made physical copies, why would it make it a less decoy if it is a decoy?

[ProdigyDub]

Does anyone here have an ounce of logical aptitude?

Do you realize what a horrendous business and PR move it would be for Tool to make a "fake track" and let radio stations across the country actually play it?

Much as some of you would like to deny it, Tool is part of a music INDUSTRY. They fight the system as they can but they don't exist outside the bounds of it. There is no way in a million years that any band of relative popularity would ever burn bridges with media outlets by "fooling" them all like this. It makes ABSOLUTELY no sense.

Not only that, but what would the benefits even be? What do you guys think Tool gains by releasing a "decoy track"? They prevent leaks? How? The single was supposed to come out today anyway--and it has.

I can see it right now. Tool's sitting in the studio:

"Hey guys, in order to prevent leaks, we should spend a bunch of our time and energy in this expensive studio making a fake track. We won't make it an obvious joke though, we'll make it sound like a real, good Tool song, thus making it as taxing on us as is possible." - Maynard

"Yeah that's a great idea 'Nard. Then we can release our fake single to radio stations everywhere and risk burning bridges and destroying our relationships with them, for absolutely no benefit to us." - Danny

"Yeah! Awesome!" - Justin and Adam

....bottom line, the costs of such a move far outweigh the non-existent benefits. I really wish some of you guys would at least attempt to take a step back and consider from a broader standpoint the absurdity of what you're insinuating.

[Nietzsche's Dead]

Yes, but do you honestly think that TOOL cares more about spending some extra money, then protecting the integrity of their music? And do you think they would be incredibly sad if they pissed of some radiostations? How much radio play does TOOL get anyway? And if you havnt noticed in the past - i think TOOL gets kicks from pissing people off ;)

anywho. with that said. I hope Vicarious is on the album. I really do. Its been on constant loop on all of my stereos. But thats not the point. The point is we (were) having fun with this, some people enjoy cryptic things/ secrets/ theories. and for many TOOL fans, i think these kind of things are enjoyed (as they have been in the past). So why be so insulting? We're just having a good time. Kthxbye

[CrownOfNegativity]

Hmm...interesting.

Well, it's the 17th and Toolband is down (for me, anyway).

[Nietzsche's Dead]

Hmm...interesting.

Well, it's the 17th and Toolband is down (for me, anyway).


they just put the list of new dates up! go check it

[SubconsciousFeer]

"Yeah that's a great idea 'Nard. Then we can release our fake single to radio stations everywhere and risk burning bridges and destroying our relationships with them, for absolutely no benefit to us." - Danny



haha 'Nard, thats a horrible yet oh so funny nickname. well lets admit it, everyone loves conspiracy theories and though i dont believe that vicarious is a hoax, it WOULD make a good damn story:-).

[Perseensilmä]

Does anyone here have an ounce of logical aptitude?

Do you realize what a horrendous business and PR move it would be for Tool to make a "fake track" and let radio stations across the country actually play it?

Much as some of you would like to deny it, Tool is part of a music INDUSTRY. They fight the system as they can but they don't exist outside the bounds of it. There is no way in a million years that any band of relative popularity would ever burn bridges with media outlets by "fooling" them all like this. It makes ABSOLUTELY no sense.

Not only that, but what would the benefits even be? What do you guys think Tool gains by releasing a "decoy track"? They prevent leaks? How? The single was supposed to come out today anyway--and it has.

I can see it right now. Tool's sitting in the studio:

"Hey guys, in order to prevent leaks, we should spend a bunch of our time and energy in this expensive studio making a fake track. We won't make it an obvious joke though, we'll make it sound like a real, good Tool song, thus making it as taxing on us as is possible." - Maynard

"Yeah that's a great idea 'Nard. Then we can release our fake single to radio stations everywhere and risk burning bridges and destroying our relationships with them, for absolutely no benefit to us." - Danny

"Yeah! Awesome!" - Justin and Adam

....bottom line, the costs of such a move far outweigh the non-existent benefits. I really wish some of you guys would at least attempt to take a step back and consider from a broader standpoint the absurdity of what you're insinuating.


Like they burned bridges with Systema Encephale, Maynard finding Jesus and so on. The thing is that people (even press) actually enjoy when Tool pulls legs.

Stupid business move? Hardly. Catchy song for radio, announcing that Tool has a new album, more customers.

While everyone spends their energy on the decoy, the real thing slips to the stores with truly groundbreaking shit.

Vicarious is a pastiche of old songs and ideas. I want that real "Sergeant Pepper on the Dark Side of the Moon".

vicarious doesn´t sound like it has been recorded in expensive studio with amazing dolby equipment. there´s nothing special in the sound quality.

[tangent]

Oh another thing about the anagram thing btw, if you read the newsletter you will see that blair replies saying to read a manuscript. If you look it up its supposed to be this book written in an alphabet that no one has deciphered yet. Another hint at an anagram I think.












And hmm. YES. Tool band. Is. Down. Wonder. Why?

[tool25]

crazy shit

[circulus]

Vicarius rhythm= Schism rhythm.

