Tool have played an April Fool’s joke on fans by pretending that a track from their long-awaited fifth album has leaked online.
The band – who are currently working on the follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days – claim to be furious in a Facebook post, and link to a YouTube track that’s really by Mexican folk-pop outfit Hechizeros Band. Then they suggest that Hechizeros Band actually ripped them off.
Tool say: “This music leak is unsettling on many levels. First off, it truly sucks to have your unfinished music available on the interweb without your consent. And second, to have it immediately picked up by someone and released as their own work is infuriating.
“We don’t encourage anyone to listen to this leaked clip because it’s far from finished and it will spoil what’s to come. But if you absolutely must, then listen to both clips. These are practically identical. It’s a clear cut case of copyright infringement and plagiarism.”
The spoof video is dated March 32, 2015 and the Facebook post is hashtagged “#sueeverybody” and “#marchthirtysecond.”
Tool have been the subject of a real court case, which was recently resolved after eight years. Guitarist Adam Jones said last month that the legal action had contributed to the long delay in releasing new music.