Guitar World recently spoke with Tool guitarist Adam Jones about the making of the band's new album, Fear Inoculum. An excerpt from the discussion is available below.

Q: With so many years since Tool’s last release, how would you say you’ve evolved as a guitarist since 2006?

Adam: "That’s a good question! I’ve definitely been practicing more than ever. Since the last record came out, when I meet a guitarist I like, I’ll ask them what they do to warm-up or what do they do to stay good. Most of them show me a technique or a stretch - or maybe a practice idea. It’s always really interesting for me to see what they do, and I really try to practice the things these people give me. The last time I saw Kirk Hammett (Metallica), I asked and he sent me a video of this forwards / backwards run going up and down the neck of the guitar, and it really helped my playing a lot. Instead of doing something like just trying to learn the lead in 'Master Of Puppets', I asked what he does to keep himself good, but I think it’s better to learn how someone practices and apply it to your own ideas. I highly recommend it."

Q: You’ve always been a player that takes influence from places outside of the guitar world - art, film, science. Was there anything like that that had an impact on your writing on this record?

Adam: "It’s honestly all such a blur. Honestly, it’s all coming in and I try to be like a sponge and vulnerable, and I try to ask a lot of questions and learn. I also try to look at the world - the keyword being 'try' - in a more forgiving way. When I watch a movie, I pretend I’m 12 because when I was 12 I liked everything. So many people are so jaded about everything and I try to avoid that. I just try to do that with the arts and music in general, and when I hear something, I ask myself what the influences came in when someone was creating it and I acknowledge that a player might not be Eddie Van Halen, but they’re good and they’re good in their own unique way, and I try to pick up on that and try to think from my chest instead of from my head."

Q: It’s funny to hear that a forgiving gaze is the key for you, considering how legendary Tool’s perfectionism is.

Adam: "I don’t know if I was the first person to say it, but I always thought it as a kid and I still think: it’s not good when it’s done, it’s done when it’s good. That’s how we go about what we do."

Read the complete interview here.

Tool celebrates their third consecutive #1 debut on Billboard’s Top 200, with Fear Inoculum (RCA Records) reigning over the U.S. sales charts, selling 270,000 units.

The news of Fear Inoculum’s impressive debut comes amidst news stories of the album release being met by lengthy lines at retailers as music lovers clamored to get a copy of the limited edition, physical version of the CD. The spectacular, groundbreaking packaging boasts a 4” HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage, charging cable, 2 watt speaker, a 36-page booklet and a digital download card. The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) released a rare statement, describing the event-like album release: “Several stores had well-attended midnight sales on Thursday (it was my store's first midnight sale in 10 years). When we returned to work on Friday morning, there were lines at the door… the Tool release was the biggest thing to hit retail in years.”

The success wasn’t isolated to the U.S., with the album debuting at #1 in Australia, Norway, New Zealand, and Belgium, as well as Top 5 debuts in the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and Finland.

Tracklistings:

Physical:

"Fear Inoculum"
"Pneuma"
"Invincible"
"Descending"
"Culling Voices"
"Chocolate Chip Trip"
"7empest"

Digital:

"Fear Inoculum"
"Pneuma"
"Litanie Contre la Peur"
"Invincible"
"Legion Inoculant"
"Descending"
"Culling Voices"
"Chocolate Chip Trip"
"7empest"
"Mockingbeat"

"Fear Inoculum":

(Photo - Travis Shinn)