Tool is notorious for waiting several years between each album release. The shortest wait was probably between Undertow and Ænima with just under 3 years between each album. After that it was 5 years until Lateralus was released, then another 4 years for 10,000 Days.

Of course, in between the Tool projects Maynard Keenan also created Puscifier. The newest album “Conditions of My Parole” was just released last week. I’ve included a YouTube vid of one of the new songs if you’re interested. This may hold over some Tool fans until the new album does come out, if it does.

A Perfect Circle, another one of Maynard’s projects has also released albums between the Tool studio albums.

In a cryptic (and typical) newsletter on the bands official newsletter site they may have announced a new album for May 2012. I say may have because the newsletters are famous for messing with fans and being hard to decipher.

The newsletter also talks about the Rapture and Judgment Day, Taco Bell, and interplanetary travel.

Only time will tell if this is true. We can only hope. While I understand a group as phenomenal as Tool needs plenty of time to work on their music, as a fan asking me to wait 6 long years is a bit much. The various discussion boards across the web have been ablaze about speculation since the announcement was made in May 2011 of the possible upcoming album.

In the meantime I’ll just have to continue to enjoy shuffling between the other studio albums and waiting on pins and needles to see if this actually comes to fruition.