UNDERTOW
Tool
•Experimental/Post Metal
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Studio Album, released in 1993 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Intolerance (4:54) - Maynard James Keenan / lead vocals
Artwork: Adam Jones with Tool (concept) and to Quinino for the last updates Edit this entry |
Buy TOOL Undertow Music
![]() | Undertow Explicit Lyrics Sony Music Canada Inc. 1999 | $10.53 $4.83 (used) |
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TOOL Undertow ratings distribution
(510 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(13%)
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(35%)
Good, but non-essential (41%)
Collectors/fans only (9%)
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
TOOL Undertow reviews
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Collaborators/Experts Reviews
PROG REVIEWER

The opening track is a good way of kicking things off and easily pulls you into the album. "Prisonsex" has a funky siberian khatru style intro that leads into revolting lyrics "sh!t, blood and cum on my hands", and shows a more energetic yet melodic side to the band. "Sober" is a masterpiece and the best song on the album, lyrics about Jesus are told by some of Maynards most powerful vocals and this is musically incredible.
"Bottom" features Henry Rollins to help out on vocals and is an interesting and lengthy song. The title track is a real wonder on this album along with "flood" and "four degrees". These tracks continue to show off the faultless musicianship that the band have built up. "Disgustipated" is a lengthy tag along which includes sounds of crickets and recitals from the bible and is a percular track. It doesn't drag down the album or make it better really. Undertow is more for tool fans but for those starting off to listen to them i would recommend "aenima" and "lateralus" first.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

So then ten years passed, and the 'nu-metal' movement increasingly claimed the territory that the 'alternative' music had cleared. KORN and LIMP BIZKIT (and several hundred other bands) took the heaviness straight from METALLICA's unexpected MTV popularity and threw in a smattering of suburban white hip-hop. TOOL (along with fellow creepers RADIOHEAD) successfully rode the wake of this current, refining and exploring their more individual sound; new fans flocked to the sound while old fans almost never had cause to lose faith. Meanwhile, I was rediscovering my teenage love for progressive rock, and was surprised to discover that many prog fans considered TOOL to be, if not an official prog band, at least a decent modern simile. Being in a constant state of self-doubt, I decided to dust off ol' "Undertow" and see what the passage of a decade had done to my impression of the album.
Predictably, it sounds a little more dated than it did in '93 but also a lot more raw than I remembered. Nobody else really sounds like them, and they are not obviously derivative, which logically should result in a unique sound. Unfortunately (for me, if not for TOOL fans) that specific sound is really all there is to the band- it's an old cliche, but if you've heard one of their songs, you know exactly what to expect from every other song. I can discern more shades of expression now in Maynard's voice, but it is still mainly a one-trick pony, going from a flat almost-speaking tone to a ragged, swooping yell in a similar fashion on most songs. The often highly-regarded lyrics have a self- consumed, tortured poetic pose- peppered with some naughty words to prove that he's 'raw'- but little in the way of thought-provoking concepts or meaningful depth (hey kids, and critics: "deep" and "weird" are not always interchangeable). The individual tracks do have more distinctiveness than I once gave them credit for; however, I still believe that a lot of the sections could be swapped between songs with little appreciable difference. I still think that "Disgustipated" is more of a 'messing around in the studio' throw-away track than a bit of conceptual genius. I'll testify firsthand TOOL puts on a great live show, but somehow a significant amount of that energy isn't forthcoming when listening to their recordings.
Ultimately, I respect the band and wish them all the success they've earned, but "Undertow" is still not enough to get me excited. I can't really consider the album progressive rock (or even prog-metal) despite their occasional use of unusual rhythms, but they are undoubtedly 'progressive' for the modern heavy scene. A lukewarm but objective, aprreciative three stars from me; you don't have to go too far to hear them, and you'll know from the first few seconds whether TOOL is your kind of band or not. Maybe in another decade I'll pull the album out again.
PROG REVIEWER

Intolerance begins the album as a solid alternative rock/metal song with good guitar riffing. Prison Sex is an early classic from the band. It contains good guitar riffing, nice bass playing, and a very dark tone. Sober is another solid alt. rock track that anyone can like. Bottom is a longer song, and has a mellow section which of course is amazing (Tool never fails in making interesting mellow sections). This song has a similar style and structure as the better 'Push It'. Crawl Away is not very good unfortunately, and fails to make interesting riffs/melodies. Swamp Song is a typical angry Tool song and it is good. The Title Track is worth of being the song with the name of the album, and in my opinion is the strongest song of the album. The one and only reason is because of that led-zeppelin-like soaring guitar riff. 4 Degrees has brilliant musicianship, and shows hints of mastery on musical compositions. Flood is a long and slightly progressive heavy track, but unfortunately is not very impressive. Disgustipated is interesting but incredibly flawed! It starts promising with the political attack (or religious attack), the mesmerizing drumming, and the repetitive whispering of 'this is necessary' 'life feeds on life ... feeds on life ... feeds on life ... feeds on' 'this is necessary' and so on. I really love that section, but when it finishes, there is about 8 minutes of silence until you hear a recorded message.
1. Intolerance (6/10) 2. Prison Sex (7/10) 3. Sober (6.5/10) 4. Bottom - Henry Rollins (7/10) 5. Crawl Away (3.5/10) 6. Swamp Song (6/10) 7. Undertow (7.5/10) 8. 4° (7/10) 9. Flood (5/10) 10. Disgustipated (8.5/10) 8-minute silence (0/10)
My score : C
PROG REVIEWER

