The idea that you can challenge the listener may have been lost on a majority of the recording industry, but it's one the members of Tool seem to hold sacred - crafting yet another daring and intelligent set with the highly anticipated "10,000 Days."

Shifting between quiet subtlety and in-your-face aggression, "Days" - the band's first studio release since 2001's multiplatinum "Lateralus" - further cements Tool's status as the most innovative, thought-provoking metal act today.

Throughout the disc's 11 tracks, vocalist Maynard James Keenan can go from soothing to almost frightening in an instant, handling a host of topics from desperation and judgment to TV-induced comas and the warped perspectives of drug addiction.

Bass player Justin Chancellor and drummer Danny Carey maintain one of the tightest rhythm sections in rock, carrying the songs almost effortlessly, while guitarist Adam Jones uses lush harmonies and crunching power chords to mirror the many sides of Keenan's personality.

Opening with head-crushing leadoff single "Vicarious," Maynard spits venom at what he sees as a voyeuristic American culture: "We all feed on tragedy. It's like blood to a vampire."

The onslaught continues when the staccato guitar riff on "Jambi" grabs hold before pounding bass and drums help Keenan demonstrate his trademark switches from soft, almost spoken vocals to passionate wails.

Other standouts include the bass lovers' dream of "The Pot," the low-key "Intention" and "Right in Two," which slowly builds to a thunderous climax before quietly fading away.

A majority of the tracks clock in at well over seven minutes, while two of the strongest -- "10,000 Days" and the hard-hitting "Rosetta Stoned" -- approach the 12-minute mark and are arguably among the band's finest compositions ever.

Simply put, "10,000 Days" is everything you'd expect from Tool -- but it never stoops to predictability.

A Tool

"10,000 Days"

Volcano