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tjh2002
08-07-2019, 07:36 AM
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https://loudwire.com/tool-new-album-...-aging-wisdom/

So according to this interview, the band has stated that the album is about getting older and fully maturing as a person, looking at the name of the album, perhaps the “Fear Inoculum” is a reference to getting over the fear of aging as you do get old?

And let’s take a look at the lyrics for the single:

Immunity long overdue
Contagion I exhale you
Lying I opened up to you
Venom in mania

Now, contagion I exhale you

The deceiver he says you belong to me
You don’t want to breathe the light of the others
Fear the light
Fear the breathe
Fear the others for eternity
But I hear them now inhale the clarity
Hear the venom, the venom in what you say — inoculated
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity

Exhale, expel
Recast my tale
Weave my allegorical elegy

Enumerate
All that I’m to do
Calculating steps away from you
My own mitosis
Growing through delusion from mania

Exhale, expel
Recast my tale with my allegorical elegy

Forfeit all control
You poison
You spectacle

Exorcise the spectacle
Exorcise the malady
Exorcise the disparate
Poison for eternity
Purge me and evacuate
The venom and the fear that binds me

Unveil now
Lift away
I see you running
Deceiver chased away
A long time coming



I haven’t done an in depth look at these lyrics, but they seem to fit the “getting over fear of age” them I’m hypothesizing.
Old 08-07-2019, 07:36 AM   #1
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Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

https://loudwire.com/tool-new-album-...-aging-wisdom/

So according to this interview, the band has stated that the album is about getting older and fully maturing as a person, looking at the name of the album, perhaps the “Fear Inoculum” is a reference to getting over the fear of aging as you do get old?

And let’s take a look at the lyrics for the single:

Immunity long overdue
Contagion I exhale you
Lying I opened up to you
Venom in mania

Now, contagion I exhale you

The deceiver he says you belong to me
You don’t want to breathe the light of the others
Fear the light
Fear the breathe
Fear the others for eternity
But I hear them now inhale the clarity
Hear the venom, the venom in what you say — inoculated
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity

Exhale, expel
Recast my tale
Weave my allegorical elegy

Enumerate
All that I’m to do
Calculating steps away from you
My own mitosis
Growing through delusion from mania

Exhale, expel
Recast my tale with my allegorical elegy

Forfeit all control
You poison
You spectacle

Exorcise the spectacle
Exorcise the malady
Exorcise the disparate
Poison for eternity
Purge me and evacuate
The venom and the fear that binds me

Unveil now
Lift away
I see you running
Deceiver chased away
A long time coming



I haven’t done an in depth look at these lyrics, but they seem to fit the “getting over fear of age” them I’m hypothesizing.
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dan's Avatar dan
08-07-2019, 09:25 AM
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or getting rid of fear as a byproduct of aging
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Old 08-07-2019, 09:25 AM   #2
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

or getting rid of fear as a byproduct of aging
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lotus.'s Avatar lotus.
08-07-2019, 09:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan View Post
or getting rid of fear as a byproduct of aging
This
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Old 08-07-2019, 09:33 AM   #3
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by dan View Post
or getting rid of fear as a byproduct of aging
This
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gonzo's Avatar gonzo
08-07-2019, 10:12 AM
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yes, that
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Old 08-07-2019, 10:12 AM   #4
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

yes, that
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Liam's Avatar Liam
08-07-2019, 05:11 PM
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On another layer I reckon he's talking about avoiding his iPhone and social media generally haha
Old 08-07-2019, 05:11 PM   #5
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

On another layer I reckon he's talking about avoiding his iPhone and social media generally haha
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deppo's Avatar deppo
08-08-2019, 05:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan View Post
or getting rid of fear as a byproduct of aging
Agree. I think he's talking about moving beyond the climate of fear that we live in that divides so many of us today. Fear propagated by the media in particular. 'Spectacle', 'malady' all seem to relate to the media's propensity to report on the things that keep us scared of each other and remind us more of our apparent differences (disparate), rather than similarities. In this way I sort of see the the song as an extension to Vicarious, or at least a progression of that theme.

To me, the song seems to be using the metaphor of breathe and exhalation to expunge oneself of a 'poison' or 'contagion'. Lifting of the veil and seeing that fear and disconnection for the illusion it really is; just a tool for control. I've heard Maynard speak so much recently on the need for people to come together and unite, particularly on Joe Rogan's show, so I think it sort of fits.

This bit is really the crux of it to me.

Now, contagion I exhale you

The deceiver he says you belong to me
You don’t want to breathe the light of the others
Fear the light
Fear the breathe
Fear the others for eternity
But I hear them now inhale the clarity
Hear the venom, the venom in what you say — inoculated
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity

tldr/ ...what Dan said
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Old 08-08-2019, 05:53 PM   #6
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by dan View Post
or getting rid of fear as a byproduct of aging
Agree. I think he's talking about moving beyond the climate of fear that we live in that divides so many of us today. Fear propagated by the media in particular. 'Spectacle', 'malady' all seem to relate to the media's propensity to report on the things that keep us scared of each other and remind us more of our apparent differences (disparate), rather than similarities. In this way I sort of see the the song as an extension to Vicarious, or at least a progression of that theme.

To me, the song seems to be using the metaphor of breathe and exhalation to expunge oneself of a 'poison' or 'contagion'. Lifting of the veil and seeing that fear and disconnection for the illusion it really is; just a tool for control. I've heard Maynard speak so much recently on the need for people to come together and unite, particularly on Joe Rogan's show, so I think it sort of fits.

This bit is really the crux of it to me.

Now, contagion I exhale you

The deceiver he says you belong to me
You don’t want to breathe the light of the others
Fear the light
Fear the breathe
Fear the others for eternity
But I hear them now inhale the clarity
Hear the venom, the venom in what you say — inoculated
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity
Bless this immunity

tldr/ ...what Dan said
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lotus.'s Avatar lotus.
08-08-2019, 06:23 PM
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Maynard has the socks in sandles profile pic because he doesn't afraid of what people think
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Old 08-08-2019, 06:23 PM   #7
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Maynard has the socks in sandles profile pic because he doesn't afraid of what people think
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Rubb.'s Avatar Rubb.
08-08-2019, 06:46 PM
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I wear socks over my sandals
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Old 08-08-2019, 06:46 PM   #8
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

I wear socks over my sandals
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08-08-2019, 10:08 PM
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Needs more fibonacci references
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Old 08-08-2019, 10:08 PM   #9
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Needs more fibonacci references
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08-09-2019, 04:05 PM
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why
i
listen
to them too
the fibonnaci
reaching out to me
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Old 08-09-2019, 04:05 PM   #10
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

why
i
listen
to them too
the fibonnaci
reaching out to me
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lotus.'s Avatar lotus.
08-09-2019, 04:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rubb. View Post
I wear socks over my sandals
Trend setter!
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Old 08-09-2019, 04:27 PM   #11
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rubb. View Post
I wear socks over my sandals
Trend setter!
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Sleeper0013's Avatar Sleeper0013
08-10-2019, 11:56 AM
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My interpretation suggest that perhaps it is necessary for us in certain circumstance to fully engage in bullshit to an almost fanatical level to fully explore and test it as a theory as to develop a better discernment for truth and a better understanding. As a former conspiracy theory nut, i have come to understand my cognition of jumping to conclusions based on biases and limited information, summoning the image of people like Alex Jones or some Hippy dip vegans that would have me believe i'm racking up some karmic debit for eating meat. Due to my full exploration of my fears by fully and faithfully engaging in the theories spewed fourth by these idiots and unwittingly assisting in the spread of these idiot ideals i came to understand the faults in the logic, i developed a better discernment for the reality of the situation, i learned something about fear and death and my self. Like sipping poison to develop a resistance. I have had discussion with others in philosophical groups and we are all in agreement that it seems as if society as a whole is going through this actualization with criminal and chief at the helm.