The sounds here are very heavy, and there are a lot of very dark sounds. This is more or less an album with a depressing sound to it. That being said, the album is very dull to me. Sober is one of the most overrated and uninteresting songs in the metal genre, right up there with Enter Sandman as down right dull. This album helped Tool gain an audience for what was to be their magnum opus, Aenima.
This album has a few strong points, but overall it lacks the "it" factor of a good prog album and later Tool albums.
PROG REVIEWER

PROG REVIEWER

Tool is ever bit as socially aware as their alternative metal contemporaries Rage Against the Machine, but they bring a level of experimentation to the mix. The band sounds like King Crimson meets Black Sabbath, and the similarities to existing bands end there. Aenima is the place to start for Tool, but fans must own this release.
Grade: C+
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

"Intolerance" - somewhere between Black Sabbath and Placebo, there is a definite air of progression about the riffing, which is broken down and built up through the verse chorus structure, with a new AC/DC inspired idea kicking off a return to the main riff for an interesting bridge that features a repeated chant and Barrett-esque plectrum slides up and down the guitar neck. The concentration on a single riff idea with interesting jammed ideas arising from it gives it the feel of psychedelic rock.
A sound effect starts "Prison Sex", which then launches into a funked-up Sabbath style riff. The repetition in this song cements its metal roots - and again, Tool use the trick of breaking down the riff for the bridge.
"Sober" kicks off with a fullsome bass, and Radiohead-esque guitar work - but all centers around a rythmic idea on a single chord.
We get to "Bottom", and, as expected, it's more of the same - the main "problem" I have is that every song is in the same tonal area, so that once you've heard one song, you've pretty much heard everything they have to offer.
"Flood" is where things start to get more interesting - but a song it remains.
"Disgustipated", the closest thing to Prog on the entire album, begins with some very interesting rhythmic and ambient ideas that accompany an apparently comical preacher. Once the preacher has finished, the next section of the piece seems to be based on the crowd rain chant from "Woodstock". A rhythmic bridge leads to a texturally enhanced re- iteration of the chant before the crickets start up, preceeding a spoken section - the words to which don't really grab me, but that's a personal thing.
However, from a progressive point of view, there are no "exotic" instrumentations, (even counting the quasi-Sitar sound at the beginning of, and the Tabla and other somewhat vaguely Eastern sounds in 4 Degrees - the only really different song on here), no big surprises, and no development of musical form, especially compared to more adventurous bands like, say, Radiohead. There is, in fact, closer comparison to grunge bands, particularly Kurt Cobain's Nirvana - especially in the 5 minutes of crickets chirping included in "Disgustipated", which reminds me of the silence before the "hidden track" on "Nevermind" - and Rage Against the Machine.
Hence my marking is, as ever, based on the Prog Rock quotient - as a work of Progressive anything, this offers little interest. This might well be your bag - and the riffs that Tool write rock very hard, and the breakdowns and use of plectrum sliding and feedback creates nice effects that accentuate tempo changes. This is [i]a[/i] way that metal developed, with easily traceable roots, not a sea-change in the genre.
Any fan of post 1990s metal should find something to like in here, but fans of Prog Rock may wonder what the fuss is about. "Disgustipated" shows potential for later albums, however.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

In terms of composition, it's good to know that the band has strong songwriting with musical approach that put emphasize on heavy groove, distorted guitar and heavy rhythm section through dynamic bass lines and dazzling drum work. Take example of track 3 "Sober" where the band tries to craft the ambient of spacey music overlaid with distorted guitar effects, screaming vocal and variation of tone ups and downs that stir your emotions. The guitar solo in the ending part of the track is quite interesting especially when it is followed with excellent music riffs demonstrating bass guitar work. Even when the next track "Bottom" where Henry Rollins takes vocal job, the ambient is being continued with further guitar solo that sounds a bit like U2 guitar style. I think in this track Rollins doing his job quite well even though I prefer Maynard James Keenan's voice. Again, through this track the bass lines are quite dominant.
Overall, this is a good album with good composition especially in songwriting. The key for this album is not on melody but it's much more to do with groove and textures. As the band has progressed, this album seems like the strong foundation for them to move forward because the music composed here is what the band use as reference for their follow-up albums. Keep on proggin' ..!
Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

Tool's first album is a far cry from what they would eventually become. It is, in fact, a fairly good metal album, but that's not what we prog heads are after. Here is a collection of fairly straightforward metal tunes, all quite basic and unremarkable. There are a couple longer songs, but apparently they haven't figured out how to master it yet. In the end this is a fairly forgettable album that's at it's best while it's not in your cd player.
While it would be fairly redundant to remark upon every song on this album, there are some high and some (especially) low points.
The album's highest points revolve around the sound that would eventually become the band's main sound. The title track UNDERTOW is a good example of this, but hey, Tool's title tracks are usually the best songs off the albums, as is INTOLERANCE (even if it is a very basic metal song). SOBER is a good example of Keenan's vocals as a leading force in the band, and shows a good range in his voice while proving that there's a lot of emotion to be had there. There's a couple other fairly okay songs, but these are the standouts.
Low points...
DISGUSTIPATED was expected to be the highpoint on this one, showing up at 15 minutes. This is a track which is actually just some chanting followed by minutes of silence. This is especiialy mean to do to prog fans who love to hear long stuff, especially from this band. Those of us who now have the ability of hindsight would look forward to this track with all kinds of anticipation after hearing songs like 10,000 Days and Third Eye. While it's not fair to attack a band for not producing the caliber of work that they would make a decade later this track is still a disappointment to prog fans. PRISON SEX, the single off this album is another song that's not especially great. Metal. Early 90s Metal at that. Nothing good or progressive there.
In the end this is an album that simply does not have much to offer. It's few good points are quite good, however, and that's what saves this album a bit and gives it 2 stars. However, as stated before, if you're not a huge Tool fan, just skip this one. Only recommended for metal-heads and Tool fans. This is definately (thank god) not a sign of things to come.
PROG REVIEWER

