FIRST REACTION TO TOOL INVINCIBLE 

To me this song is one of their more emotional ones. There's something about an old man still fighting and trying to remain relevant in today's world that gets to me. Especially when he says he just wants one more victory in life, just to remember the time he was young and strong and still had a place in this world.

The whole album is mixed better than anything I've ever heard. I consider the album the most state of the art album to date. Fear Inoculum is 💯🔥.

As a die hard Tool fan I admit readily their music is not for everyone. But no one can deny the absolute skill that goes into making it.

As a 57 yr old man, this song resonates, believe me. My favorite song in the new album.

Evil Joe Barresi does the mixing, Bob Ludwig did the mastering. The whole album really is a masterclass in audio engineering.

Tool just smokes every other band. It's an entire presentation where each aspect ebb and flows exactly where it's needed. The engineers can't mix shit music into great stuff. The entire tool production is a cut above the rest.

I've been listening to Tool for 20 plus years and i still have to listen to a song 3 or 4 times before it clicks. songs i thought were just "okay" ended up being some of my favorite of all time

These dudes are in their 50's and now some in their 60's and are absolutely crushing it...

“Once invincible, now the armor’s wearing thin… heavy shield down.” Man don’t I know it 👴 🥱

Saw them in concert in 2020 and hadn’t listened to the album much prior to the show. Pneuma live was absolutely incredible but they finished the show with Invincible and it blew my mind. I was on a high for weeks after the show. They reignited my love for music!

This song is the definition of a grower. I didn't care for it much after the first couple listens, but it's now easily my favorite song on the album. Probably has to do with me paying more attention to the lyrics. It's a masterfully written song about growing old and feeling irrelevant Love the reaction!

Being in the twilight of my life now, this song holds a very special meaning to me. Older means memories of my youth, things I've done, battles engaged, wins and losses. Thank you for making this one of the songs you've listened to. Be well.

I didn’t like the album at first, but if you can appreciate the hypnotic nature of the songs. I feel the lyrics, they pump me up when I’m down. Especially towards the end when the song becomes more full. It definitely ebbs and flows like you said

I know that you're not one for lyrics but I identify with what Maynard is saying here. He is lamenting the loss of his youthful flame that once raged so loud and was amazed by all who heard it; now he is struggling to keep his fire alive while the wind is blowing and the world is growing darker.

Most, if not all Tool songs and albums require at least 3 fully focused listens through to truly appreciate the song, the lyrics; to have it resonate. Been listening since 1996. Fear Inoculum still took me a few listens to get into it. It, the process, requires focus and attention. Most people just don't have the patience. But after that, it pays dividends - emotional, spiritual. I time my commute to and from work by the number of Tool songs I can fully get through. 18 miles, normally 3-4 full songs. 😁

Joe Barresi Not even Joe Barresi, who engineered and mixed Fear Inoculum and whom the band describes as “the guy we trust more than anyone” gets in the way of Tool doing their thing. “No-one tells us what to do when it comes to our compositions because we're so hard on each other,” says Danny.Dec 9, 2019

Greatest rock band ever in my humble opinion. It resonates.

Danny takes turns working off each instrument, even the vocals. He is Bonham, Moon, Peart and Copeland all wrapped into one.

The mixing is unbelievable but if you were to see that live you would understand that those musicians make that song sound that good

The sound quality in their live performances is also amazing.

never seen you 2 so quiet. such a beautiful song, renders the listener speachless. simply beautiful. Best album of all time to me. Cheers.

I went to a Tool concert back in my high school days… honestly one of the best concert experiences in my life. This was back in 2000-2001

I was shroomed the fuck out of my mind seeing this live in February. They released chrome confetti from the ceiling during the intro of this. That and stage smoke. It was a religious experience. This one sounds much better live

Love you guys' reactions to metal. I'm sure you've realized it but you can grab a totally different audience when you change genres like you're doing. Hope your channel continues to grow.

Tool humbles and uplifts. It's powerful shit. Thanks guys!