"Nothing in this universe is useless, even arsenic in the right does can be therapeutic." - Alister crowley, Book of lies

I am just a worthless liar, fear the deceiver.

On the other side of this coin is that fact that fear can be healthy, it kept us from getting eaten by tigers when we were walking around in loin cloths with spears. At what point in our evolution did we begin to allow our fear to run amuck? Some say it came along with language when we were able to finally communicate ideas, Then Pandora's box just shit all over everything.


"Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms." - Alistair crowley, Liber AL vel Legis.
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Last edited by Sleeper0013; 08-10-2019 at 11:58 AM..
Old 08-10-2019, 11:56 AM   #12
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

My interpretation suggest that perhaps it is necessary for us in certain circumstance to fully engage in bullshit to an almost fanatical level to fully explore and test it as a theory as to develop a better discernment for truth and a better understanding. As a former conspiracy theory nut, i have come to understand my cognition of jumping to conclusions based on biases and limited information, summoning the image of people like Alex Jones or some Hippy dip vegans that would have me believe i'm racking up some karmic debit for eating meat. Due to my full exploration of my fears by fully and faithfully engaging in the theories spewed fourth by these idiots and unwittingly assisting in the spread of these idiot ideals i came to understand the faults in the logic, i developed a better discernment for the reality of the situation, i learned something about fear and death and my self. Like sipping poison to develop a resistance. I have had discussion with others in philosophical groups and we are all in agreement that it seems as if society as a whole is going through this actualization with criminal and chief at the helm.

"Nothing in this universe is useless, even arsenic in the right does can be therapeutic." - Alister crowley, Book of lies

I am just a worthless liar, fear the deceiver.

On the other side of this coin is that fact that fear can be healthy, it kept us from getting eaten by tigers when we were walking around in loin cloths with spears. At what point in our evolution did we begin to allow our fear to run amuck? Some say it came along with language when we were able to finally communicate ideas, Then Pandora's box just shit all over everything.


"Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms." - Alistair crowley, Liber AL vel Legis.
__________________
All assertions to a phenomenon are projected, and are the result of the mind stream projecting them. All phenomenon are of a relative nature, there for all phenomenon are subjective. All phenomenon Inherently contain their own contradiction, therefore All phenomenon are Empty and void of inherent assertions.

Last edited by Sleeper0013; 08-10-2019 at 11:58 AM..
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Pyrrho
08-14-2019, 03:10 AM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrWrvr-YUE

This song really reminded me of this Bill Hicks bit. The part about exorcising spectacle etc can be read as another of Maynard's critiques of the media. There's a disconnect between the world as viewed through the news or social media and the world as viewed through our own eyes. Like Bill, I watch too much news and read too much social media and it's a recipe for anxiety and disconnect. I think the inoculation against this is to go out into the real world and live your life. Get along with people you disagree with and find common ground. This is something we realise is essential as we get older.
Old 08-14-2019, 03:10 AM   #13
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrWrvr-YUE

This song really reminded me of this Bill Hicks bit. The part about exorcising spectacle etc can be read as another of Maynard's critiques of the media. There's a disconnect between the world as viewed through the news or social media and the world as viewed through our own eyes. Like Bill, I watch too much news and read too much social media and it's a recipe for anxiety and disconnect. I think the inoculation against this is to go out into the real world and live your life. Get along with people you disagree with and find common ground. This is something we realise is essential as we get older.
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08-15-2019, 08:35 AM
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Vaccines are metal as fuck
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Old 08-15-2019, 08:35 AM   #14
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Vaccines are metal as fuck
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gonzo's Avatar gonzo
08-16-2019, 07:55 AM
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my fear is naked and inoculated
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Old 08-16-2019, 07:55 AM   #15
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

my fear is naked and inoculated
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Oculus
08-16-2019, 01:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrrho View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrWrvr-YUE

This song really reminded me of this Bill Hicks bit. The part about exorcising spectacle etc can be read as another of Maynard's critiques of the media. There's a disconnect between the world as viewed through the news or social media and the world as viewed through our own eyes. Like Bill, I watch too much news and read too much social media and it's a recipe for anxiety and disconnect. I think the inoculation against this is to go out into the real world and live your life. Get along with people you disagree with and find common ground. This is something we realise is essential as we get older.
I like this interpretation a lot. Surprisingly, it is a theme that seems to be addressed in the video for Vicarious.
Old 08-16-2019, 01:10 PM   #16
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrrho View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrWrvr-YUE

This song really reminded me of this Bill Hicks bit. The part about exorcising spectacle etc can be read as another of Maynard's critiques of the media. There's a disconnect between the world as viewed through the news or social media and the world as viewed through our own eyes. Like Bill, I watch too much news and read too much social media and it's a recipe for anxiety and disconnect. I think the inoculation against this is to go out into the real world and live your life. Get along with people you disagree with and find common ground. This is something we realise is essential as we get older.
I like this interpretation a lot. Surprisingly, it is a theme that seems to be addressed in the video for Vicarious.
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Pyrrho
08-17-2019, 07:20 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
I like this interpretation a lot. Surprisingly, it is a theme that seems to be addressed in the video for Vicarious.
Thank you! The themes of over-consumption or oversaturation distancing us from reality come up in Stinkfist too. But whereas Stinkfist and Vicarious identify the problem, Fear Inoculum seems to provide a solution. In Stinkfist the protagonist is searching for more and more stimulation. "I'll keep digging until I feel something" can be interpreted as a commitment to seeking more extreme thrills. So the problem is identified, but the guy is stuck in this cycle. In Vicarious, our protagonist is getting off on human misery and asserting that we all do this too. This is true to some extent, it's evident in the popularity of the true-crime genre and 24-hour news, which many of us devour as entertainment. However, not everyone succumbs to this need to devour terrible stories about other people in a negative way. Most people scratch that itch by consuming fiction that deals with tragic stories. Most of us don't need the story to be real. We can explore scary and depressing things through art and ultimately be safe in the knowledge it didn't really happen. Again the guy in Vicarious has identified this problem but lets himself succumb to it, insisting that we're all the same and we all thrive on chaos. Fear Inoculum, especially the 'exorcise' part, can be read as an answer and a way out.

I think the overstimulation of people is way more of a problem than it was in 1996 when Aenima came out, and even way more than in 2006 with Vicarious. Along with the overstimulation of social media and constant online interaction, we've seen tremendous polarisation, fear and manipulation. On Fear Inoculum, the protaganist talks about exhaling this stuff away, a physical action that grounds him in the present moment and in his body. Away from the combative, frightening and fake world that exists on the TV and on your smartphone.

I might be reading this as a guy whos spent way too much time arguing online though.

What do you think?
Old 08-17-2019, 07:20 AM   #17
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
I like this interpretation a lot. Surprisingly, it is a theme that seems to be addressed in the video for Vicarious.
Thank you! The themes of over-consumption or oversaturation distancing us from reality come up in Stinkfist too. But whereas Stinkfist and Vicarious identify the problem, Fear Inoculum seems to provide a solution. In Stinkfist the protagonist is searching for more and more stimulation. "I'll keep digging until I feel something" can be interpreted as a commitment to seeking more extreme thrills. So the problem is identified, but the guy is stuck in this cycle. In Vicarious, our protagonist is getting off on human misery and asserting that we all do this too. This is true to some extent, it's evident in the popularity of the true-crime genre and 24-hour news, which many of us devour as entertainment. However, not everyone succumbs to this need to devour terrible stories about other people in a negative way. Most people scratch that itch by consuming fiction that deals with tragic stories. Most of us don't need the story to be real. We can explore scary and depressing things through art and ultimately be safe in the knowledge it didn't really happen. Again the guy in Vicarious has identified this problem but lets himself succumb to it, insisting that we're all the same and we all thrive on chaos. Fear Inoculum, especially the 'exorcise' part, can be read as an answer and a way out.

