Often cited as one of their finest moments, Ænima was arguably Tool’s commercial breakthrough, and the record that truly made them household names. Let’s be fair though, the fact that this album contains ‘Vicarious’ – which includes that unmistakable intro and the absolutely astounding vocals from Maynard near its conclusion – makes it worth the price of admission alone. Much of the album is built around longer, more experimental pieces such as ‘10,000 Days (Wings, Pt 2)’, or the stunning ‘Right In Two’, but unlike similar records, Tool have the unmistakeable ability to never leave us feeling bored once, instead allowing us to lose ourself in the gorgeous soundscapes they’ve created. Inspired by the passing of Maynard James Keenan’s mother, the album features fan favourites like ‘The Pot’ and ‘Jambi’, while the exceptional ‘Rosetta Stoned’ sees the technical brilliance of guitarist Adam Jones and drummer Danny Carey merging with Maynard’s rambling, trance-like vocals that describe a trip on DMT. Sure, it might not have as many catchy or memorable hits as others, but the record is a mesmerising listen regardless. Thankfully though, the band’s lengthy absence saw them leave us with this rather interesting album. After all, with 13 years between this and their new record, it’s only fitting for fans to turn to the band’s most-recent album while they wait for new material. Whether they like it or not, Tool fans have probably found themselves listening to 10,000 Days more than they had ever planned. While the Tool on Undertow is quite far removed from the Tool we see on their later records, it serves as a perfect way to showcase who they were at this particular time a band still finding their feet, but hitting the ground running, and heading to a lifetime of critical acclaim. Having taken on a darker, atmospheric tone with his record, the band still allowed themselves to have fun, releasing popular singles ‘Sober’ and ‘Prison Sex’ along the way.
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Released in April of 1993, just 13 months after Opiate, Undertow shows the start of a rather brilliant band. It’s pretty rare for a band to feature Black Flag’s Henry Rollins on their debut record, and it’s equally rare to see their producer turn down the likes of Prince just to work with them, but then, there are very few bands like Tool. Released as a single, ‘Hush’ is also the only official music video from the group to feature appearances from the band members in a typical fashion.
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Released in early 1992, the record was the product of two years of performances from the group, and featured a number of tracks that were re-recorded from their demo tape, along with a pair of live tracks which have never seen a studio release.įeaturing less of the progressive-rock sound that would appear on the band’s later releases, the heavy tunes cover a lot of ground, discussing themes like religion, while ‘Hush’ protests censorship within the music world.
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The first official release from Tool, Opiate was the EP that helped to put the band on the map. Check out ‘No Quarter’ as covered by Tool: 5. Immature in its lyrics, but accomplished in its composition, it’s clear this is where Tool and their fans come to have a bit of fun.
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However, while the final track – ‘L.A.M.C.’ – might be a bit of a non-event to some, it’s worth sticking around for the tongue-in-cheek nature of the hidden track, ‘Maynard’s Dick’.