Most of the songs on UNDERTOW are straightforward. A little too straightforward, quite honestly, as the lyrics have yet to become as intelligent and obscure as they are on the following albums. Yet, this is also a clear transitional period for the band, as we do get a taste of some ''proggy'' tracks on the record (Most notably the title track and the epic ''Disgustipated'', which features nearly seven minutes of nothing but distant cricket chirps), but not enough to really make this a progressive album as a whole.
So, is this album recommended? No, not really. I think any prog fan who wants to get into Tool should definately steer clear of this one, as well as the previous EP ''Opiate'', simply because it may confuse them as to why Tool is even on this website. If you want to experience Tool for the first time, I would suggest either of the following two albums, because what came to pass after UNDERTOW would change the lives of listeners (Including myself) forever. I am so glad that Tool changed their direction after this effort, as they are the reason I am a prog fan today. This album is good, but it isn't really a good prog album, so three stars should suffice.
PROG REVIEWER

PROG REVIEWER

Intolerance introduces the listener to a sound which will become characteristic of this impressive outfit. The lyrics are still a bit unrefined and unsubtle but then we're hardly expecting Seamus Heaney here are we? After all Seamus
Prison Sex. A big one to captivate the audience. GROAN (sorry couldn't resist that one)
Sober: measured, forceful, liberally sprinkled with expletives. For me this is where Tool leave the oppo in their wake. Top notch music and thoughtful non-patronising lyrics:(I am just a worthless liar/I am just an imbecile/I will only complicate you/Trust in me and fall as well/I will find a centre in you/I will chew it up and leave/I will work to elevate you/just enough to bring you down)
Unfortunately Bottom is not quite in the same league (My piss and moans are fuel/I set my head on fire/And smell my soul is burning). And, to be honest musically it is a little bit more
I really like Crawl Away. Difficult break up? Get bit messed up, angry and p****d off. understandable, and a lot easier and cathartic than listening to Steve Wilson whining on for 5 albums.
Oh baby, for the bass players out there (and I don't mean the Hadrien Feraud types) the intro to Swamp Song is sweet. Simple, easy to play but it just oozes and drips sex. Nothing to do with the lyrics or the song but all you bass players will know exactly what I'm talking about. This line just has IT. Can't remember anything about the rest of the song except the rest of the band have to do some stops and a wee middle 8 type thing (turns into a bit of a middle 48) to prove they're still there, but we all know that everyone is just waiting for the line to come back. And like all good things it comes to those who wait. Gorgeous.
Undertow itself is a great Rollin track. Guitar more to the fore. Slightly edgier sound and vocal attack. Percussion is in there rolling crescendos. There's the obligatory chugging grunge guitar although amusingly there's a little play with timing that takes it out of the cliché.
4 degrees interesting nice rhythm. there's just that tad more going on here than the standard grunge to set it apart.
Flood ... sorry nah disappointingly heavy end to an otherwise excellent debut.
not quite the end because of the very weird Disgutipated. Yes, well pity the carrots I say. there's a several minute cricket song with a spoken vocal at the end: sort of the hidden track type thing. I can't really be bothered with that.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

The music is grunge inspired but with a lot more emphazis on rythm. Tool is a very dynamic band and can go from almost silence to noisy escapades. This would develop more on subsequent releases but here on Undertow it is used most effectively. The songs are some of the most accessible in Tool´s discography and you can even sing along to some of them. The first three songs are all killer tracks that I enjoy very much. Bottom is one of those highly dynamic songs and Crawl Away and Swamp song are also great songs. It´s with the title track that you hear the grunge influence most clearly and I´m thinking Badmoterfinger by Soundgarden but don´t worry it´s only hints. The next song is also very good but with Flood I think they make an error when the intro to that song is drawn out and it becomes boring. The last song Disgustipated isn´t to my liking either and if you ask me they should have ended the album before Flood.
The musicianship is excellent and it´s great to hear that rock music can be played with such depth and compexity without losing it´s commercial appeal. In that respect Tool is pretty unique.
The production is not as heavy as on their later albums but I really enjoy this sound.
I´m one of those Tool fans that thinks their two first album were the best and that they became a bit too experimental on Lateralus so after Ænima this is my favorite Tool album. There are so many emotions at play and with a singer like Maynard James Keenan both anger and despair is released upon the world in healthy doses. Undertow is a unique album and even though it has flaws it´s still excellent and deserves 4 stars.
PROG REVIEWER

