yeah ok , you'll probably get flamed by some for this thread, but i'll jump in first and give ya a bit of backup here. I totally understand what you're saying, umm, the thing is I do believe Maynard aswell as the rest of the band have elevated their musicianship since the early days. BUT, when you listen to the earler recordings, yes Maynrd does seem to be displaying more raw emotion that is so damn intense & even... umm what's the word i'm looking for??? all-encompassing? no. ummmm Infectious!!! Yes that's it. ( & yeah i do type everything as i'm thinking it) I remember being 15 y/o & hearing Opiate, this is back when i was looking for some music that i could listen to, going through all genres, my sister was trying to get me into Metallica and the like, but holy f*cking shit, Opiate was so damn Infectious.. yes Infectious, that I went and grabbed Undertow a few days later and again, holy fu*king shit. OK back to the topic of the thread sir, I do believe Maynards vocals are far less raw and even less emotional these days, some may argue that songs like Wings pt.2 are more emotional than older Tool stuff, and yeah it's emotional, but not raw emotion, more like, rehearsed emotion imo. I do love this new album, aswell as all Tools work. peace