Yes they can and will continue to produce stunning music. Regardless of your take on the newer direction Tool took with Lateralus, the album was a musical masterpiece with power, grace, texture, contrast and so on. Really it was stellar.

I love that they don't just release music for the sake of getting an album out, they wait until they have a body of music worth producing. That to me is far better than putting out sub-standard releases just to stay current and in the scene. I doubt Maynard has ditched Tool, if you listen to Lateralus you know they still click as musicians and the fact that they spend time apart is good, not bad. It was 6 years between their last two albums, I may have hated the wait, but from where I sit, it was well worth it.