Tool guitarist Adam Jones recently made headlines, revealing that the band has been involved in a lawsuit over several years that has taken its toll on their creative process and turning a new album around. In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Jones goes a little more in depth on the suit and offers a new album update.

Speaking about the suit, Jones states, "Basically a long time ago, the band paid my best friend to do some artwork for shirts, albums and advertising -- we've hired many, many artists over the years. And then he decided to sue us for one fifth of the money we've ever made. It was just ridiculous!"

But Jones added that just as much of a hassle was the problems with their insurance company, who have tried to back out from covering the band and are also engaged in a legal dust-up with Tool. Jones states, "I honestly think it's like if you buy auto insurance and you're in an accident, then you go to the insurance company and they say, 'Well, you drive an SUV and we don't really consider that an auto, so we're not covering you.' Then you try to argue with them and then they go, 'Well, we're suing you.'"

The guitarist says the frustrations have taken their toll as the guys have been dealing with these legal issues over the seven years since their last album. And what of their long awaited next disc? Jones says, "This lawsuit has really gotten in the way. All we want to do is get it behind us so we can focus on what we do best. I don't want to just get it out and worry about the next record and then look back and go, 'Why did I do that? It's a piece of crap.' I want to sleep well at night. It's my legacy, you know? Some day I'm gonna croak and I wanna look back on what I did and go, 'I worked really hard, took the time and had integrity.'"

The guitarist adds that the band has been working on material with a 7/4 time signature, giving them the opportunity to explore and develop both light and heavy material. He concludes, "I know our fans are frustrated and obviously want to hear new music. You gotta look at that in a good way and think, 'Wow, they really like us and they want more!' To be honest, you can't beat that feeling at all."

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