This is What Former Tool Bassist Paul D’Amour is Up To These Days

Last summer we got a taste of Lesser Key — ex-Tool bassist Paul D’Amour’s new band — in the form of a music video for the song “Intercession.” And it was damn good! Very Tool-like. This is, after all, the guy who was involved in creating early Tool classics “Sober” and “Prison Sex,” as well as Ænema standouts “Ænema” and “Stinkfist,” though he left the band during the recording sessions of the latter. But all we’ve gotten since last summer is a seemingly endless stream of teases about an eventual Lesser Key album.

Finally we’ve got a release date — April 1st, via Sumerian (pre-order) — and though it’s just an EP and not a full album we’ll certainly take it. Especially if the songs are as good as this five-minute teaser makes them out to be. Interestingly enough the EP was produced by Sylvia Massey; she also produced Undertow, the last Tool album to feature d’Amour. I already said it, but I think it bears repeating: this stuff really sounds like Tool, the vocalist included, just maybe a tad more song-focused (poppier). And in lieu of new Tool music, this next best thing ain’t so bad at all.