According to The Pulse Of Radio, TOOL bassist Justin Chancellor said in an interview on the MetalSucks podcast that the band is about “90 percent there” in terms of writing its long-awaited fifth studio album. Chancellor revealed: “We’re about 90 percent there, it’s been like a crazy science project — kind of like a petri dish. We’ve just been really picky over what we want to put on this new album and really want to come up with something completely unique. Plus, we have endless amounts of material to sift through, so it’s just been a process.”

The band just closed out a North American tour and Chancellor said that being on the road together revitalized them. He explained: “It really is an evolving thing. Being out the last couple of weeks on the road and playing together, this year, we’ve really kind of hit a new level, I’d say. (We’re) really excited to be around each other and we’re gonna just bang it out when we get back home, we’re ready to go.”

Although the music may be 90 percent written for the follow-up to 2006’s “10,000 Days”, singer Maynard James Keenan still likely has to prepare vocal melodies and lyrics. A recording start date remains unconfirmed.

TOOL wrapped up its North American dates this past weekend with a mini-festival in San Bernardino, California that also featured acts like PRIMUS, MELVINS, FANTOMAS, CLUTCH and THE CRYSTAL METHOD.

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net