Tool — 10,000 Days

Considering Tool's legion of fans, it's hard to believe that this is only their fourth full-length album. Still, like Nine Inch Nails, their albums are always worth the wait. The new record recalls the more metal-oriented sound of their early days, albeit with the progressive and technical songwriting of the band's more recent work, like Undertow filtered through Lateralus. In true Tool fashion, the songs are quite lengthy (two tracks exceed the 11-minute mark), but you'll have a hard time getting bored with it. Pretentious? Perhaps. Does it deliver? Definitely. Rejoice, Tool fans: your heroes have returned with yet another candidate for metal album of the year.