Tool Bassist Justin Chancellor’s MTVOID Project Announces ‘Matter’s Knot, Pt. 1’ Album
Is it just me or are you hearing about more and more side-projects from bands you love? Do you know about MTVOID yet? It’s a duo featuring Tool’s Justin Chancellor and Sweet Noise/Serce singer Peter Mohamed! They recently announced that they’ll release their sophomore album (yes, they already have an album out), “Matter’s Knot, Pt. 1”, on November 10! They also released the video for “MaBeLu”.
Chancellor says, “‘Matter’s Knot, Pt. 1’ is our pan-dynamic tapestry of sound and thought, twisted together and pulled taut, a connection of ideas remotely fused between Los Angeles, California and Swarzędz, Poland.”
Mohamed talks about the lead single, “MaBeLu”, “It all started with a child weeping. I heard it very early in between the notes, in between the noises. It was a fragile process that took me to all of those places that come crashing down, places that burn down to the ground leaving broken humans; lonely and sad children. It was at the time of the huge explosion in Beirut, and I was channeling my energy and trying to put myself in the mind of this child watching the catastrophe from under the ruins. The sound, the bass, the noises, and the beat all started to tell the story. Apocalypse Now… seeing the reality through the eye of cataclysm… I still believe we will get through this… we are falling off the cliff… Humanity needs that. This art drops right on the top of the wave that comes crashing and bringing the greatest transformation of our times. It’s terrifying and fascinating at the same time. ‘MaBeLu,’ I love you. I believe in you, and I will see you on the other side. Be strong.”
You can pre-order “Matter’s Knot, Pt. 1” now, with the album available on a trio of hyper limited-edition, 180g vinyl variants: glass bottle green, a Revolver-exclusive metallic swirl and standard black, as well as CD and digitally.
“Matter’s Knot, Pt. 1” track listing:
01. Death Survives
02. Lilt
03. Propagator
04. Drop-Out
05. Scanner Void
06. MaBeLu
07. Magmaficent
So the story goes, shortly after joining Tool, Justin met Peter backstage at a European festival in the mid-90s. At that time, Peter was fronting Sweet Noise. The two bonded over music and art. Peter visited Justin in L.A. in 2013 and recorded MTVOID’s debut, “Nothing’s Matter”. The album was sung entirely in Polish and features a guest appearance from Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds, with mastering by the legendary Bob Ludwig.
What do you think of the songs in this story? Are you surprised to learn that a member of Tool is part of this project? Or is that what you hope when someone ventures outside of their current gig – hit me with something different. ‘Cause I’m the latter.
