Tool Fear Inoculum impressions

Not sure I’m on board the compression train 🚂 Toot! Toot! for Tool, with the exception of Undertow. I do not knowingly listen to compressed CDs. I went to tool school where I learned to be a tool.

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Tool&album=

I'm wondering if they hurt their overall sales, releasing it the way they did. I was all set to buy it as soon as it came out without having heard anything from it, only to find out that every record store only had a handful of copies of a "special edition" CD. With that and the fact that people can stream it now for "free", how many will buy a physical copy? I know I'll pick up a vinyl copy when it becomes available, but I wonder how many others will be content to stream it. I hope they negotiated good terms when they set up their streaming deal. 

Exactly Greg!
When A7X released the Stage with only 1 hours notice to the general public, I found most stores had lots of copies of regular CD that day.
In fact FYE was selling it at $9.99!

I found this Tool marketing release to be a little baffling to say the least.

It’s a shame how compressed the new album is. Also sad how compressed the remasters for download are.
Looking at the DR DB it’s easy to see the affect of the Loudness Wars; Tool CDs released in the 90s have lower compression, thus better dynamic range. Albums released after 2000 are super compressed. It really hurts the music of a band like tool where there are polyrhythms which cant be fully appreciated, bass and kick drums compressed together, and vocals in the middle of it all.

At least, I have a couple of original CD releases. Hearing how compressed the streaming is, I’ll pick up the other CDs.

With regard to the new album, it will take a few listens before I make a judgment.

Well, I spoke too soon. The new album is sounding very good. It’s a good mix and well produced despite what the DR scale indicates.
I’m listening to hirez on Qobuz and liking most of the tracks after playing it twice.