UNDERTOW

Tool's first proper album starts out with three awesome tracks, the aggressive "Intolerence" which has a catchy refrain, "Prison Sex" which grooves and the monster hit "Sober" which showcases Maynard's vocal range. The middle section of the album reminds me of Pantera, a kind of swampy, southern style metal. Maynard's voice has a twang to it if you listen hard, and on this album his voice is more upfront as compared to the following three. Things pick up with "4 Degrees" and especially "Flood" with hints of the sounds we'll hear on the next albums. The album ends with a 15 minute track that bores the heck out of me, it's more of an experiment of spoken word, noise and a bit of chest- beating pontificating, not the greatest way to end it but at least they dare to try something different. I enjoy this disc, but compared to the following two album, it pales. It's more grunge/metal with a bit of progginess splashed willie-nillie. 3 stars for effort though.