I've seen many TOOL reactions and I love how, no matter who the listener is, there is this spontaneous universal reaction to simply have their eyes closed at some point. It's like you can't help but feel lifted and your mind feels pulled to another place, another sense of feeling.

This song holds a special place in my heart. As a former MMA fighter, grew up as a white dude in the streets I became a warrior and nothing could stop me, until I met myself. Then at 18 I started having gout flare ups. Therefore, over time I become the warrior struggling to remain consequential. I was forced to re learn my life. Then, at 30 years old I was diagnosed with autism and once again I had to relearn everything. And I’ve watched my armor ware thin and the heavy shield I had forced on me at a young age (my body) was the only thing that eventually broke me down.

I'll be 55 in less than 2 months. I FINALLY got to see Tool live in January of this year. SO worth the wait! Going to remember that show as long as my brain allows! So incredible!

I like your honesty. Tool is my favorite band and this is my favorite song but I like that you don't over-hype it just for likes.

This song is amazing. It really hits home, hitting middle age, having struggled through the last years of my life. Got to keep fighting!

I get goosebumps every time I listen to this song. The album is an absolute masterpiece.

No joke, after hearing this album for the first time, my first impression was this has GOT to be the best sounding drum album of all time.

This song hits different when you are older. TOOL really takes you on a journey with every song

As much as I like Invincible, the best song on this album for you two specifically would be 7empest. If you're going to sit through a super long song, listen to one with some of the best drumming and guitar work in the history of rock music.

Dude with the pillow behind his head has got it. Eyes closed, and your head starts rockin'

It's a shame to hear a musician say 'a 12-minute song, I don't have time for that'. I think of Mozart, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis or Franck Zappa ... the world wouldn't be the same without them.

It's nice to know that there are others out there whose souls share the same space as yours 😌

a masterpiece, the precision of the whole Tool team is incredible

It's hard to explain, but the first minute plus of this track puts you in a trance, or something. Incredible song

Dude, I love you giving credit to the guys behind the scene… now I gotta go back and listen to it a few more times… thanks…

This is the Tool reaction I have been looking for. Y'all experienced it, took it in. Thank you

This song hits hard live

Seeing this song played live made me appreciate way more. Knowing that the "guitar solo" was actually the bass, and then the instrument soloing over that repetitive chugging guitar riff was Danny playing a xylophone type thing

Gonna push back mate and say "Descending" is the greatest track every recorded and mixed. Period. Joe Baressi is a production master.

Love to hear musicians perspective on this stuff & respect your insights. The greatest tracks or albums that become part of you, take time, they grow from repeat exposure, until your brain salivates at the prospect of the audio endorphins to come. Tool are human catnip. Be careful, addiction has a cost & it’s sublime. Tool ‘06 Nottingham Arena was the cleanest audio experience I’ve ever had. Quality live I’ve not heard apart from Rush. Oh yeah, Rush Tom Sawyer might be worth a listen. 🤘🏻

This is my favorite Tool song by far. The lyrics and THAT riff at the end are just powerful. Love many other songs by them but this one gets me.

This is my absolute favorite band. That being said, I appreciate your critique. Thanks for the honest review and I look forward to more. By the way, I think LATERALUS was their best mixed album. FEAR INOCULUM sounded great, however compressed and cold. Just my opinion, I could be wrong. 😊

When the song ended.. those twinkling eyes of you ate saying so much 😂

Love watching black people react to my kind of music. Keep it up guys 👍🏼

You gotta love closet Tool fans. It's okay, you can give all the props to the producers, but once you see them live, and they sound just as good, you realize they are just that good. 18:31

They literally mixed this album for years. Maynard told stories how they had songs done for years and he had no idea what was going on all that time. I absolutely love this song.

When this song came out, I went for drive to listen. I ended up pulling to the side of the road - frozen. It’s a journey in its own right.

I love the way you deeply analyze every aspect of the songs you review.

Invincible is incredible for exercise. Listen to it while doing cardio. It's fucking great.

You boys funny af... You're bandmates, so cool y'all do this with your boys

Yes... close your eyes and just take it all in. The best way to listen to the greatest group to ever exist! True artists!