I think the overstimulation of people is way more of a problem than it was in 1996 when Aenima came out, and even way more than in 2006 with Vicarious. Along with the overstimulation of social media and constant online interaction, we've seen tremendous polarisation, fear and manipulation. On Fear Inoculum, the protaganist talks about exhaling this stuff away, a physical action that grounds him in the present moment and in his body. Away from the combative, frightening and fake world that exists on the TV and on your smartphone.

I might be reading this as a guy whos spent way too much time arguing online though.

What do you think?
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08-17-2019, 05:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
Surprisingly, it is a theme that seems to be addressed in the video for Vicarious.
is it (surprisingly), tho?
sync "fear inoculum" audio
over (0.75x) "vicarious" video
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Old 08-17-2019, 05:04 PM   #18
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
Surprisingly, it is a theme that seems to be addressed in the video for Vicarious.
is it (surprisingly), tho?
sync "fear inoculum" audio
over (0.75x) "vicarious" video
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PrometheusRising's Avatar PrometheusRising
08-17-2019, 07:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrrho View Post
Thank you! The themes of over-consumption or oversaturation distancing us from reality come up in Stinkfist too. But whereas Stinkfist and Vicarious identify the problem, Fear Inoculum seems to provide a solution. In Stinkfist the protagonist is searching for more and more stimulation. "I'll keep digging until I feel something" can be interpreted as a commitment to seeking more extreme thrills. So the problem is identified, but the guy is stuck in this cycle. In Vicarious, our protagonist is getting off on human misery and asserting that we all do this too. This is true to some extent, it's evident in the popularity of the true-crime genre and 24-hour news, which many of us devour as entertainment. However, not everyone succumbs to this need to devour terrible stories about other people in a negative way. Most people scratch that itch by consuming fiction that deals with tragic stories. Most of us don't need the story to be real. We can explore scary and depressing things through art and ultimately be safe in the knowledge it didn't really happen. Again the guy in Vicarious has identified this problem but lets himself succumb to it, insisting that we're all the same and we all thrive on chaos. Fear Inoculum, especially the 'exorcise' part, can be read as an answer and a way out.

I think the overstimulation of people is way more of a problem than it was in 1996 when Aenima came out, and even way more than in 2006 with Vicarious. Along with the overstimulation of social media and constant online interaction, we've seen tremendous polarisation, fear and manipulation. On Fear Inoculum, the protaganist talks about exhaling this stuff away, a physical action that grounds him in the present moment and in his body. Away from the combative, frightening and fake world that exists on the TV and on your smartphone.

I might be reading this as a guy whos spent way too much time arguing online though.

What do you think?
Well said. I think we can all agree those are the themes from Stinkfist & Vicarious (over-consumption/saturation & thrill-seeking from witnessing contrast/extremes instead of feeling empathy. What I really like is that you framed the older songs as identifying a problem vs. the newest track Fear Inoculum as presenting a solution. Looking back, I recall hoping for answers instead of, in some cases, depictions of dark truths we may have already been aware of. Maybe the common denominator for these problems are rooted in fear, and eliminating or combating this ailment is part of the solution.

To contribute to the analysis, I would present a slightly different perspective on the potential meaning and who/what the subjects are in FI. First of all, to me, the lyrics seems to be pointing inwards instead of outwards, and that the song deals with something more on a personal level (i.e. the self). If you compare this to other songs, it's easy to identify 'you' and 'the deceiver' as some evil in the form of propaganda, through whatever medium it may be distributed. Alternatively, it could be referring to 'YOU', or in truth, your false sense of self; your ego/alter ego, or any sort of psychotic, delusional beliefs or points of view.

The deceiver says, he says
You belong to me
You don't wanna breathe the light of the others
Fear the light
Fear the breath
Fear the others for eternity

The deceiver could represent something emanating from the mind leading to the dark.

The only mention of 'them', which would often represent the perpetrators (i.e. media, government, etc.), is actually linked to 'good' (the light of the others).

But I hear them now inhale the clarity
Hear the venom...
...the venom in what you say - inoculated

The verse concludes with a resolution - witnessing others 'inhale the clarity' (potentially meanings: finding peace, stability, mental health, ego death, end of suffering) and 'hearing the venom' (awareness of some malignant dialogue, ceasing to identify with a false sense of self). Inoculated.

Maybe looking at it this way, it can help make more sense of the chorus:
Recast my tale / Weave my allegorical elegy
Old 08-17-2019, 07:43 PM   #19
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

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Thank you! The themes of over-consumption or oversaturation distancing us from reality come up in Stinkfist too. But whereas Stinkfist and Vicarious identify the problem, Fear Inoculum seems to provide a solution. In Stinkfist the protagonist is searching for more and more stimulation. "I'll keep digging until I feel something" can be interpreted as a commitment to seeking more extreme thrills. So the problem is identified, but the guy is stuck in this cycle. In Vicarious, our protagonist is getting off on human misery and asserting that we all do this too. This is true to some extent, it's evident in the popularity of the true-crime genre and 24-hour news, which many of us devour as entertainment. However, not everyone succumbs to this need to devour terrible stories about other people in a negative way. Most people scratch that itch by consuming fiction that deals with tragic stories. Most of us don't need the story to be real. We can explore scary and depressing things through art and ultimately be safe in the knowledge it didn't really happen. Again the guy in Vicarious has identified this problem but lets himself succumb to it, insisting that we're all the same and we all thrive on chaos. Fear Inoculum, especially the 'exorcise' part, can be read as an answer and a way out.

I think the overstimulation of people is way more of a problem than it was in 1996 when Aenima came out, and even way more than in 2006 with Vicarious. Along with the overstimulation of social media and constant online interaction, we've seen tremendous polarisation, fear and manipulation. On Fear Inoculum, the protaganist talks about exhaling this stuff away, a physical action that grounds him in the present moment and in his body. Away from the combative, frightening and fake world that exists on the TV and on your smartphone.

I might be reading this as a guy whos spent way too much time arguing online though.

What do you think?
Well said. I think we can all agree those are the themes from Stinkfist & Vicarious (over-consumption/saturation & thrill-seeking from witnessing contrast/extremes instead of feeling empathy. What I really like is that you framed the older songs as identifying a problem vs. the newest track Fear Inoculum as presenting a solution. Looking back, I recall hoping for answers instead of, in some cases, depictions of dark truths we may have already been aware of. Maybe the common denominator for these problems are rooted in fear, and eliminating or combating this ailment is part of the solution.

To contribute to the analysis, I would present a slightly different perspective on the potential meaning and who/what the subjects are in FI. First of all, to me, the lyrics seems to be pointing inwards instead of outwards, and that the song deals with something more on a personal level (i.e. the self). If you compare this to other songs, it's easy to identify 'you' and 'the deceiver' as some evil in the form of propaganda, through whatever medium it may be distributed. Alternatively, it could be referring to 'YOU', or in truth, your false sense of self; your ego/alter ego, or any sort of psychotic, delusional beliefs or points of view.

The deceiver says, he says
You belong to me
You don't wanna breathe the light of the others
Fear the light
Fear the breath
Fear the others for eternity

The deceiver could represent something emanating from the mind leading to the dark.

