The moderator of TOOL's official web site recently visited the band's rehearsal loft and offered an update on the progress of their long-awaited new album. He wrote: "At this stage of the writing/arranging process... there are only a couple of 'shorter' songs left to complete (?), along with a segue or two or three." He added, "Of course, we need to keep in mind any changes that might be needed to accommodate the vocals, etc., once all of the arrangements are finished."

The instrumental members of TOOL have traditionally worked out all the music and arrangements first before having singer Maynard James Keenan come in and start working on vocals. Guitarist Adam Jones told The Pulse Of Radio how the band puts its songs together. "We've got lots of material," he said. "Our strongest thing is jamming. But grouping stuff together — and that's kind of how we work, you know, we jam and then you kind of go, 'Wow, this works with this really well' — and then you jam those two things and see if you can get 'em to work."

Jones revealed in 2015 that the band had finally settled a complicated lawsuit that had dragged on for eight years, setting back the band's recording plans.

Singer Maynard James Keenan's other band, PUSCIFER, released its third studio album, "Money Shot", last October.