This is one of my favorite Tool songs. I’m over 50 so it definitely resonates with me.

I promise I’m not one of those self-righteous tool fans with my head up my own *ss about them (so I can respect and understand when people don’t just vibe with them as a whole)but this is such a great example of what I love about them. Each song feels like a story/journey to me. Not just a track blipped out to toss on the radio. A scene is laid, a path is forged. Each little series of drum fills or guitar breaks is like a little vista opening up as the bass pulls your steps forward and the vocals guide the way. It’s an experience front to back. Super cool and I am drawn to that in most of the music I listen to.

I can almost guarantee you would love Porcupine Tree "Anaesthetize", the live version from Tilburg - The entire song composition is fantastic and Gavin is a beast on the drums

*You can't listen to a Tool song 1 time and expect to get it. You have to listen to their songs multiple times to really feel it.*

Wait... You can't do a song twice? Because it is 12 minutes? But you can play the same game more than once, right? JB, do us a favor and tell us the perfect song. I don't think you are into music as much as you believe you are. I get it, we sometimes overanalyze our jobs, but it is a nice retreat to leave that all behind and love music for what it is. I can promise you that your audience will grow if you start to show an interest in music, and talk about what is good, VS what you don't like. You will never make your candle burn any brighter by blowing out another.

Not trying to be disrespectful but tool in my opinion is the BEST band ever. I don't understand how anyone could honestly be bored with their music. Every single album is it's own masterpiece. I don't have a favorite album because for me it's impossible but fear is one that's very special and personal to me and I appreciate the long songs AND honestly their not long enough

Take another trip down Deftones Lane. Diamond Eyes or Beauty School. Tool is deep and the magic of their collection is that if you are into it, the listener will catch nuances the more they listen.

Karnivool - Simple Boy, opening track to a superbly mixed album. HEAVY BASS with beautiful top end, a wall of beautiful sound. Please give 'em a shot lads.

Love the egg in frying pan analogy 👍

I truly appreciate your technical analysis and breakdown of the song mix and mastering.

I like the burnt egg analogy. An old man resembles a burnt egg in a way, and this song is about growing into an old disgusting eggman lol

Wow ….. I’ve got nothing else to say on this horrendous take.

Your fuckin nuts for "I couldn't care for the song" fuckin nuts!!! "Alright"?? This is a musical masterpiece. The level of musicianship and arrangement is in another galaxy

As a brand new 50yo, this song has special significance… more years behind than ahead, strength waning, racing against the darkening when usefulness will fail me.

reacting the 1st time to music its awesome but with Tool i need to listen 3, 4, 5 times... especially the latest songs, this song is one of those, the meaning, the journey is very immersive and im still a young guy ... 😅

I think I can speak for everyone and say that we would love to hear your reaction to *Wings For Marie(10,000 Days).* It's such a personal song for Maynard, so much so that he can't play it live anymore because it's too emotionally draining for him. I'm lucky to have seen them perform it twice and it was nothing short of ethereal. Everyone was so attentive and quiet giving Maynard the respect the song commands. It's so emotive and such a masterpiece on many different levels. I highly suggest you give it a reaction, you'll never hear a more vulnerable Maynard, he lends his entire soul to the piece and it shows. I'm sure you've heard this a million times but lyrics are a must as it can be very difficult to make out the lyrics at times

A beautiful theme for anyone that has ever felt time’s wear and tear upon themselves.

I always think about how great it would be if someone sliced up scenes from the movie Highlander with this song and made a filmclip. The battle scenes in Scotland marching to battle, a single person through time being worn out by the 20th Century.... Just a thought.

Not to mention, the entire overtone of the song is to understand the feeling of time beating you down and raging against it. So it sounds like marching for excessive time and the moment that the time of battle comes you morph into something else.

