Rumor: Tool Will Release 2.5 Hour, Double-Album Decem This Fall

One Reddit user who claims his or her source is “rock solid” is reporting that Tool’s new album — their first in ten years — will be coming out this fall. The album, which has allegedly already been mixed, will be titled Decem and will consist of two discs.

Though all but the title of the original Reddit thread has since been removed, various sites including Ultimate Guitar picked it up before that happened. The post read:

I think Tool has been leading us on in the press. I absolutely cannot reveal my sources for this. Let’s just say that the mixing process has happened.

I will try to get any additional piece of information I can to try and add further validity. I’m excited too and I hope this is true. Under no circumstance will I reveal any personal information about the source.

Although I really don’t think this is a troll job from my source, there is one thing that makes me suspicious. ‘Decem,’ if my research is right, means ‘ten.’ Could that refer to the 10 years between albums? If so, that seems awful meta for Tool.

I’m a huge fan of Tool myself and will be disappointed if it’s not true. I just wanted to share what could possibly be huge news in the music world.

The post also revealed the purported tracklisting. Tool have been playing part of “Descending” at their live performances recently, and the track times are in line with Melvins’ ringleader Buzz Osborne’s claim last month (via his buddy Adam Jones) that no song on the album is under 12 minutes long (although it’s worth noting he also said nothing had been recorded yet).

Disc 1:
1. Abscissa (13:47)
2. The Awakening (12:03)
3. Gematria (Act I) (14:33)
4. Regresolution (13:56)
5. Divinotus (12:45)
6. Astral (Act II) (12:21)

Disc 2:
7. Descending (13:53)
8. Decem (12:22)
9. Lesous (Act III) (12:43)
10. Principles of March (12:01)
11. Pascal’s Wager (13:46)
12. Zeta (Act IV) (14:27)

Other users on the Reddit thread claim that the band is planning a tour (the source claims to work in the “touring industry”) and that the band’s official webstore ToolArmy.com recently got a revamp. Both of these things could signal new Tool music is on the way… but could also just be coincidence.

So: is this a troll job by Tool? That certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented — Tool are notorious for fucking with their fans. Is it a unfounded rumor started by a fan? I wouldn’t put that past humanity, either. Or is it actually true?

We’ll find out soon enough — if indeed a new Tool album will be released this fall, the marketing efforts for that will need to begin soon.

More as we learn it.