Tool Started an Actual Fire in the Studio While Recording ‘Fear Inoculum’
Tool's Fear Inoculum was one of the hottest releases in music this year, and that pun was completely intended. The band set their recording studio on fire while making the album, so it's safe to say they were "on fire" during the making of it.
The album's producer, Joe Barresi, recalled the story in a new episode of Kerrang!'s podcast Inside Track. “We always like to set up the room so it’s visual," Barresi said. "Dan [Carey]’s got, like, some geometry thing behind him, and there’s always a PA and candles. It’s very vibey. And I remember the drum tech, Bruce Jacoby, was in front of the console, and I saw this look of panic in his face."
“All of a sudden, he just bolts out of the control room through this back door, and he gets behind Danny’s drum kit...I guess Dan was playing with such power that one of the candles fell over on his floor tom and started burning the floor tom, so the head went on fire."
The team were adamant about getting the fire out before the sprinklers in the studio went off, which would have ruined all of their gear. "So that was one of the most insane moments, actually — Dan almost burning down the studio," the producer concluded.
Well, intense moments during recording always seem to add a bit more flavor to the final product. Fear Inoculum debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 following its release — a true blaze of glory.
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