Tool breaks molds. It's like being the Phoenix. You think you have an idea of how music should work, but this kind of music can be disruptive and destructive, but for "good" reasons. In order to grow, we have to die, metaphorically, and then rise from the ashes of what we knew or were familiar with. Now, how can you use what you've experienced to be "bold and proud"? Thanks for the reaction.

if you like it you like it, music is everyones different taste...thats the beuty of (music) noones into the same genre on that given time, its the most human way of taste you play what your into, but your mate is into something else on that day/night.. MUSIC IS NOONES FAVOURITE.. hope yous understand without takin me the wrong way

david bottrill the sound engineer behind Aenema & Lateralus was asked once " what does it takes to master to perfection those 2 albums " answer was simple " you take your time and you have great musicians "

Funny thing about this album is that it grows on you! It took me several listens to like it and then love it. My first listen left me underwhelmed. I felt parts were monotonous like you said. I was expecting more of their 90’s sound of short traditional alternative metal songs. This feels almost like long prog rock music but with a Tool twist. I love this album now

For me Descending is the best track on this album. Possibly one of the greatest tracks of all time.....🤘✌

The egg analogy is a great way to interpret this. More liquid, or fluid in the beginning, reaching out everywhere, and undeveloped. Then it undergoes a transformation and firms up on the places it's been.

And I agree 100% for the engineers. It has been consistent since the 90's

Remember "Pneuma" was 12 minutes also but I know it's different watching a video.... I think lyrics up to read along and just enjoy the journey

It is flawless. The more you listen to it the more you hear it.

Bought the album when it came out. Reserved two hours to listen to it. Put on my best headphones... '20' minutes later, 80 minutes had passed. What a ride! :)

I think when you get older you’ll be able to relate to it and enjoy it more. I really enjoy this one. Pneuma is a favorite too.

Guys I don’t say it lightly but I respect how you go about reacting …it’s different then the norm. You listen intently which makes a person think you’ve got little to no feedback (cause you’re not stopping it)….then you air the most meticulous thought’s imaginable lol. I just respect the attention to detail and if you’re a listener like myself you’re more or less just listening to the song without many/any pauses

with Tool you only have one thing to do: listen (carefully) and bow to their greatness!

If you listen to it the whole song is about the Spanish searching for the fountain of youth in order to remain a super power.

Respect to your Honesty 🙏 Great Reaction🔥🔥 🔥🏆

So, what about Cymande and the song Dove which is over 10 minutes and never gets old? This song is perfect because of its length!

If this is the standard opinion of the younger generation then I find this very depressing. They rely on constant external stimulation and instant gratification. Find peace in patience and enjoy subtlety and simplicity.

one of my fav songs from this album... esp due to the bass solo from justin @8:00 in. it is worth noting that you guys have said songs over 4 min are hard to keep your attention. even i find myself feeling like most of the compositions on this album are long winded... and couldve been much shorter but they dont wanna have any contribution wasted (long time listener of tool, since 1993)

I can respect not digging Tools style. I love the trance inducing rhythms, but I can easily see why it could be called monotonous or even boring. There's rarely much melody, or chord progression. But thank you for recognizing the quality sound engineering and mixing. They are as much a part of the studio band as the lights are a part of the live band.

Seen this live on the 10th... Im a different person after that show... It was beyond transformational...

Danny Carey does everything related to his drums himself. This includes mic set up, and piece placement.

I know Danny Carey uses a bunch of electronic pads for some of the more obscure tones on this album, which is probably why they sound so crisp.

Much respect for your process here. Eyes shut, mind open, immersed in the moment.

There are times for long songs and others for short ones. I really appreciate a long song that takes your mind on an adventure, but I also really admire bands that can find a really sick groove or riff and only use it really sparingly once or twice in a short song. It's almost a tease but it makes you have to go back and listen again. To come up with something so wonderful and have the restraint to not exploit it like a typical pop song chugging out the hook over and over again for four and a half minutes straight. I feel like Tool often hits both of those notes, a song that takes you on a journey, but has some weird hook that you can't get enough and they only give you a couple of little tastes of, making you have to go back to hear it again.

Joe Barresi is the mixing/recording engineer. Bob Ludwig did the mastering.