The band's fourth album was released in North America on May 2, 2006, and this is the last album the band has released for over a decade, the album that followed was released only in 2019.
The name of the album is taken from the number of days it takes Saturn to orbit the sun and it cosmically reflects what happened in the studio during the recordings for the album.
This band, which is known for its experimental nature, has taken it a step further where the band members have tried and used all sorts of different techniques and tools to create the album, here are some examples.
(Photo: Gie Knaeps)
Drummer Danny Carey used many different pedals that were customized for his drum set, to allow him to create sounds in an acoustic system in addition to creating electronic sounds, there are songs on the album that sounds like three drummers playing simultaneously together.
Bassist Justin Chancellor used the "Gallien-Krueger" amplifiers he used at the beginning of his career and which were specially brought for the recordings, in order to create the sound he was looking for.
Maynard James Keenan was looking for all sorts of means to create effects in singing, the first was a pipe-bomb-mic which is basically a guitar pick-up inserted into a pipe, the attempt was unsuccessful but was used for a guitar solo. Another means was to record his voice as he sang into a snare drum.
The guitar solo in the song Jambi uses a talkbox effect that guitarist Adam Jones used after many attempts and consultations even with inventor Bob Heil and guitarist Joe Walsh known among others for his membership in the Eagles band.
Some say that it is one of the most creative and influential albums in the world of music, the album also released three very successful singles: "Vicarious", "The Pot" and "Jambi". The album conquered the Billboard charts and reached number one !!
Listen to the album on Spotify, Apple Music