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If you're new to Tool, this (well all of them for that matter) is a must have.
When Tool put out Opiate, the band seemed to be on an alternative rock path that was similar to what their contemporaries were pursuing, only with a darker sense of humor. A few months later as my dad was taking me to school, a brave DJ played the song "Crawl Away" over the air. Be that as it may, there's still plenty of people out there who believe this to be Tool's best album for it's blend of simplicity and artistic merit, so who am I to rain on their parade.So which track is my favorite.
Sure the band had a lot of hard rocking parts in Undertow much like in Opiate, but the band started to spawn out into different territories and that was well documented in this album. Then I saw the video for "Sober" and was like "These guys aren't bad. However, the EP was not a sign of things to come.
Well, back when I was 11, I read about Tool in Hit Parader magazine and was interested to hear them. No, they weren't full-on into the art-metal that they would become known for in Aenima or Lateralus but this album prepared their fanbase (and perhaps the world) for that turn with this album.Sure, you have the songs like "Sober" and "Prison Sex", which made it into radio singles because they could be played in 5 minutes, but with "Bottom" and "Flood" clocking in at over 7 minutes and with "Disgustipated" speeding down a dark and scary path for a rock album, the band was starting to show the musical direction and technicality that they would become known for. Their work was good at this point but became fully realized as they matured as a group.
I still kinda like Metallica better though" and went on with life. I've been a Tool fan ever since.
My main advice is to listen to the samples and make a decision. If you do, then it will probably work for you. I expected to like this music, unfortunately I find it either boring or think it is just irritating noise.
I figured that the music would grow on me because I liked other alternative rock bands. Unfortunately, I find that the lead singer doesn't stand out vocally very well and the music sounds mostly like noise. If you listen to the samples and expect the music will be better on the full album, you might be unpleasantly surprised.
I like several bands that are supposed to be similar, such as Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Audio Slave, Nirvana, Blink 182, and The Offspring. I listened to the album several times before I finally admitted that it just didn't work for me.Amazon and a couple of friends told me that I would probably like Tool, based on the kind of music I listen to normally. My friends and a couple of reviews that I read indicated that Undertow was the group's best album.
Again, listen to the samples and try to figure out if you like what you hear. If you are unsure, you might want to keep listening to samples until you have a better idea about it.
Anything "Tool" has a big chance at being good or great. This particular album to me is good, but I like "Aenima" and "Lateralus" more because it sounds to me like the band played what they meant to. Although "Undertow" is very good, it does sound and feel experimental to me.I bought my CD used but the disc was in almost brand-spankin-new condition. The case had a few minor scratches but nothing major.
I'd first buy Lateralus. I'll admit, it took me quite a few listens to actually fall in love with this album. If you're new to Tool, I personally would say not to get this as your first or second album. But anyway, it takes some patience to love it. Some key tracks would be, Undertow, 4 Degrees, Sober, and Swamp Song.
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