The style is similar than this previous EP, but of course with a better production and sound... And with more memorable songs, of course. The tracks are short, and far from the experimentation of later albums. The music is very riff oriented, and the style of the riffs reminds me to some nu-metal band of the beginning of the 90's, like Rage Against the Machine. Of course, Maynard James Keenan's personal voice is not rap... But the style of Undertow, in my opinion, is closer than nu-metal than progressive or experimental metal.
This special way of making music Tool has, was not really developed in Undertow... Except from some parts of songs like 4 Degrees, Bottom and the beginning of Flood, there are not too many experimental moments, just this amount of heavy riffing mixed with the wonderful Keenan's voice. This personal way of playing Adam Jones has, the experimentation, the crazy sounds... Are almost imposible to hear in Undertow. Just his typical riffing and thick sound. All these imaginative facts would come later, in Aenima and of course in the great Lateralus. The Danny Carey drums are also not so spectacular like in these albums...
But Undertow is an excellent metal album anyway... All the songs are good, and every one of them has something special. The great riffing of Intolerance, the whole Prison Sex track, the brilliant chorus of Sober, the extreme metal influenced Crawl Away, the carchy lyrics of Swamp Song... A bunch of really enjoyable metal tracks. But maybe not too interesting from the progressive point of view.
Best tracks: really, except the weird Disgustipated, I find good all the songs included in Undertow!
Conclusion: if you like the nu-metal style, but without the typical rap singing, and with bit more experimentation... Then Undertow is your album. But this is not the genuine Tool's style yet. The true original and innovative ideas would come later. But Undertow is a great metal album anyway... But if you are searching for something truly progressive or experimental, you'll hardly find it here.
ProgArchives rating:***1/2
PROG REVIEWER

Comparing this to Opiate is superfluous, but I must.
This is a serious step-down from the debut EP. There is more of a grunge sound to this album then an alternative metal one, alternative is a genre still going strong where as grunge was born and died so quickly like disco. Regardless, Adam Jones and Maynard, the more critically claimed musicians of this band, really take a step down.
Adam Jones struck me as a pretty decent guitarist in some Tool songs, but his creative path had the shortest light of almost any guitarist I know of. Unlike on 'Opiate', he doesn't throw down some nice guitar riffs, but instead now creates one for the verse, and change the rhythm and dynamics on the same exact chord for the verse.come on now, is that progressive at all?
Maynard once again shows how he has such a limited range in his *supposed* perfect voice and singing talents. I'm surprised the band didn't make Maynard redo certain parts on the album. The end of 'Sober', parts in 'Crawl Away' and various other spots on the album.
Overall this album is really weak. The band does not develop their ideas and songs well like the archetypical prog band. Even the songs start to begin sounding the same. The only thing worthy on this album to listen to is 'Sober' which even has a 'Kashmir' like rhythm to it.
'Disgustipated' is one song that would carry on with Tool for the rest of their careers. That is, a useless song that just takes up space. Guess I just don't understand the higher artistic vision behind it (sarcasm).
Since I really don't bother listening to this band besides 'Aenima' or 'Lateralus' I noticed in 'Swamp Song', that they have the same exact riff in my favorite song by Tool called 'Third Eye'. Just what is going on with this band anyway?
After 'Sober' became a hit, Tool just needed a good marketing scheme and a 'troubled' targeted audience.
PROG REVIEWER

I buy this album on a discount in a cd store... I thought it would be interesting, so many people was talking about this mainsteam "prog" band., so I go and spin it like 3 times, then I get the picture why it was in discount... sure no one buy such a bad album... yes, this is not for a prog fan, mantain as far as you can of this album, please...
OK, I don't have any other experience with the rest of the productions of this band, but it's because of this album, that really let me down... I promise to never buy an album without check some songs before or something like that... so, what is wrong about it... let's see...
One, there's no sense at all in the music direction, you know, the songs are filled with little noises and post production efects that really do not bring nothing to the mix... The sound is horrible, seems a little low budget to me, but the problem is that it is intentional... you know, they seem to be too much under Grunge influential at that time, and I like Grunge, but this guys seem to not fit on that mood...
Two, there's no melody at all... the quality of the voice of this guy is horrible -at least in this album, because I like his work on A Perfect Circle-... and the band in general sound too much a "garage band"... Like they were just plugged in and record it below effects of a strange substance...
and last... because the atmosphere is so freaking though... everytime I tried to give the album a chance I always wanted to be out of all that low self estime, axious, dark moods that feel so dense and that don't take you to anywhere, just leave you there feeling pathetic about everything...
So, maybe I give them a shot sometime, but deffenitely not in this album... WARNING, stay away from it... maybe you can contaminain yourself if you stand near to it... one star...
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Metal Team

Not really for this album though. After the festival, I systematically foraged record stores till this debut was finally available. I couldn't be more disappointed. None of the live energy of this band had been captured in the recording of this album. All songs sound like each others clone and the performance is so lifeless that things rarely get off the ground. Apart from the opener, only Sober and Swamp Song rise out above the unremarkable murk that surrounds them. Sober especially manages to build up quite a tension. Other material like Prison Sex may have become a hit but around the time of its release this had been done 100 times before by bands like Soundgarden and especially Mindfunk.
It always amazed me how Tool managed to become so popular. Not that they are not welcome to it, they are sincere musicians who always followed their heart. But I always thought them not really catchy enough for mainstream and not original and innovative enough for prog crowds. But as it turned out I'm very glad they introduced many youngsters to more challenging music and won many over to prog rock. But it would take Tool a few more years till they managed to record an album that sounded really convincing to me.
PROG REVIEWER