[mike09]

I love "Vicarious". I think it's a most excellent song. I don't believe Tool would take time to record a fake track as a decoy. However, it's believable that "Vicarious" is a left over track from Lateralus. They said they had almost another album's worth of material that they didn't use on Lateralus. Bands record their songs and then later master them. Mastering is as you can imagine. It's increasing the clearness of the song, fine tuning the bass sounds, adjust the drums, making guitars lower or louder, etc. It's possible that "Vicarious" is a song they never finished mastering, mainly because they decided to cut it from Lateralus. Even the name itself, "Vicarious", looks like it could fit on the Lateralus tracklist. That, plus the fact that the new artwork is very similar to the artwork used on the Lateralus tour, makes me believe your theory, threadstarter. I mean, the band themselves have stated that part of the reason they like to take a lot of time between album releases is so they can grow as a band musicially and emotionally, etc. Compare Lateralus to Aenima. Shouldn't we expect the same type of growth in the new album? I haven't heard the new album yet, obviously, but I have heard "Vicarious" and we all know that "Schism" is very different than anything on Aenima, so why isn't the new single as different from Lateralus?

By the way, Blair would most likely have needed to add a few extra letters to his sentence for it to make sense. This would explain the left over letters after descrambling the supposed anagram. Making anagrams are very difficult to do.

[anagram?]

By the way, Blair would most likely have needed to add a few extra letters to his sentence for it to make sense. This would explain the left over letters after descrambling the supposed anagram. Making anagrams are very difficult to do.

I don't really agree with that. If you're going to make an anagram, do it right, and I think Blair did, I just can't figure out how to rearrange it to make those last 5 or 6 letters fit. "Locking the door?" He could have written anything there to get the desired letters. Good point about the "growth" from album to album. There is nothing on Undertow that sounds like anything on Opiate, nothing on Aenima that sounds like anything on Undertow, and nothing on Lateralus that sounds like anything on Aenima. That certainly doesn't "prove" anything, but Vicarious does borrow a LOT from Lateralus.

[mike09]

I don't really agree with that. If you're going to make an anagram, do it right, and I think Blair did, I just can't figure out how to rearrange it to make those last 5 or 6 letters fit. "Locking the door?" He could have written anything there to get the desired letters. Good point about the "growth" from album to album. There is nothing on Undertow that sounds like anything on Opiate, nothing on Aenima that sounds like anything on Undertow, and nothing on Lateralus that sounds like anything on Aenima. That certainly doesn't "prove" anything, but Vicarious does borrow a LOT from Lateralus.

Yeah, that's true. If Blair wanted to make a true anagram, he'd make every letter fit. I'm just saying, he could have come up with it at the last minute. It was just speculation.

I'm glad you agree with me on the growth between albums. Something just doesn't ring true about "Vicarious" if it's supposed to be their "next step" in the evolution of their music. New single or not, I think the song is excellent. :)

[Perseensilmä]

Bands record their songs and then later master them. Mastering is as you can imagine. It's increasing the clearness of the song, fine tuning the bass sounds, adjust the drums, making guitars lower or louder, etc. It's possible that "Vicarious" is a song they never finished mastering, mainly because they decided to cut it from Lateralus.

No offense, but you have mixed up mixing and mastering. Mixing is the stage where the stereo track is made, bringing up guitars or anything. Mastering is fine tuning and making the mixed stereo track(s) ready for press. Mastering also includes putting silence between tracks and all that stuff.

[paraflux]

Perseensilma is correct for the most part. You can adjust the appearance of how the guitars sound in mastering, via overall track eq, in relation to how they sound with other frequencies in the spectrum, but as far as volume goes, thats all in the mixing stage.

[Perseensilmä]

Perseensilma is correct for the most part. You can adjust the appearance of how the guitars sound in mastering, via overall track eq, in relation to how they sound with other frequencies in the spectrum, but as far as volume goes, thats all in the mixing stage.

Of course, of course. It just seemed that he had totally mixed the stages up.

[mike09]

Oh, okay. Sorry. I think my point is still valid though, no?

[Perseensilmä]

Well, I think they recorded this afterwards. Cmon they wouldn´t make a mixture of Schism/Parabola/Patient on the same record with them and then leave it out. It seems more like it´s composed from leftover/alternative parts as well as some new parts and then recorded.

[mike09]

Well, I think they recorded this afterwards. Cmon they wouldn´t make a mixture of Schism/Parabola/Patient on the same record with them and then leave it out. It seems more like it´s composed from leftover/alternative parts as well as some new parts and then recorded.

I disagree. If they recorded it with the rest of the Lateralus tracks, maybe the reason they cut it from the album was because they thought that when people listened to it, they would think it would just sound like more of the same. The beginning is like The Patient, the verses like Parabola, the ending and riffs like Schism.

[Perseensilmä]

So, why would they write such a song in first place?