The only mention of 'them', which would often represent the perpetrators (i.e. media, government, etc.), is actually linked to 'good' (the light of the others).

But I hear them now inhale the clarity
Hear the venom...
...the venom in what you say - inoculated

The verse concludes with a resolution - witnessing others 'inhale the clarity' (potentially meanings: finding peace, stability, mental health, ego death, end of suffering) and 'hearing the venom' (awareness of some malignant dialogue, ceasing to identify with a false sense of self). Inoculated.

Maybe looking at it this way, it can help make more sense of the chorus:
Recast my tale / Weave my allegorical elegy
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08-18-2019, 04:03 AM
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Fear Inoculum sets the tone for the rest of the album.

We are going to recast my (our) tale.

Don't be deceived by your ego or what society says about how you should live. Humble that shit!
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Old 08-18-2019, 04:03 AM   #20
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Fear Inoculum sets the tone for the rest of the album.

We are going to recast my (our) tale.

Don't be deceived by your ego or what society says about how you should live. Humble that shit!
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"you" defines 44&2 disharmonic consciousness (vs "me" 46&2 harmonic consciousness). "ranting and waving his finger AT everything but his heart", we'll miss the deceiver, so long, long time coming. "i know you better than i know myself". "take care not to make me enter, 'cause if i do we both may disappear". "you believed in moments none -could- see ...44&2 believed in me/46&2 (a passionate spirit uncompromised" = "omniscient omnipotent omnipresent without judgement" = "unconditional one". this is how mjk writes, and occults meaning, right in front of "you". been saying it for over a decade now... pretty lonely.
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Old 08-18-2019, 05:42 AM   #21
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

"you" defines 44&2 disharmonic consciousness (vs "me" 46&2 harmonic consciousness). "ranting and waving his finger AT everything but his heart", we'll miss the deceiver, so long, long time coming. "i know you better than i know myself". "take care not to make me enter, 'cause if i do we both may disappear". "you believed in moments none -could- see ...44&2 believed in me/46&2 (a passionate spirit uncompromised" = "omniscient omnipotent omnipresent without judgement" = "unconditional one". this is how mjk writes, and occults meaning, right in front of "you". been saying it for over a decade now... pretty lonely.
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08-18-2019, 06:02 AM
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Certainly seems that way Lotus.

Look at Invincible, a song about an ageing warrior looking for one last win to prove he's still relevant. A fighter, or a musician, often doesn't know when to cut his losses and leave the stage. There's always one more fight, one more album or one more tour. The warrior is feeling time bearing down and is now looking back at the battles he's won, but it's not very heroic to just hang up your armour and go home, so I'm reading this as a call to persist under great difficulty, especially since Maynard is not the quitting type. On Descending, which comes next after a segue (Legion Inoculum), we're being asked to summon the energy to do something about an existential threat. "Sound of revelry/To be or not to be/Rise, stay the grand finale/Stay the reading of our swan song and epilogue"

Since Track 2, "Pneuma" is Greek for "Breath" or, in a religious context "Spirit" or "soul" and Track 3, "Litanie contre la Peur" = "Litany Against Fear". I'm kinda taking the themes of this album to be about grounding oneself and rediscovering strength against the odds. Who knows what kind of thematic turn the album takes after track 7 though!

Obviously, it's super early to be analysing, but would we really be Tool fans if we weren't trying to interpret these songs asap?
Old 08-18-2019, 06:02 AM   #22
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Certainly seems that way Lotus.

Look at Invincible, a song about an ageing warrior looking for one last win to prove he's still relevant. A fighter, or a musician, often doesn't know when to cut his losses and leave the stage. There's always one more fight, one more album or one more tour. The warrior is feeling time bearing down and is now looking back at the battles he's won, but it's not very heroic to just hang up your armour and go home, so I'm reading this as a call to persist under great difficulty, especially since Maynard is not the quitting type. On Descending, which comes next after a segue (Legion Inoculum), we're being asked to summon the energy to do something about an existential threat. "Sound of revelry/To be or not to be/Rise, stay the grand finale/Stay the reading of our swan song and epilogue"

Since Track 2, "Pneuma" is Greek for "Breath" or, in a religious context "Spirit" or "soul" and Track 3, "Litanie contre la Peur" = "Litany Against Fear". I'm kinda taking the themes of this album to be about grounding oneself and rediscovering strength against the odds. Who knows what kind of thematic turn the album takes after track 7 though!

Obviously, it's super early to be analysing, but would we really be Tool fans if we weren't trying to interpret these songs asap?
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08-18-2019, 06:37 AM
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Whoa. I just got 2.7% more intelligent by reading this thread.
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Corex says:
June 12, 2010 at 1:50 am

"Yeah Tool is fucking amazing. But there’s a big chunk of their fan base that think they’ve become thought provoking geniuses just from listening to them."
Old 08-18-2019, 06:37 AM   #23
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Whoa. I just got 2.7% more intelligent by reading this thread.
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Corex says:
June 12, 2010 at 1:50 am

"Yeah Tool is fucking amazing. But there’s a big chunk of their fan base that think they’ve become thought provoking geniuses just from listening to them."
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08-18-2019, 07:10 AM
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I've been doing everything in se7ens

I drink 7 cups of coffee
Eat 7 eggs
Smoke 7 hits of weed
Eat 7 bowls of ice cream
Shit 7 times
Masturbate 7 times
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Old 08-18-2019, 07:10 AM   #24
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

I've been doing everything in se7ens

I drink 7 cups of coffee
Eat 7 eggs
Smoke 7 hits of weed
Eat 7 bowls of ice cream
Shit 7 times
Masturbate 7 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrrho View Post
Obviously, it's super early to be analysing, but would we really be Tool fans if we weren't trying to interpret these songs asap?
Their symbol has been the heptagonal star, seven points made, seven lines, seven planets(days), seven metals ...alchemy. From the land of knem, TOOL is, right? On the same page with at least that much? This is the seventh major release from the band. But that symbol of theirs is screaming very loud and clear... Everything TOOL writes is connected. No, everything mjk writers, from his trinity of bands - father (tool), son (puscifer), holy spirit/ghosts (apc).... Square the circle. Amphibian, yin yang, coincidentia opposition (perfect union of contrary things) with this in mind (pun), I dare submit most tool fans are decades late (Since the first ep) to start interpreting this "completion of the great work" golden record, "Just ahead of me". At least from the"message of hope" decoder ring side of things.
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Old 08-18-2019, 08:33 AM   #25
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrrho View Post
Obviously, it's super early to be analysing, but would we really be Tool fans if we weren't trying to interpret these songs asap?
Their symbol has been the heptagonal star, seven points made, seven lines, seven planets(days), seven metals ...alchemy. From the land of knem, TOOL is, right? On the same page with at least that much? This is the seventh major release from the band. But that symbol of theirs is screaming very loud and clear... Everything TOOL writes is connected. No, everything mjk writers, from his trinity of bands - father (tool), son (puscifer), holy spirit/ghosts (apc).... Square the circle. Amphibian, yin yang, coincidentia opposition (perfect union of contrary things) with this in mind (pun), I dare submit most tool fans are decades late (Since the first ep) to start interpreting this "completion of the great work" golden record, "Just ahead of me". At least from the"message of hope" decoder ring side of things.
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" the console's digital recorder had a light that pulsed once for each incoming message. the double flash of the recorder's light set up and interesting interference pattern with the red-battery-light on the ceiling's smoke detector, the two lights flashing in synch on every seventh phone-flash and then moving slowly apart in a visual Doppler. a formula for the temporal relation between two unsyncopated flashes would translate spatially into the algebraic formula for an ellipse."
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Old 08-18-2019, 09:39 AM   #26
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

" the console's digital recorder had a light that pulsed once for each incoming message. the double flash of the recorder's light set up and interesting interference pattern with the red-battery-light on the ceiling's smoke detector, the two lights flashing in synch on every seventh phone-flash and then moving slowly apart in a visual Doppler. a formula for the temporal relation between two unsyncopated flashes would translate spatially into the algebraic formula for an ellipse."
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they're sonic visionaries
synthesizer synesthesia
Terence McKenna lecture
re: visual language, octopi
see: apc's "eat the elephant"
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Old 08-18-2019, 10:27 AM   #27
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

they're sonic visionaries
synthesizer synesthesia
Terence McKenna lecture
re: visual language, octopi
see: apc's "eat the elephant"
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08-19-2019, 04:34 AM
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Fear Inoculum, especially the 'exorcise' part, can be read as an answer and a way out.
Hopefully it’s “exorcise”. It’s possible that it is “exercise”, or that he intended it as both. The former is certainly more hopeful.