While this work may not be prog metal, (alt metal? art rock? ...post metal? We're still not sure) it is not your standard metal album. The album is heavy, but minimal. Gone are the lavish riffs of the 80's instead replaced with mainly chords, simple palm muted picking, and strange noises. Do not be fooled though. The 90's saw the birth of nu metal with its drop A, simplistic heavy riffs. That is not Tool. They are far too great musicians for that.
The guitar work is heavy, simple and sometimes minimalistic but it is atmospheric. That is what sets Tool apart. The bass work D'Amour is great. It has a heavy pick sound and really adds to the atmosphere, especially in quieter sections without guitar. Danny Carey is great as you'd expect. His drum work is not nearly as brilliant as his later works, but it is pretty good. He can still lay down some powerful metal drumming, (the second half of Crawl Away has a pretty intense part in it!).
This leaves us with Maynard. His vocals are wonderful. Melodic, hard edged, yelling, whatever fits the mood. His lyrics are brilliant, and this is of course one of the selling point of Tool. His vocals are not as diverse as we'll hear on later albums however.
Sober is my favorite song on the album. Dark, powerful stuff that runs the gambit from heavy, post-grunge to minimalist. Crawl Away and Undertow are other high point. Undertow is particularly gripping over the second half and especially towards to end.
Flood is a pretty minimalist song, but it picks up over the second half. The crescendo is amazing, as it seems so powerful when it gets there, (for a second I just thought of a John Cage metal song....) er, anyway there is some technical stuff over the second half with a great metal ending.
However, there are some low points. Disgustipated. An almost 16 minute song. To a newcomer of Tool, or prog-metal in general, you may expect a prog epic. Don't. The entire song is noise. Literally. Yup, one of those famous Tool songs. Part of the reason I like Tool, is also the reason I dislike them at times, their artsy tendencies. Their art for art sakes, if I may. Such as disgustipated or their segues on later albums of just noise. I believe the drummer more or less admitted to, (on a later album) using this filler to stretch the length of the album just to do so, (or to give the produces 2 seconds of breathing room). Anyway, if you're into cool, but I'm not!
None of the other songs are "bad" but often they can get dull, or at least slow, for parts. So, this albums has the heaviness of metal, but eschews most else. Perhaps not to levels we'll see later, but it's not later right now...is it? Decent album, good for a metal fan, prog metal fan, or progger who is more tolerable, (or any stoners that can just chill to it). Good stuff, not great.
Three Stars
PROG REVIEWER

"Intolerance" has a really good sound to it instrumentally, especially the bass and drums.This is one of my favourites and shows the direction and style the band would develope more in the future. "Prison Sex" is a fan favourite but for me the title and music is "meh". Whatever. "Sober" starts off great with the bass and especially the guitar that comes in quickly. Reserved vocals a minute in. It kicks in with some f-bombs as contrasts continue. "Bottom" again has some killer bass on it. A calm before 2 1/2 minutes with atmosphere. Great section. Henry Rollins comes in with spoken words during this passage. It kicks back in after 4 1/2 minutes. "Crawl Away" sounds so cool when it kicks in with guitar, bass and drums. Vocals as it settles 1 1/2 minutes in. Not for long though. Good song.
"Swamp Song" opens with bass as drums and guitar join in. Vocals too. Catchy tune. "Undertow" sounds great to open with that guitar. It kicks in quickly. Some excellent bottom end here and guitar. I like this one a lot. "4" opens with strummed guitar. It turns heavy with vocals. "Flood" is dark to start out, kind of haunting. It kicks in heavily but slowly before a minute. I like the drumming here. It's 4 1/2 minutes in before the tempo picks up and vocals follow. Nice. "Disgustipated" has lots of silence then some sounds come in and spoken words. A waste.
If not for the last song a solid 3 stars, but i'll give it the third star (barely). Never quite understood why they put disturbing pictures in the liner notes and why they use raunchy lyrics. I guess this impressed the teens back in the day. Gimmicks.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Post/Math Rock Team

At the time these guys didn't have a completely unique sound but, nonetheless, didn't sound like most metal bands then. With 2010 ears this sounds to me like a mix of early 80s Crimson mixed with late 80s Voivod. At the time I just thought they were a cool sounding metal band. I think the press referred to bands who sounded like this as "sludge metal" back then. Even on this album you can tell Danny Carey is a great drummer. "Intolerance" is a pretty weak opener. Never really cared for the song. "Bottom" features Henry Rollins doing a spoken word section.
The title track is one of the better songs here. I cannot type the symbol for "degrees", so...."4 [degrees]" is interesting. It starts with electric sitar and in the middle has some tabla. Nice. "Flood" has a really boring start; it takes forever to get going. "Disgustipated" is the most interesting song on the whole album. It starts with what sounds like wood being chopped and Maynard imitating a preacher. He talks about the "cries of the carrots" and whatnot. Then you hear some guitar noises and a loud percussion section where you hear: "This is necessary...life feeds on life" over and over. At the end you hear somebody talking on a telephone or something.
Tool would get proggier over the next two albums. I still have never heard all of Aenima yet. When it was released I was in my classic rock phase where I accidentally discovered prog. This album deserves 2.5, but compared to Lateralus I have to knock it down to 2 stars.
PROG REVIEWER

