According to The Pulse Of Radio, TOOL drummer Danny Carey offered a brief update on the progress of the band's fifth studio album in an interview with the "Children Of Saturn" radio show last week. Carey explained, "The TOOL thing is happening. Me, Adam [Jones, guitar] and Justin [Chancellor, bass] are banging away. Trying to get enough [material] to get Maynard [James Keenan, vocals] in there, but there is no wine before it's time."

Keenan, who's also been busy with side projects A PERFECT CIRCLE and PUSCIFER in recent years — not to mention his vineyards — explained in an interview last year how TOOL's writing process worked, saying, "They write forever and then we go in and knock it out. We're writing. We're writing vocals, but nothing's solid."

As of yet the band has not begun any recording for the project, which will follow up 2006's "10,000 Days".

TOOL remains as popular as ever on the road even though it's been six years between albums, but Keenan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he's never taken the band's audience for granted. "Oh, you can't ever assume that," he said. "You just have to do what feels right for you, and take the time you need and just follow your heart. And if people ended up coming around for it, great, if they didn't, then that's fine too. You can't base your life around whether people are gonna show up or not."

The band did a short tour earlier this year, although it did not unveil any new material.

Carey said at a School Of Rock event in Los Angeles this past May that the band had "the framework of at least five good songs" prepared.