[Descencia]

I remember specifically when I was at Safeway in June of 2001 reading an article in either Guitar World with Adam or Modern Drummer with Danny where they said that about 8 tracks from the Lateralus sessions were written and partially or completely recorded but were not used for the album and Adam/Danny joked that they could put the songs out in 2 years and throw a few interludes in and 'there'd be another album for everyone, sort of like Radiohead did with Kid A/Amnesiac'.

I clearly remember the Radiohead statement and also something about Pink Floyd being said. But that part ended with him saying 'they will be released someday, maybe as a bonus cd'. I can't find the article here on the site and my hazy recall from 5 years ago is probably not a hundred percent accurate but I remember that article.

[anagram?]

HI APRIL FOOLS THIS IS A HOAX TO LOOK FOR THE REAL SONG GO TO TOOLBAND ON THE 17TH ALL WHO FIGURE IT OUT WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED VINYL & CD

Unused letters: CIDNO, no extra letters used. Pretty damn close. Of course, today is the 17th and we have yet to be "fooled."

[mike09]

So, why would they write such a song in first place?

At the time they were writing them, they didn't know which ones would be cut and which ones wouldn't. Hypothetically, they could've liked "Schism" more than "Vicarious", and so they decided to keep that one. Or maybe they cut it because the lyrics are much more pessimistic than most of that album.

[Perseensilmä]

So, Vicarious could be one of those.

Actually, it would be far easier for me to enjoy the song if I knew it´s just a free bonus, not the represantation of their "progress".

[Descencia]

Maybe someone can search the 2001 articles and find it. It would help this theory about Vicarious.

[mike09]

So, Vicarious could be one of those.

Actually, it would be far easier for me to enjoy the song if I knew it´s just a free bonus, not the represantation of their "progress".

What do you mean?

[Perseensilmä]

I actually have read something like that.

[anagram?]

So, Vicarious could be one of those.

Actually, it would be far easier for me to enjoy the song if I knew it´s just a free bonus, not the represantation of their "progress".

I agree, but we've still only heard (at most) one song off the new album. I'm still optimistic, hoax or not...they have a long enough track record for me to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[Perseensilmä]

What do you mean?

It´s a pastiche. It left a bitter after taste cuz it was so recycled and generic. It´s better than Limp Bizkit but I am disgusted if this is from Tool´s "Sgt. Pepper on the Dark Side of the Moon".

[tangent]

At the start of this thread I think you had CIARGO left out or something? I vaguely remember a news article about something with that word... I'll look it up.

[anagram?]

At the start of this thread I think you had CIARGO left out or something? I vaguely remember a news article about something with that word... I'll look it up.

The initial post in this thread had the wrong letters left over. But I thought he was on the right track, so I began playing around with the words myself. My lone attempt today was only 5 letters off.

[Perseensilmä]

What if it is a hoax? Will you lick my anus?

[Fractals ROCK]

Hi!

just wanted to reiterate how insane this thread is!

Gotta Go!

[anagram?]

This thread made me cry and laugh, it is the worst and the same time most funny thread ever.

I really hope Vicarious is real (why shouldn't it?) to make you all look silly.

Yeah you're right. The 350 threads filled with "You're an idiot for liking/disliking Vicarious" are much more interesting.

[Cucumber_11]

Of course not, if it is a hoax I give you people all credits but I also have a really cool song (Vicarious) to add to my Tool collection.

C'mon people, a fake single to all radio stations all over the world? Even Tool wouldn't go that far.

I thought you snapped. Where is the f'in and blinding? God, I hope they haven't been replaced with reason, thought and decency.

You gotta admit though, this thread is the best evidence we've seen for the hoax. Juxtaposed with the Official information it is a little weak though...

[mike09]

Yeah you're right. The 350 threads filled with "You're an idiot for liking/disliking Vicarious" are much more interesting.

That reminds me, I've gotta' make 5 more today to reach the TDN quota.

[tangent]

Again, this was in the code at the site and has now been deleted:
"S, tonight we had some visitors (yes, the dreaded ones). Our job has changed a bit. They say we've gone a touch too far with XM"

[Bogart]

Again, this was in the code at the site and has now been deleted:
"S, tonight we had some visitors (yes, the dreaded ones). Our job has changed a bit. They say we've gone a touch too far with XM"

Where was this posted at?

[tangent]

Where was this posted at?

Hidden in the code of the news page weeks ago, the source code. Maybe we weren't even meant to find it, I don't know.

[Volrath]

That line of source code has never been proven to be the thruth. If someone actually saw that they would have taken a screenshot and posted it all over the net, since nobody did that I see no reason to believe it.

[ArizonaBay]

If you leave out the bit about the free cd dvd in the original rearrangement you get these letters: e w e Vicus will iciy d dio tall ve g t ud. i cant find much with these, im very sceptical, but it was an april first post after all.

[ArizonaBay]

Well i was convinced today was the 16th. Its actually 17th and look... nothing. This theory now sucks

[tcM_Emperor]

Well i was convinced today was the 16th. Its actually 17th and look... nothing. This theory now sucks

You can't say that for sure until it's the 18th.

[Perseensilmä]

http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=41418

[mike tyson]

here's a message for you fucks to de-code:

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