OPIATE (EP)

At the time of Opiate's release, Tool had not quite found their way onto the musical high- horse yet. This is more or less a straightforward Alternative Metal album, and not an excellent one at that. There is no sign of the vocal experimentation Maynard would later use, no sign of the deeply layered songwriting, and the lyrics sound immature compared to AEnima and Lateralus.

Sweat - 3/5 - One of the better songs on the album, its easy to see why they chose it as the opener, but the lyrics just sound very amateur.

Hush - 2/5 - Funky bass groove, other instrumentals play around it very well, nice message about censorship, but it would still be a crime to give this anything more than a 3 when Tool has gone on to write vastly better music.

Part of Me - 2/5 - A friend of mine claims this is his favorite Tool song, but I don't hear the genius in it. The guitar sounds meaty, a little too dominant for my tastes, and I don't care for the lyrics.

Cold and Ugly - 3/5 - It has a similar feel to the last song, but it shows Tool exploring some of the dynamic songwriting that makes them what they are today.

Jerk-Off - 2/5 - There are times when I feel there is something very interesting going on, with each instrument (including vocals) individually, the problem is that they don't come together well.

Opiate - 4/5 - The obvious pinnacle of the album. It sounds as good as much of the Undertow material. With this you can really see how Tool got to AEnima and eventually Lateralus.

The Gaping Lotus Experience - It wouldn't be fair to judge the album based on this hidden track, its more of a joke than anything.