Quote:
I might be reading this as a guy whos spent way too much time arguing online though.
No, it’s a good synopsis. I think you’re on the right track as far as the more universal themes of these songs.
Old 08-19-2019, 04:34 AM   #28
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

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Originally Posted by Pyrrho View Post
Fear Inoculum, especially the 'exorcise' part, can be read as an answer and a way out.
Hopefully it’s “exorcise”. It’s possible that it is “exercise”, or that he intended it as both. The former is certainly more hopeful.

Quote:
I might be reading this as a guy whos spent way too much time arguing online though.
No, it’s a good synopsis. I think you’re on the right track as far as the more universal themes of these songs.
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08-19-2019, 07:48 AM
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I'm hearing at as exorcise because the word purge appears a few lines later, and as you said, it's more hopeful!

I wonder why Tool fans are so into analysing lyrics. Maybe they just attract a lot of English majors
Old 08-19-2019, 07:48 AM   #29
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

I'm hearing at as exorcise because the word purge appears a few lines later, and as you said, it's more hopeful!

I wonder why Tool fans are so into analysing lyrics. Maybe they just attract a lot of English majors
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08-19-2019, 08:11 AM
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is it (surprisingly), tho?
No, you are right. It's not surprising because all of their videos (even Hush to an extent) are highly inter-textual, referencing themes and ideas covered by other songs, albums, and videos.

Which is very punk rock, if you think about it. How many other bands render their videos in a way that they have such rich and robust references to current, past, and future offerings? Not many. Most bands make _a_ video about _that_ song, and other references are usually just throw-ins.
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

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is it (surprisingly), tho?
No, you are right. It's not surprising because all of their videos (even Hush to an extent) are highly inter-textual, referencing themes and ideas covered by other songs, albums, and videos.

Which is very punk rock, if you think about it. How many other bands render their videos in a way that they have such rich and robust references to current, past, and future offerings? Not many. Most bands make _a_ video about _that_ song, and other references are usually just throw-ins.
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08-19-2019, 08:38 AM
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"you" defines 44&2 disharmonic consciousness (vs "me" 46&2 harmonic consciousness). "ranting and waving his finger AT everything but his heart", we'll miss the deceiver, so long, long time coming. "i know you better than i know myself". "take care not to make me enter, 'cause if i do we both may disappear". "you believed in moments none -could- see ...44&2 believed in me/46&2 (a passionate spirit uncompromised" = "omniscient omnipotent omnipresent without judgement" = "unconditional one". this is how mjk writes, and occults meaning, right in front of "you". been saying it for over a decade now... pretty lonely.
I agree with this, too. But while it may have application to the general struggle we all encounter between the harmonic and disharmonic consciousness, it just sounds so much more personal than that.

Undertow and Opiate seems rife with the disharmonic consciousness. Not just the "worthless liar", but the abuser who wants to follow through with the cycle of abuse. The name-caller who gets away with calling the speaker a "piece of shit". There is a constant threat of being killed or harmed by this second self, but it comes with the caveat of impossibility because this is "a part" of himself that is near impossible to exorcise:

"If I could I'd stick a knife in."

That's likely the individual that in Fear Inoculum (on the most personal level for MJK) the speaker wants to expel/exhale/purge/evacuate. It works on the level of being universal, but it is completely terrifying when you consider these lyrics in light of the autobiographical bits present in Prison Sex and jimmy.
Old 08-19-2019, 08:38 AM   #31
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

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"you" defines 44&2 disharmonic consciousness (vs "me" 46&2 harmonic consciousness). "ranting and waving his finger AT everything but his heart", we'll miss the deceiver, so long, long time coming. "i know you better than i know myself". "take care not to make me enter, 'cause if i do we both may disappear". "you believed in moments none -could- see ...44&2 believed in me/46&2 (a passionate spirit uncompromised" = "omniscient omnipotent omnipresent without judgement" = "unconditional one". this is how mjk writes, and occults meaning, right in front of "you". been saying it for over a decade now... pretty lonely.
I agree with this, too. But while it may have application to the general struggle we all encounter between the harmonic and disharmonic consciousness, it just sounds so much more personal than that.

Undertow and Opiate seems rife with the disharmonic consciousness. Not just the "worthless liar", but the abuser who wants to follow through with the cycle of abuse. The name-caller who gets away with calling the speaker a "piece of shit". There is a constant threat of being killed or harmed by this second self, but it comes with the caveat of impossibility because this is "a part" of himself that is near impossible to exorcise:

"If I could I'd stick a knife in."

That's likely the individual that in Fear Inoculum (on the most personal level for MJK) the speaker wants to expel/exhale/purge/evacuate. It works on the level of being universal, but it is completely terrifying when you consider these lyrics in light of the autobiographical bits present in Prison Sex and jimmy.
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Maybe they just attract a lot of English majors
Write something as compelling as Herman Melville, your stuff is gonna get analyzed eventually.
Old 08-19-2019, 09:06 AM   #32
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

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Maybe they just attract a lot of English majors
Write something as compelling as Herman Melville, your stuff is gonna get analyzed eventually.
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08-19-2019, 09:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
I agree with this, too. But while it may have application to the general struggle we all encounter between the harmonic and disharmonic consciousness, it just sounds so much more personal than that.

Undertow and Opiate seems rife with the disharmonic consciousness. Not just the "worthless liar", but the abuser who wants to follow through with the cycle of abuse. The name-caller who gets away with calling the speaker a "piece of shit". There is a constant threat of being killed or harmed by this second self, but it comes with the caveat of impossibility because this is "a part" of himself that is near impossible to exorcise:

"If I could I'd stick a knife in."

That's likely the individual that in Fear Inoculum (on the most personal level for MJK) the speaker wants to expel/exhale/purge/evacuate. It works on the level of being universal, but it is completely terrifying when you consider these lyrics in light of the autobiographical bits present in Prison Sex and jimmy.
I feel like I need you to do a thesis on this. Very interesting!
Old 08-19-2019, 09:12 AM   #33
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
I agree with this, too. But while it may have application to the general struggle we all encounter between the harmonic and disharmonic consciousness, it just sounds so much more personal than that.

Undertow and Opiate seems rife with the disharmonic consciousness. Not just the "worthless liar", but the abuser who wants to follow through with the cycle of abuse. The name-caller who gets away with calling the speaker a "piece of shit". There is a constant threat of being killed or harmed by this second self, but it comes with the caveat of impossibility because this is "a part" of himself that is near impossible to exorcise:

"If I could I'd stick a knife in."

