Joe Barresi

The engineer who captured the weight of 10,000 Days and the precision of Fear Inoculum.

Joe Barresi, affectionately nicknamed "Evil Joe," is an American record engineer and producer who has played a crucial role in shaping Tool's sound. He engineered the band's album 10,000 Days after receiving a recommendation from Buzz Osborne of The Melvins. Later, he returned to engineer and mix their 2019 album Fear Inoculum. His work spans a massive range of heavy music, having also worked with Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden, Slipknot, and Nine Inch Nails.

Quick Facts

Affiliation: Tool (Engineer/Mixer)

Lore & Background

Barresi's path to working with Tool began after he established himself in the studio world. He started playing guitar at age seven, studying classical guitar and music theory at the University of South Florida before graduating from the University of Miami with a focus on piano and music engineering. His first major break came when he engineered a demo for producer GGGarth Richardson, leading to work with respected figures like David Kahne and Sylvia Massy. He eventually moved to Los Angeles to gain experience across various local studios, mastering different consoles and rooms. His reputation grew through engineering and mixing the self-titled debut album by Queens of the Stone Age, which was released on Loose Groove before they signed with Interscope Records. This success paved the way for him to engineer Tool's 10,000 Days, a project that defined his relationship with the band.

Reader's Guide

For fans interested in Barresi's technical approach, his work on 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum highlights his engineering precision. He is famous for developing specific recording techniques at JHOC, including the "Evil Drums" sample pack available through Platinum Samples. His methodology involves working with a wide array of artists, from punk bands like Bad Religion and Pennywise to metal giants like Judas Priest and Parkway Drive. In 2011, he traveled to Finland to work with Stam1na, showing his global reach. When listening to Tool's discography, note how Barresi balances the heavy instrumentation with clarity, a skill he refined early in his career by working at numerous Los Angeles studios to understand different acoustic environments.