Fear Inoculum

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Lore & Background

The writing process for Fear Inoculum began in earnest after early 2008, yet progress was frequently stalled by external forces. By 2012, the band's webmaster noted instrumental material that sounded like Tool while pushing boundaries, estimating the album was half done. However, reality intervened: in 2013, a scooter accident involving drummer Danny Carey (who suffered cracked ribs) wiped out nine days of jamming time. Legal troubles further compounded delays; a 2007 lawsuit regarding artwork credits involving artist Cam de Leon led to a protracted legal battle that was not fully resolved until 2012. By 2014, Carey revealed only one ten-minute track was nearly finished. Keenan likened the state of the music to "noodles in a big basket" with no dishes formed. It wasn't until 2015 that legal issues were resolved, allowing Jones and Carey to develop twenty different song ideas. The band toured in 2016, debuting an incomplete version of "Descending," while Keenan balanced work on this album with his side project, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle.

In Their Own Story

Recording sessions officially commenced on March 10, 2018, at a major studio with producer Joe Barresi. By May 11, all drum parts were tracked, but the final vocal takes required a unique approach. Frontman Maynard James Keenan recorded his vocals during the 2018 wine harvest at his Caduceus Cellars winery in Arizona, forcing him to fit sessions around his winemaking duties while engineers Mat Mitchell and Barresi traveled to his home. Although Keenan announced he finished scratch vocals by September 2018, he confirmed final recording was done "months ago" by January 2019. Despite Carey's optimistic prediction of an April 2019 release, Keenan correctly argued for a later window between May and July. The band spent March 2019 with mastering engineer Bob Ludwig at the same facility used for 10,000 Days. On August 5, cover art by Alex Grey was revealed, followed by the debut of the title track "Fear Inoculum" on August 7, which became the longest song to ever enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number 93.

Reader's Guide

The album consists of seven main tracks running just short of 80 minutes, maximizing CD capacity, alongside three digital interludes stemming from Carey's scrapped plan for a single continuous piece. The concept of seven is woven throughout; Jones and Chancellor composed riffs in unusual time signatures related to the number, while Keenan integrated thematic elements of seven into lyrics. Musically described as progressive rock, progressive metal, and alternative metal, the songs are lengthy but contain multiple movements. The thematic core explores growing "older and wiser," with Keenan urging listeners to embrace their current state and acknowledge past struggles. He advised that understanding the album requires patience and multiple listens, comparing it to a slowly developing movie rather than an instant hit. While Carey predicted finishing by mid-2018, Keenan noted that constant second-guessing extended the timeline, though he admitted a version from 2011 would have been "fantastic" too. Notably, guitar riffs in "7empest" trace back to ideas Jones wrote in the mid-1990s, which had previously failed to make it onto 10,000 Days.

Did You Know?

• The single "Fear Inoculum" became the longest song to ever enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 93.
• Drummer Danny Carey was injured in a scooter accident in 2013, resulting in cracked ribs that slowed recording.
• The album features guitar riffs in "7empest" that date back to musical ideas written by Adam Jones in the mid-1990s.
• Maynard James Keenan recorded his vocals at his Caduceus Cellars winery in Arizona, though the specific timing during the 2018 wine harvest is not confirmed.
• The deluxe edition of the album includes a full 4-inch HD screen and a 2-watt speaker featuring an additional song called "Recusant Ad Infinitum".