That's likely the individual that in Fear Inoculum (on the most personal level for MJK) the speaker wants to expel/exhale/purge/evacuate. It works on the level of being universal, but it is completely terrifying when you consider these lyrics in light of the autobiographical bits present in Prison Sex and jimmy.
I feel like I need you to do a thesis on this. Very interesting!
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Oculus brings up an interesting point with the exorcise/exercise similarities. This is something Tool likes to do. So to push the envelope even more:

"Immunity" and "enumerate" both start off sounding like ennui, a feeling of dissatisfaction that could cause us to "go where no one's been."
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Old 08-19-2019, 12:18 PM   #34
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Oculus brings up an interesting point with the exorcise/exercise similarities. This is something Tool likes to do. So to push the envelope even more:

"Immunity" and "enumerate" both start off sounding like ennui, a feeling of dissatisfaction that could cause us to "go where no one's been."
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08-19-2019, 12:51 PM
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so like there is this old whale who swims where no whale has ever swan

down in Arizona Bay.
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Old 08-19-2019, 12:51 PM   #35
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

so like there is this old whale who swims where no whale has ever swan

down in Arizona Bay.
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08-19-2019, 02:34 PM
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If anyone knows the songs to the lyrics that are being referenced in this thread write them down as a new post don't look it up please I'm curious if any of you know it.
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Old 08-19-2019, 02:34 PM   #36
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

If anyone knows the songs to the lyrics that are being referenced in this thread write them down as a new post don't look it up please I'm curious if any of you know it.
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08-19-2019, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
It works on the level of being universal, but it is completely terrifying when you consider these lyrics in light of the autobiographical bits present in Prison Sex and jimmy.
awesome, yes, exactly. i've come to the point where i'm inclined to think that this is the "message of hope" (tree of life) vs "warning" (tree of doom) dichotomy elaborated in "rosetta stoned" (and parabola commentary by jello biafra). bc i also happen to believe that track (named after the rosetta stone) serves to show HOW it is TOOL writes, at least lyrics, how something singularly performed can be made to express (and subsequently externally interpreted) in (at least!) two distinct fashions, but also written with a sort of "broken down to its basic elements" etymological slant/bias (like, even using the history of how words evolve within language itself!) as a way to encourage listeners to "keep digging", to move from surface-level first-impression root-chakra type interpretations (e.g., "purple veined dick jokes", tool's got hours of 'em - bill hicks, too)... to the more (for lack of better word) "profound", internal, higher wavelengths/chakras, beyond any sense of self, or need to identify parts from wholes (hence: watch "things" die!). just feel we're being encouraged with everything tool/mjk does to "fall" (eeg brainwaves) towards "this". "you better listen". all those posters of golden scissor cut (1.6180339...) bladder fishes ("vesica piscis") diving towards the heptagonal star? tool logo is also a dick (tuning wrench?) - i don't think any of this is a coincidence (and we can see a sort of illustration of what i'm saying towards the end of the parabola video! dude "lets go" of a leaf from the tree of knowledge/doom. more and more (with each listen?), giving himself over to the "tree of life", the virgin mary, down this vagina mine, while also going UP the body's chakra centers (hence: lift/elevator sound at beginning of lateralus). not to mention the entire lateralus tracklist climbs UP a 13-chakra system, track by track). "slide a mile six inches at a time on maynard's qabbalistic/hermetic/enochian-laced purple-veined chakra-climbing meditation-guiding PENis ...his lyrics ..."that" you're meant to "forget". "between the sounds", "betwixt the air itself", "between the lines", there is no "word to guide you in", "there ain't nothing to DO! what it takes to step through!" (actual lyrics ...enter: tripped the fuck out danny carey drum solo). "lie dead beneath the undertow, there doesn't seem (to be) no other way" (actual lyrics). the real shit is in the music. their words are meant to attract (not to belittle or diminish them, but i think even they'd agree!); mjk comes in at the tail end of the writing session, slaps on the lyrics like a decal/bumper sticker, to everything already created. after a certain point (non-point) words get in the way. and HOW they're sung (context) will mean more to the listener than WHAT they're saying (content) [i know king buzzo has said as much, makes sense given some of melvins' lyrics... rather, how they're sung] don't know, won't know. god damn, shit the bed. (think that also answers why i think "Tool fans are so into analysing lyrics")
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Old 08-19-2019, 08:20 PM   #37
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
It works on the level of being universal, but it is completely terrifying when you consider these lyrics in light of the autobiographical bits present in Prison Sex and jimmy.
awesome, yes, exactly. i've come to the point where i'm inclined to think that this is the "message of hope" (tree of life) vs "warning" (tree of doom) dichotomy elaborated in "rosetta stoned" (and parabola commentary by jello biafra). bc i also happen to believe that track (named after the rosetta stone) serves to show HOW it is TOOL writes, at least lyrics, how something singularly performed can be made to express (and subsequently externally interpreted) in (at least!) two distinct fashions, but also written with a sort of "broken down to its basic elements" etymological slant/bias (like, even using the history of how words evolve within language itself!) as a way to encourage listeners to "keep digging", to move from surface-level first-impression root-chakra type interpretations (e.g., "purple veined dick jokes", tool's got hours of 'em - bill hicks, too)... to the more (for lack of better word) "profound", internal, higher wavelengths/chakras, beyond any sense of self, or need to identify parts from wholes (hence: watch "things" die!). just feel we're being encouraged with everything tool/mjk does to "fall" (eeg brainwaves) towards "this". "you better listen". all those posters of golden scissor cut (1.6180339...) bladder fishes ("vesica piscis") diving towards the heptagonal star? tool logo is also a dick (tuning wrench?) - i don't think any of this is a coincidence (and we can see a sort of illustration of what i'm saying towards the end of the parabola video! dude "lets go" of a leaf from the tree of knowledge/doom. more and more (with each listen?), giving himself over to the "tree of life", the virgin mary, down this vagina mine, while also going UP the body's chakra centers (hence: lift/elevator sound at beginning of lateralus). not to mention the entire lateralus tracklist climbs UP a 13-chakra system, track by track). "slide a mile six inches at a time on maynard's qabbalistic/hermetic/enochian-laced purple-veined chakra-climbing meditation-guiding PENis ...his lyrics ..."that" you're meant to "forget". "between the sounds", "betwixt the air itself", "between the lines", there is no "word to guide you in", "there ain't nothing to DO! what it takes to step through!" (actual lyrics ...enter: tripped the fuck out danny carey drum solo). "lie dead beneath the undertow, there doesn't seem (to be) no other way" (actual lyrics). the real shit is in the music. their words are meant to attract (not to belittle or diminish them, but i think even they'd agree!); mjk comes in at the tail end of the writing session, slaps on the lyrics like a decal/bumper sticker, to everything already created. after a certain point (non-point) words get in the way. and HOW they're sung (context) will mean more to the listener than WHAT they're saying (content) [i know king buzzo has said as much, makes sense given some of melvins' lyrics... rather, how they're sung] don't know, won't know. god damn, shit the bed. (think that also answers why i think "Tool fans are so into analysing lyrics")
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08-20-2019, 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by iAMtheMA! View Post
awesome, yes, exactly. i've come to the point where i'm inclined to think that this is the "message of hope" (tree of life) vs "warning" (tree of doom) dichotomy elaborated in "rosetta stoned" (and parabola commentary by jello biafra). bc i also happen to believe that track (named after the rosetta stone) serves to show HOW it is TOOL writes, at least lyrics, how something singularly performed can be made to express (and subsequently externally interpreted) in (at least!) two distinct fashions, but also written with a sort of "broken down to its basic elements" etymological slant/bias (like, even using the history of how words evolve within language itself!) as a way to encourage listeners to "keep digging", to move from surface-level first-impression root-chakra type interpretations (e.g., "purple veined dick jokes", tool's got hours of 'em - bill hicks, too)... to the more (for lack of better word) "profound", internal, higher wavelengths/chakras, beyond any sense of self, or need to identify parts from wholes (hence: watch "things" die!). just feel we're being encouraged with everything tool/mjk does to "fall" (eeg brainwaves) towards "this". "you better listen".
I like your take on that song. LK/RS is a conundrum and a set of keys all at the same time. Thinking of that song as the "tree of knowledge" (or "doom" as you put it) takes me back to my first experiences of Third Eye, and how euphoric I was listening to that track back in the late '90s. I can imagine that anyone who encountered the band in that state of admiration/worship would have just unloaded praise on them, and I think Rosetta is a bit of a backlash against that.

