Tool - Undertow

Tool. Great band name - one of my favorite hard rock acts of my time. These fellas are based out of Los Angeles and have been making music since 1988 or so. They have been branded as a metal act, but they could fit into the progressive rock or art rock standard. They've cover art is almost always a topic of conversation and they seem to always dabble in new visual stuff at shows. A TON of people love their shows because of that. They institute a lot of creative imagery that often gets censored by the mainstream. For example, they posed for a photo wearing nothing but a 'Parental Warning' sign over their junk and tape over their mouths. They also had a "tool" that was very phallic they displayed for years. These censorships have led to them having a very ambivalent attitude toward the mainstream music culture. Has it resulted in less music output? Perhaps, who really knows. They took a break recently and have stated that they're just starting to get back in the studio to potentially write another album. They last toured in 2008 and no one has seen or heard from them since. There is a lot of good music and talent behind this band. Some albums aren't as good as others, but the writing and style is always very creative. They're not the NERD equivalent in metal terms, but they're usually very fresh lyrically. And vulgar not in a demeaning sense toward anyone, just in a speak the mind type of sense. I enjoy that. This is very much worth a listen today. You might have to be a metal fan to love it, but I think non metal persons can at least enjoy it. Check out the Top 3 if nothing else.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Intolerance
2. Prison Sex
3. Sober
4. Bottom
5. Crawl Away
6. Swamp Song
7. Undertow
8. 4 Degrees
9. Flood
10. Disgustipated

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Sober
2. Prison Sex
3. Flood

FINAL RATING:
3.5 out of 5 stars