Tool - Fear Inoculum -deluxe- -2019- -flac- Review

In the words of Maynard James Keenan:

The album's lead single, "Fear Inoculum," sets the tone for the record, with Maynard James Keenan's haunting vocals navigating a soundscape of pulsing electronics and intricate instrumentation. The song's lyrics, which explore the idea of embracing vulnerability as a means of personal growth, establish the album's central theme: TOOL - Fear Inoculum -Deluxe- -2019- -FLAC-

2019 was the year of the algorithm. Playlists dominated. Yet TOOL, famously late to digital streaming (they only joined streaming services a week before this release), countered with a physical/deluxe hybrid. The irony is that the best way to listen to Fear Inoculum in 2019 was to buy the Deluxe physical package and rip it to FLAC. In the words of Maynard James Keenan: The

On the (Free Lossless Audio Codec) version from the 2019 Deluxe release, nothing is truncated. The file size is massive (the album clocks in at nearly 1.5GB for the full suite of tracks), but the sonic result is a blacker background and a wider dynamic range. Yet TOOL, famously late to digital streaming (they

Is the Fear Inoculum (Deluxe Edition) in FLAC worth seeking out? Absolutely—but with a caveat.