'Undertow' is their debut full-length album. As many reviewers have pointed out, this is far simpler and less proggy than they would become, but on its own terms 'Undertow' works very well indeed. Its outstanding moments include standard heavy rocker 'Intolerance', the hit 'Sober', the sludgy 'Bottom', 'Crawl Away' and the more complex 'Flood.'
What do I hear when I listen to this album? A band pulling itself out of the swamp of early '90s grunge, owing a debt to NIRVANA and JANE'S ADDICTION but determined to find its own voice. A lyricist with a determination to expose the darkness within himself and others, with no subject too sacred to stir - 'Prison Sex' being the obvious example. Brutality leavened with gentleness, anger with compassion, lyrics matched with music that hammers home the message. But I also hear a band not yet confident enough to let go and beggar the consequences: that will come on the next, earth-shattering album.
After 'Undertow' TOOL was already being heralded as being great. Not quite, in my opinion, but that was soon to come.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams

What I hear on this album is mostly a blend of alternative rock and metal. Occasionally there are a few prog riffs thrown in, and some nonstandard time signatures, but nothing too complex. Although not terribly progressive, I find that the album does stand up as an excellent form of hard rock. I presume fans will tell me that I have to get their later albums to fully appreciate the band. And if I can find the albums at a good price, I probably will do that.
PROG REVIEWER

SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Team

Tool's debut "Undertow" is little rough around the edges but still boasts some of the band's finest material. It is inconsistent in terms of quality but has some shining moments. The wonderful raucous 'Bottom' certainly contains the trademark pentatonic scale guitar playing of Adam Jones, in downtuned D distortion. The vocals on this are by guest Henry Rollins, but overall the vocals are well executed on the album by Maynard Keenan that range from screams to quiet low groans.
'Crawl Away' builds with some speedy riffs and some innovative time sig changes, as well as a pulsating bassline from Paul D'Amour. The percussion is sporadic and strong from Danny Carey, blending jazz fills to metal blastbeats in turn.
'Swamp Song' features a mesmirising riff with bass and guitar modulations. There are a lot of expletives and rage on the album that I tire of, but the musicianship is always a drawcard for Tool. 'Undertow' is a good example of the effective riffing and has an innovative structure. The way it slows at the end is inspiring for other upcoming metal artists; Tool show that time sigs can be manipulated with metal distortion.
'4°' has that nice layered vocal that would permeate every Tool album that sings along with the repetitive polyrhythms of Jones' guitar. It is not as intricate and fascinating as the Tool to come but it is a good start in the right direction. 'Flood' has a cool slow riff that crawls menacingly along with cymbal splashes and an everpresent bass. As the vocals come in an angular riff locks in and it sounds very much like the more progressive Tool to come.
As with all Tool albums this ends with an oddity that is basically an attack on organised religion with a preacher lighting up the pulpit with a lengthy rant. This leads into the percussive rain chant from "Woodstock", or at least it sounds like it, before it runs out of steam. Worth hearing at least once, this ending is one of the worst dullest Tool album closers, at 15:47. It is easy to get excited seeing an epic on the album cover but this repetitive mumbo jumbo is a total waste, and even moves into an elongated silence with distant crickets chirping that goes on and on and on until after about 6 minutes of maddening crickets a voice spouts some nonsense. Tool missed the perfect opportunity to scare us witless with an ear piercing scream, anything would have been better than that effect. It signifies the more experimental side of Tool and thankfully they improved dramatically with "Aenima".
Overall a solid debut showing what Tool were capable of, featuring the angular polyrhythms and downtuned D pentatonic scale, the layered aggressive vocals and time sig changes are all here. As we all know now the best was yet to come with the next 3 albums, but this debut is worth checking out.
PROG REVIEWER

Most of us got our first exposure to the group via their disturbing but fascinating stop-action videos that effectively set them apart from the glut of flannel-garbed sheep herders. Yet it was, of necessity, their music that really grabbed our collective attention. They had their own individual sound that disassociated their persona from the still-dominant Seattle scene altogether while lyrically they presented their scathing views on late 20th century civilization in a brutally honest and undisguised manner that fit right in with what was going on in music at the time. History has proven that nothing has more impact than originality and there's scarcely an artist or group of musicians that have made a lasting impression without that important characteristic being foremost. Tool was the huge yellow sunflower growing up amidst a field of same-colored daisies that grabbed your eye from the word go and made you take notice whether you wanted to or not. "Undertow" was definitely not your parents' rock & roll. A new spin had been spun.
The opener, "Intolerance," revealed that these guys had discovered a totally unique take on riff-driven heavy rock, one that was very dark and massively intense. The song has a tribal appeal rhythmically and avoids the stereotypical structure that was predominant in that era. "Prison Sex" has a more staccato edge to it yet it's not as unorthodox as the previous cut. What becomes apparent is that instead of relying on the tried-and-true hot guitar solo they depend more on melodic interludes to keep things interesting while never ignoring the essential ingredient of dynamics. On "Sober" guitarist Adam Jones uses distortion and dissonance to create gut-wrenching tension while vocalist Maynard James Keenan emphasizes emotion over unintelligible screaming to express his angst. "Bottom" follows and it's a tune built upon a tricky riff but one that drummer Danny Carey expertly tames enough to make it feel completely natural and unforced. I really like how they allow the middle movement of the song to contain open spaces that let the spoken lines create the desired impact. Keenan's armor-piercing, long-held high note will rattle your spine. "Crawl Away" is next. A gritty riff sets the stage for a strong dose of what I'd term more traditional hard rock fare that turns extremely metallic during the mid section.
A hypnotic 6/4 time signature identifies "Swamp Song" as being special and the band constructs a musty, mysterious air to surround it. Jones' enormous guitar tone fills up a large tract of territory all by itself. I especially admire how they always find intriguing alleys to go traipsing down without sacrificing one iota of momentum. "Undertow" is an example of how the group allows Paul D'Amour's bass guitar to play a major part in the presentation instead of just being relegated to the basic foundation. His contributions give all their compositions a cohesiveness that's rarely encountered. The abrupt changes in direction encountered during this number demonstrate their willingness to go outside of their own, self-imposed parameters. A more subtle intro for "4*" offers a nice respite from the weighty density of their music for a moment but, at the same time, I love how they maintain an other-worldly ambience and avoid falling into a restrictive rut of predictability. In particular Maynard makes his vocal be more of an essential instrument in their sound than just a prerequisite addition on top. The beginning strains of "Flood" sneak in covertly before the band explodes into a hellish soundscape so palpable that you can almost smell the burning pools of sulfur. Halfway through the piece another one of Adam's stringent guitar riffs appears, then Keenan jumps in to take the song hurtling over the brink into a red oblivion. This is one of the most ferocious tunes you'll ever hear. The final cut is way off the reservation, an almost 16-minute-long abstract, experimental collage of noises and beats layered over a salesman-slick tirade entitled "Disgustipated." Shy is not an adjective that should be used within several hundred miles of Tool.
Released in April of 1993, "Undertow" only rose to #50 on the album charts but its main significance was that it figuratively broke up the logjam that grunge had created in the stream of modern popular music. Metal, it turned out, wasn't dead in the water at all. It just needed a progressive attitude adjustment in order for it to resurface and make its presence known again. Tool was just beginning to make big ripples, it turned out, and they never wavered from their we'll-let-our-music-do-all-the-talking-thank-you-very-much stance that continues to grant them immense respect from proggers worldwide. 3.5 stars.
PROG REVIEWER

