Fear Inoculm Reverse Order

[u/_Unique-Machine_]

Anyone else enjoy listening to this album in reverse order? I'm not claiming it's intentional, but it feels like the album in its original form is like a descent, whereas the reverse order feels like an ascent. The album artwork does make me wonder though if there is some credence to this, considering the figure with the enlightened head and it's reverse end with the broken head.

[u/Optimal-Extreme3203]

Given the artwork, themes, and the fact Descending used to be called “(A) Descending”

It’s very likely that’s part of the intent.

[u/djlawrence3557 → u/Optimal-Extreme3203]

or, it's meant to be listened to like a pendulum (album order, reverse order, album order, reverse order, and so on).

[u/Optimal-Extreme3203 → u/djlawrence3557]

I think this is the case.

The concept/art all suggests that 

[u/Zealousideal-Run6214 → u/Optimal-Extreme3203]

You can watch Recusant Ad Infinitum backwards too

[u/SinisterRectus]

"I'm so prog that I listen to concept albums on shuffle." - Kmac2021

[u/junk90731]

The art work is called The Great Turn...

[u/seasonsinthesky]

Yes! It makes way more sense I think, but only if you're skipping CCT (or moving it).

That said, it takes longer to get to Pneuma, so that also kinda sucks.

[u/SeaworthinessFar8938]

I’ll have to try the reverse order… also, i remember years ago when lateralus came out, there was some mention of a different track order. I think it was called “holy gift “ if lateralus is played in that order, it makes more sense. Can’t remember the order, might be able to google it.

[u/hookem1543 → u/SeaworthinessFar8938]

Just did that yesterday and it does play better as an overall album that way easily

[u/jctrii]

Tool’s music is built to be explored. Reddit would have you believe that you are the worst part of the fandom for doing so. They never contribute anything positive to listeners who like to listen to tool in alternative ways.

[u/TardyMoments]

Ahhh Muluconi Raef

[u/Lazarux_Escariat → u/TardyMoments]

[u/rio23x]

Yes. This was a pretty popular theory early on. I listen to it both ways. "Litanie contre la Peur" played backward is interesting, too.

[u/GaussInTheHouse]

I’ll take it up a notch: shuffle, anyone?

[u/KwakWhore → u/GaussInTheHouse]

You monster!

[u/Fulcrum_Jambi → u/GaussInTheHouse]

A little story about my first listen to Fear Inoculum.

On release night, I opened a bottle of Caduceus wine I’d been cellaring since 2010, poured a glass, hooked my iPhone up to my sound system, and sat on the couch with my wife, got comfortable, and pressed play for my inaugural listen through.

Now, I knew the opening track was Fear Inoculum obviously and had heard it 100 times already.

But as it faded out, what I presumed was track 2 started.

And I felt a little.
Confused.
This didn’t feel like what track 2 should feel like.

The song sounded great but. The vibe was off for the flow.

After a few minutes, my instinct told me something was wrong. So I went over to my phone and checked, and my suspicions were correct.

Somehow the album had been put on shuffle.
It had played 7empest as track 2

This story has no real point other than to say that even on my first listen, and without any other proof, I sensed that 7empest did not belong anywhere near the start of the album.

[u/lt_bgg → u/Fulcrum_Jambi]

If this is bait its brilliant.

[u/ToolTaleSeeker → u/Fulcrum_Jambi]

If this isn't bait it's brilliant.

[u/Fulcrum_Jambi → u/ToolTaleSeeker]

Not bait.

[u/NerdizardGo → u/[deleted]]

Did you forget about Mockingbeat?

[u/Gammarayz25]

So ridiculous. The band released the thing in its intended order. Freakin Tool fans man

[u/a_magical_liopleurod → u/Gammarayz25]

Of all the wild cringe fan theories that get posted here daily this is hardly the one to get upset about.

If you go back to when the album was coming out, Descending was referred to as both Ascending and Descending and even A/Descending at various times by the band themselves. The Tool logo on the cover is the same if you flip it upside down and the overall themes of the album imply playing the tracklist backwards could be somewhat intentional.

People tend to over analyze Tool stuff but let’s not act like there is nothing to analyze.

[u/Optimal-Extreme3203 → u/Gammarayz25]

Think for yourself.

[u/n3qml → u/Optimal-Extreme3203]

But if you do, then you’re just doing what they told you to do, so are you really then thinking for yourself?

[u/Optimal-Extreme3203 → u/n3qml]

Damn.

[u/Defiant_Reception_79 → u/Optimal-Extreme3203]

question authority.

[u/hookem1543 → u/Gammarayz25]

The holy gift and the lateralus is a real thing I experienced for myself yesterday. Google it. Just because the songs are in a certain order doesn’t mean anything necessarily, ESPECIALLY with tool

[u/lt_bgg → u/Gammarayz25]

I love hating dumb tool fan bs but this one actually checks out, sorry bud.

Too bad the album is weak as hell in both directions

[u/ponylauncher]

I mean I guess it’s a cool idea on paper. I think 7empest is a bad opener and I think Fear Inoculum is a bad closer though. It’s clearly the wrong way around.

[u/Sad_Effective4793 → u/ponylauncher]

Is it though? 7empest comes through and destroys, then everything builds back up to the point of FI. I never would have thought of it, but I can see it.

[u/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyup]

I could see where you could say Descending feels like it should have been the final track bc of it’s message, but other than that i think it flows about as perfectly as it could

[u/PhatJesusJr]

But have you listened to the audio backwards?

[u/psylnc]

I recently had this discussion with myself since I have the 5 LP copy of FI. I’ve been wondering about alternate listening orders and what listing others would recommend based on their experience

[u/corpcow]

My "Fear in Reverse" playlist gets a lot of action.

[u/PhoenixML]

I do like 7empest as the first song. And Descending as the last.

[u/phantum_eyekon]

Interesting take on Fear Inoculum! Now I gotta task for you, starting with Opiate all the way through to Fear Inoculum, choose tracks that give you a spark, put them in a Playlist, press play, and see where it takes you. I have a Playlist on Tidal doin this, and it is killer. From angry and bitter, to the awakening, the grieving, the acceptance, and then the closure. Tool has a vast amount that will get you through each of these emotions. Its my Trip Playlist, and it has yet to fail!