If Third Eye represents some sort of prophetic inner-awakening from being "dead inside" back on Bottom, then Rosetta Stoned comes off as the response/retaliation by the betrayer-self. Hence the "shit the bed again, typical" line (which now takes on a more sinister tone in light of the dark sexual undertones of the inner relationship present in the lyrics of other songs) is delivered with such pithy cynicism.


Quote:
all those posters of golden scissor cut (1.6180339...) bladder fishes ("vesica piscis") diving towards the heptagonal star?
Can you post some links to examples of these? I'm not familiar with the scissor cut, but the vesica piscis is an overwhelmingly apt symbol for so many things going on with Tool.


Quote:
hence: lift/elevator sound at beginning of lateralus).
This may be the only thing on which we disagree. To me it sounds like the turning on of a power saw (hence the saw blade CD) that is used, ostensibly, to begin the "dissection" of the record.

Quote:
[i know king buzzo has said as much, makes sense given some of melvins' lyrics... rather, how they're sung]
Oh man. Melvins lyrics are as impenetrable as they are amazing. Very inspiring band. I think I had The Maggot on repeat there for about 8 years.

But the song that they did with Tool, Divorced, fits seamlessly in with this discussion. The drum duel contained in that track between Carrey and Dale Crover is emblematic of the sort of "retaliationship" that would result in the parting of ways we have going on in Fear Inoculum. It is the kind of disharmonic thing that would go on between the speaker of Third Eye and the speaker of Rosetta Stoned.

I hope that everyone here has heard Divorced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCPPPTZgWsQ
Old 08-20-2019, 08:18 AM   #38
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by iAMtheMA! View Post
awesome, yes, exactly. i've come to the point where i'm inclined to think that this is the "message of hope" (tree of life) vs "warning" (tree of doom) dichotomy elaborated in "rosetta stoned" (and parabola commentary by jello biafra). bc i also happen to believe that track (named after the rosetta stone) serves to show HOW it is TOOL writes, at least lyrics, how something singularly performed can be made to express (and subsequently externally interpreted) in (at least!) two distinct fashions, but also written with a sort of "broken down to its basic elements" etymological slant/bias (like, even using the history of how words evolve within language itself!) as a way to encourage listeners to "keep digging", to move from surface-level first-impression root-chakra type interpretations (e.g., "purple veined dick jokes", tool's got hours of 'em - bill hicks, too)... to the more (for lack of better word) "profound", internal, higher wavelengths/chakras, beyond any sense of self, or need to identify parts from wholes (hence: watch "things" die!). just feel we're being encouraged with everything tool/mjk does to "fall" (eeg brainwaves) towards "this". "you better listen".
I like your take on that song. LK/RS is a conundrum and a set of keys all at the same time. Thinking of that song as the "tree of knowledge" (or "doom" as you put it) takes me back to my first experiences of Third Eye, and how euphoric I was listening to that track back in the late '90s. I can imagine that anyone who encountered the band in that state of admiration/worship would have just unloaded praise on them, and I think Rosetta is a bit of a backlash against that.

If Third Eye represents some sort of prophetic inner-awakening from being "dead inside" back on Bottom, then Rosetta Stoned comes off as the response/retaliation by the betrayer-self. Hence the "shit the bed again, typical" line (which now takes on a more sinister tone in light of the dark sexual undertones of the inner relationship present in the lyrics of other songs) is delivered with such pithy cynicism.


Quote:
all those posters of golden scissor cut (1.6180339...) bladder fishes ("vesica piscis") diving towards the heptagonal star?
Can you post some links to examples of these? I'm not familiar with the scissor cut, but the vesica piscis is an overwhelmingly apt symbol for so many things going on with Tool.


Quote:
hence: lift/elevator sound at beginning of lateralus).
This may be the only thing on which we disagree. To me it sounds like the turning on of a power saw (hence the saw blade CD) that is used, ostensibly, to begin the "dissection" of the record.

Quote:
[i know king buzzo has said as much, makes sense given some of melvins' lyrics... rather, how they're sung]
Oh man. Melvins lyrics are as impenetrable as they are amazing. Very inspiring band. I think I had The Maggot on repeat there for about 8 years.

But the song that they did with Tool, Divorced, fits seamlessly in with this discussion. The drum duel contained in that track between Carrey and Dale Crover is emblematic of the sort of "retaliationship" that would result in the parting of ways we have going on in Fear Inoculum. It is the kind of disharmonic thing that would go on between the speaker of Third Eye and the speaker of Rosetta Stoned.

I hope that everyone here has heard Divorced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCPPPTZgWsQ
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08-20-2019, 11:09 AM
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re: beginning of lateralus, machine start-up sound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
This may be the only thing on which we disagree. To me it sounds like the turning on of a power saw (hence the saw blade CD) that is used, ostensibly, to begin the "dissection" of the record.
that, doesn't, really, correlate, with my theories, tho- sooo. i kid, of course. i like it. could be! but bc it's such a sterile, static, consistent hum, starting up, perhaps it's to indicate a "TOOL" turned on, but not fully (or at least severely under-)utilized? like a sawblade, just, turned on. "repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift and eye to heaven, conscious of HIS (ego/deceiver/hadalotofnothingtosay's) fleeting time here." i just think sawblades are rather violent with large cuts, not small precise ones... unless it were a table saw. which the sound to start lateralus could also represent, james bond, strapped to table, (chakra climbing) laser beam, style. [enjoying your way of seeing things, oculus!]

i definitely hear a sawblade within lateralus, and for the same sort of o'er the forehead cutting "dissectional" motif you mentioned (alluded to within videos for vicarious and parabola if not schism most literally, and by extension then "divorced" by melvins).

side note: coincidentally (confirmed), tool-family dark-artist chet zar had created a monster called "buzz" (painting>sculpture, left side) that i think resembles the lateralus disc's sawblade design, including third eye location of incision. chet also has another painting entitled "cut" that resembles what's going on during vicarious video - another coincidence, or "bout of synchronicty", but still cool! (it's no wonder (as w/ ag) tool works with cz, each creating their separate internal/external realms in vicarious music video)

still tho, i don't hear it during "the grudge", rather "triad"
i can't take credit for this (someone? here on toolnavy?)
but i come back to the idea a lot (and have built upon it)
very thankful find. too obvious. staring us all in the face.

triad, 12th track, crown chakra, before the (faaip de) godhead, 13th step

to me it feels like an alien autopsy, but, you know, done to the listener, by the aliens. it may not be aliens, but it becomes an other-worldly experience very quickly, things are gonna change after this, things gon' be different. so, autopsy (no i.d., ego dead), dissectional, an operation is taking place. or about to. we've heard and seen this idea, over and over again, staple of all things tool. but the way tool expresses it -this- time, sonically, even as they are one to do, is pretty badass. i love hearing it this way, whether or not intended. seems too perfect tho. i mean, i only ever thought triad was just a really cool track, you know, tool rocking out to close it, finale to the fireworks. but that solo absolutely aurally shrrreddds, pries that mother right open. "holy fuckin' shit!"