Fortunately for prog fans, Tool has a lot of musical appeal, too, even on this early album where the band is still working out their identity and sound. For an alt-rock album, it's amazingly ambitious and effective; for a prog-metal record, it's somewhat light-weight. The song writing isn't as creative or gripping as we'll hear on their later works, though still great when compared to the sort of standard FM fare we still hear on modern rock radio stations. For me the biggest attraction is the band's playing, which is undeniably great. Each member of Tool is like a dark magician, creating evil spells alone in a corner with their instruments. There's no member of the group that steals the spotlight, with solo moments, for example; instead, the band are consummately focused on the effect that each of their evil spells contributes to the experience. The rhythm section is one of the best in modern rock, and Adam Jones' guitar single-handily creates an astounding amount of noise and effects.
Of course, one can't talk about a Tool album without touching on Maynard Keenan. The guy's a master performer. His emotion and phrasing are well above his peers, though in this early album his lyrics are so focused on frustration and anger that they sort of lose me in the end. The songs have messages, but they're usually about how much the narrator wants the listener to die. Being the listener, I sort of have a problem with that! So for this early outing, Maynard's vocals get a pass.
The album as a whole should definitely be picked up by fans of the band, who on Prog Archives are probably coming
from the group's more diverse, experimental, and enjoyable later albums. If you enjoy dark, fuzz-heavy, and menacing
metal, Undertow could become a go-to release for you; for me, it's an every once and a while enjoyment. Songwriting: 3 - Instrumental Performances: 4 - Lyrics/Vocals: 3 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 3
Latest members reviews
This is not Tool's debut album but its their first studio album and also a big improvement from "Opiate"
"Undertow" combines this raw sounding with very strong upbeat and heavy songs. For a first studio album it is superb,
you can hear the sounding of the music turning more and more progressive w
... (read more)
Report this review (#1598088) | Posted by Rodrigo Andrade7 | Tuesday, August 16, 2016 | Review Permanlink
Tool-Undertow
'Undertow' is the debut studio album by progressive/alt metal band Tool. Tool made a great start with their debut
EP 'Opiate', it was unique, heavy, and a bit experimental on the last track. A year later they released their debut
studio album, and it expanded upon everything the
... (read more)
Report this review (#1354918) | Posted by Pastmaster | Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | Review Permanlink
"Undertow" is the debut album by the American progressive/alternative metal band, Tool.
The full - length debut album is said to have kept the life of all heavy metal in the
mainstream media due to it's success. "Undertow" is also the cause of Tool's undeniable
later success, being that thei
... (read more)
Report this review (#1261821) | Posted by aglasshouse | Wednesday, August 27, 2014 | Review Permanlink
Tool's "Undertow" is the album that I've listened to more times than anything else. In fact, I
probably spun this thing up every day for close to three years after I first heard it circa 1993.
But it wasn't an immediate love affair.
There are albums that you hear once, and which you instantly
... (read more)
Report this review (#959260) | Posted by bonestorm | Wednesday, May 15, 2013 | Review Permanlink
7.5/10
I know. I know. This here not remember the Tool that would later be hailed as a major force in
metal today, but one has to say that Undertow is very different sound grunge / alternative from
the early 90s. Although the band is listed as "alternative metal", I believe they are bold enou
... (read more)
Report this review (#929865) | Posted by voliveira | Thursday, March 14, 2013 | Review Permanlink
The band is not down to earth:
Undertow is once more another highly reflective album. The example in reference is for example to listen to your parents for a life long lived.
This group has done so much wrong--meaning drugs, divining, etc they reflect this unto their audience. And so the exp
... (read more)
Report this review (#305240) | Posted by thewickedfall | Monday, October 18, 2010 | Review Permanlink
It doesn't matter how "proggy" Undertow is...what makes it so good is it's sheer poetic darkness. It
may be one of the darkest albums I've ever heard. It's not any typical "I was bullied in high school
and I'm so damn metal" type of album, no, this is real despair here.
Every song is full of ha
... (read more)
Report this review (#278766) | Posted by CinemaZebra | Tuesday, April 20, 2010 | Review Permanlink
First album by this american band called Tool, in 1993 they made this good work, i was amazed by the
great voice of james keenard and his dramatic style, giving one of the great forces on the band, and
