Maynard James Keenan Admits TOOL Needs To Get Past 'Egos' To Release Music

Members of TOOL have weighed in on the length of time fans will have to wait for a new album, and have promised it won't be another 13 years. Now singer Maynard James Keenan is giving his thoughts on the prospect of new music.

“Tool is a more complicated beast with a lot of egos and a lot of other things going on in our lives,” Keenan told Metal Hammer in a new interview. “But all the creativity’s there, the songs and the ideas can flow and the arguments ensue.”

“As soon as we get past the arguments, we can get s*** done!" he added with a laugh. "I think we could do it more efficiently. And I think everyone’s on the same page that we have to get through that, because we can’t drag this out another 14 years.”

“Most of the people that you hear from on those things – like, ‘When’s your next record?’ – when you do finish it, they’re like, ‘OK, when’s your next one?’ You can’t make people happy." guitarist Adam Jones said in the same interview. "We have this very selfish approach to art. It’s our rules. When you start trying to make people happy, you’re losing yourself. You’re losing that burn inside you of why you do what you do.”

TOOL recently wrapped up a North American tour. During an interview late last year, bassist Justin Chancellor revealed that the band planned to start recording new music this spring. TOOL's last album was 2019's Fear Inoculum, which came out 13 years after its predecessor, 2006's 10,000 Days.