so! (if you'll further indulge me) the pulsating tones coming in (and held throughout) are indicators of the patient's heart beat? idk. but it's "you"(44&2/"are broken now"). and it's fading in, coming in to scene. at the very beginning, it sounds like somethings hanging, swaying, shimmering, like metal (i get strong nin "downward spiral" vibes), waiting to be used (we come back to the whole "knife" motif. like, "sry not sry, this is love, gotta do this" - kinda rapey! as mentioned in opiate, throughout entire undertow album, and ticks & leeches, and and and. but like, symbolically speaking, representative of "touch, w/o consent" - another tool motif, as opposed to "virgin(untouched) mary(mother)" (again, symbolically speaking) ...reminds me of the film "the fountain", the dagger at the end (piercing the tree of knowledge)... "this is what you're getting", "just, like, this!). so back on track (12). being led to the table (last supper), soon under the knife. can we hear these alien surgeons actually talking through this procedure?

you arrive at your final destination at 0:42, as signaled(!) by the doctor? i don't know what that horn-y sound is, but is that them talking? what does surgery typically sound like? fairly operational, right? step by step. incision by incision. usually announcing actions prior to taking them... so something is announced. then we hear a more middle-eastern/northen-african woodwind type sounding thing indicating, what? does the organology of what we then hear correlate with place of origin (invention) of the written word? so is that then the sound of a writing tool? a marker, indicating (upon the surface) place of incision? (you can almost hear its cap pop open at 0:54!)

at 1:11, doctor signals next step in the process, i'm summarizing of course but something akin to "i will now activate the dissecting TOOL! (sawblade)". at 1:20, we hear two consecutive pull attempts to start the chainsaw's engine, with a long/winding starter-cord retracting each time, finally turning over at 1:34. enter adam jones' guitar solo. "TOOL" activated. dissecting tool cuts through skin, then skull, then 2:54 "TOOL" util-eye-zed.

and i thought adrian belew was a master of recreating non-guitar sounds on a guitar...

...god damn, adam jones. "cosmic eye sawblade", fucking awesome.
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Old 08-20-2019, 11:09 AM   #39
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

re: beginning of lateralus, machine start-up sound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
This may be the only thing on which we disagree. To me it sounds like the turning on of a power saw (hence the saw blade CD) that is used, ostensibly, to begin the "dissection" of the record.
that, doesn't, really, correlate, with my theories, tho- sooo. i kid, of course. i like it. could be! but bc it's such a sterile, static, consistent hum, starting up, perhaps it's to indicate a "TOOL" turned on, but not fully (or at least severely under-)utilized? like a sawblade, just, turned on. "repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift and eye to heaven, conscious of HIS (ego/deceiver/hadalotofnothingtosay's) fleeting time here." i just think sawblades are rather violent with large cuts, not small precise ones... unless it were a table saw. which the sound to start lateralus could also represent, james bond, strapped to table, (chakra climbing) laser beam, style. [enjoying your way of seeing things, oculus!]

i definitely hear a sawblade within lateralus, and for the same sort of o'er the forehead cutting "dissectional" motif you mentioned (alluded to within videos for vicarious and parabola if not schism most literally, and by extension then "divorced" by melvins).

side note: coincidentally (confirmed), tool-family dark-artist chet zar had created a monster called "buzz" (painting>sculpture, left side) that i think resembles the lateralus disc's sawblade design, including third eye location of incision. chet also has another painting entitled "cut" that resembles what's going on during vicarious video - another coincidence, or "bout of synchronicty", but still cool! (it's no wonder (as w/ ag) tool works with cz, each creating their separate internal/external realms in vicarious music video)

still tho, i don't hear it during "the grudge", rather "triad"
i can't take credit for this (someone? here on toolnavy?)
but i come back to the idea a lot (and have built upon it)
very thankful find. too obvious. staring us all in the face.

triad, 12th track, crown chakra, before the (faaip de) godhead, 13th step

to me it feels like an alien autopsy, but, you know, done to the listener, by the aliens. it may not be aliens, but it becomes an other-worldly experience very quickly, things are gonna change after this, things gon' be different. so, autopsy (no i.d., ego dead), dissectional, an operation is taking place. or about to. we've heard and seen this idea, over and over again, staple of all things tool. but the way tool expresses it -this- time, sonically, even as they are one to do, is pretty badass. i love hearing it this way, whether or not intended. seems too perfect tho. i mean, i only ever thought triad was just a really cool track, you know, tool rocking out to close it, finale to the fireworks. but that solo absolutely aurally shrrreddds, pries that mother right open. "holy fuckin' shit!"

so! (if you'll further indulge me) the pulsating tones coming in (and held throughout) are indicators of the patient's heart beat? idk. but it's "you"(44&2/"are broken now"). and it's fading in, coming in to scene. at the very beginning, it sounds like somethings hanging, swaying, shimmering, like metal (i get strong nin "downward spiral" vibes), waiting to be used (we come back to the whole "knife" motif. like, "sry not sry, this is love, gotta do this" - kinda rapey! as mentioned in opiate, throughout entire undertow album, and ticks & leeches, and and and. but like, symbolically speaking, representative of "touch, w/o consent" - another tool motif, as opposed to "virgin(untouched) mary(mother)" (again, symbolically speaking) ...reminds me of the film "the fountain", the dagger at the end (piercing the tree of knowledge)... "this is what you're getting", "just, like, this!). so back on track (12). being led to the table (last supper), soon under the knife. can we hear these alien surgeons actually talking through this procedure?

you arrive at your final destination at 0:42, as signaled(!) by the doctor? i don't know what that horn-y sound is, but is that them talking? what does surgery typically sound like? fairly operational, right? step by step. incision by incision. usually announcing actions prior to taking them... so something is announced. then we hear a more middle-eastern/northen-african woodwind type sounding thing indicating, what? does the organology of what we then hear correlate with place of origin (invention) of the written word? so is that then the sound of a writing tool? a marker, indicating (upon the surface) place of incision? (you can almost hear its cap pop open at 0:54!)

at 1:11, doctor signals next step in the process, i'm summarizing of course but something akin to "i will now activate the dissecting TOOL! (sawblade)". at 1:20, we hear two consecutive pull attempts to start the chainsaw's engine, with a long/winding starter-cord retracting each time, finally turning over at 1:34. enter adam jones' guitar solo. "TOOL" activated. dissecting tool cuts through skin, then skull, then 2:54 "TOOL" util-eye-zed.

and i thought adrian belew was a master of recreating non-guitar sounds on a guitar...

...god damn, adam jones. "cosmic eye sawblade", fucking awesome.
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08-20-2019, 11:29 AM
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Can you post some links to examples of these? I'm not familiar with the scissor cut, but the vesica piscis is an overwhelmingly apt symbol for so many things going on with Tool.
ALMOND EYES (mandorla), vesica piscis (bladder fish)
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Last edited by iAMtheMA!; 08-20-2019 at 11:30 AM..
Old 08-20-2019, 11:29 AM   #40
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Re: Potential meaning of Fear Inoculum... Fear of aging? (Lyrics Inside)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oculus View Post
Can you post some links to examples of these? I'm not familiar with the scissor cut, but the vesica piscis is an overwhelmingly apt symbol for so many things going on with Tool.
ALMOND EYES (mandorla), vesica piscis (bladder fish)
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Last edited by iAMtheMA!; 08-20-2019 at 11:30 AM..
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