the tune presented in this album by tool consist in the bass line, we are talking about good
mu
... (read more)
Report this review (#269201) | Posted by JgX 5 | Monday, March 1, 2010 | Review Permanlink
The First Step TOOL's first album is somewhat different from the typical TOOL
album: it's still progressive metal, but with a great deal of weirdness. Undertow is their
most ''straightforward'' album to date. There is more emphasis on a metal sound, (hey they got
Henry Rollins of BLACK FLAG fa
... (read more)
Report this review (#260404) | Posted by ZeroDreamPlasMaximus | Monday, January 11, 2010 | Review Permanlink
Tool's first album is a good debut, but does not achive the same amount of greatness the
latter albums have gotten. Undertow is not a prog album, there may be hints of prog here and
there but it's mostly a alternative rock/ metal album. There are some great songs on this
album like Sober, Pris
... (read more)
Report this review (#255804) | Posted by Mitch17 | Saturday, December 12, 2009 | Review Permanlink
No One is Innocent!!!!!!
Very nice album, even not prog at all. Amazing songwriting, but the music is a bit dull and
repeating. Nothing comparable to the rest of theiy career, of course. The musicians' skills are
excellent, in particular about Maynard's voice, but I think that the album is too
... (read more)
Report this review (#209485) | Posted by Progghettaro | Wednesday, April 1, 2009 | Review Permanlink
I bought this album in Dunedin, New Zealand. I printed the lyrics. And you know I was so amazed. This is a great debut in my opinion. Songs like Sober, Prison sex and flood are just splendid. Maynard's voice in prison sex is brilliant. Although the album is not so progressive I recommend it for Tool
... (read more)
Report this review (#189876) | Posted by Lopolik | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 | Review Permanlink
SFECLĂ DE SARE
I tried, not once, but several times to enjoy this album. In spite my efforts of blaming only myself
of being narrow minded or addicted to modern sounds I simply couldn't enjoy Undertow. And it's no
wonder since the album is poor. After a total disaster, entitled Opiate, Too
... (read more)
Report this review (#176269) | Posted by Zarec | Monday, July 7, 2008 | Review Permanlink
Tool's first album Undertow is not really prog but the band shows some signs of what is to come in future Tool albums. I
pretty much like this album from start to finish. A very metal grungy feel to this album. Maynard's lyrics are very dark and
angry most of the time and guitarist Adam Jones disp
... (read more)
Report this review (#150625) | Posted by JROCHA | Wednesday, November 14, 2007 | Review Permanlink
Tools debut album and its more alt metal then prog then thiere later albums, and yeah its good but not great for me i liked the album
very much when i first got it but it grow old pretty fast for me and i hardly lisen to it now days while thiere other album still sounds
fresh. It got some realy
... (read more)
Report this review (#146131) | Posted by Zargus | Saturday, October 20, 2007 | Review Permanlink
I am completely sickened that 'Undertow' got the review it recieved. The ONLY other 15
year old album in my stereo played consistantly is the original 'RATM' album. Tool can't be
classified as metal,grunge,alternative or pop. Undertow was as new and original
as 'Badmotorfinger' or ooohhh aahhh
... (read more)
Report this review (#82631) | Posted by | Tuesday, July 4, 2006 | Review Permanlink
A difficult album to review for me, cause there are some days when I think it is
excellent, and others a subpar piece of work. Right now I feel it falls short of a
masterpiece. Its definitely not on the Level of AEnima or Lateralus, and certainly a
vast improvement over the Opiate EP. The w
... (read more)
Report this review (#80910) | Posted by int_2375 | Sunday, June 11, 2006 | Review Permanlink
Undertow is an improvement over Opiate and yet, not. I agree with most of the above
reviews on the main points:
- Not overly proggy
- First nine are fairly to very good, finale is crap
- near a three star rating
The only real difference I have is that I believe Prison Sex is the best track
... (read more)
Report this review (#77363) | Posted by dagrush | Saturday, May 6, 2006 | Review Permanlink
I was 17 when this album first surfaced on a largely unsuspecting world. The music
industry had all but put the breaks on heavy metal with the sudden thrust of Seattle
bands into the limelight. However, somehow Tool with their strange poetry and dark
sentiments managed to break through the demi
... (read more)
Report this review (#75904) | Posted by | Saturday, April 22, 2006 | Review Permanlink
Tool is the band that defines growing up, in a musical sense of course. Undertow was
the first step in the process of the band that made Opiate growing into the band that
created Lateralus. Undertow is no masterpiece; it contains many riffs that are
uninteresting or mediocre at best. There are
... (read more)
Report this review (#69307) | Posted by RedKlouD72 | Tuesday, February 14, 2006 | Review Permanlink
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