Tool has had an impressive career with each album containing its own identity. Undertow is the band’s first full-length album and it was with the release of it where Tool started getting more in depth both musically and lyrically.

There’s always been something about Undertow that, for me, sets it apart from their other material. It has a certain special aura to it, very dark and to compare it to being caught in an undertow wouldn’t be far off.

Maynard James Keenan sounds great and his voice is very convincing. You know that he means what he says. Adam Jones provides the many grinding riffs found here. As great as Justin is, I prefer Paul D’Amour’s bass playing on this album. It’s very deep and metallic in tone, working as a backbone for the songs and helping create a murky sound on the album. Danny Carey’s drums have a punchy sound and he doesn’t disappoint, playing fills and even some odd time signatures but doing so tastefully.

Intolerance is the first song on the album and a very good one. Carey rolls around his toms with ease as Keenan sings about how he is tolerating a person despite the fact that they “cheat, steal, and lie”. Soon his tone changes and his voice is full of vitriol, repeating the three aforementioned words until they’re drilled into your brain.

Our guilt, our blame
I’ve been far too sympathetic
Our blood, our fault
I’ve been far too sympathetic

Prison Sex is one of my favorite cuts from the album. A rocking guitar riff and infectious drum beat carries the verses. The lyrics deal with coming full circle and abuse in general. The portrayal of sexual abuse being combined with such an upbeat riff creates a pretty disturbing effect. The bridge is very slow with D’Amour tearing away at his bass strings. I love the ending which consists of the music getting slower and slower as Keenan says quietly “you look so precious”.

You're breathing so I guess you're still alive
even if signs seem to tell me otherwise
Won't you, won't you come just a bit closer,
close enough so I can smell you

The next song is probably their most successful single, Sober. The simple bass riff and wailing dissonance of the guitar set the stage for this harrowing look into the effects of alcoholism. Keenan’s voice is somber throughout the verses and the first chorus. The second cry of the chorus never fails to send chills down my spine. During the bridge, Keenan pleads us to “trust in him and fall as well.”

Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over
Why can't we sleep forever?
I just want to start this over

One of the longer and more aggressive songs is Bottom. The band is firing on all cylinders here and there is a section in which Henry Rollins contributes some spoken word. The song becomes even more powerful when Keenan, atop Rollins, screams “And my fear is naked!” This is a tremendous song that I often find myself underestimating.

Hatred keeps me alive,
ugliness keeps me alive,
weakness keeps me alive,
guilt keeps me alive
at the bottom

Crawl Away is a good song mainly because of the excellent vocal performance in the chorus and as is often the case on this album, Paul’s thick bass lines. It gets faster with Carey’s double bass driving it along.

You crawled away from me,
slipped away from me
I tried to keep a hold,
but there was nothing I could say

Slid away from me,
and drift away from me,
tried to keep you down,
but there was nothing I could say

The lyrics of Swamp Song serve as a warning to a person and they get angrier as the song goes on. It’s mid-paced for awhile and has some good guitar riffs. It picks up at the bridge with Carey’s drums adding all of the minute details needed. I think it’s Keenan’s general tone that I enjoy most about this song, getting fed up with having to warn this person over and over again.

Wander in and wandering
No one even invited you in
But still you stumble in,
suffocate, so suffocate,
why don't you get out while you can?

The title track has well written lyrics and Keenan does a good job of transitioning between near whispering and yelling. It seems to be about drug use and its addictive nature. The buzzing bass during the verses is pretty cool. I don’t remember being into this song at first, but after giving it some time; I found that it’s of a high caliber.

The current's mouth below me,
opens up around me
Suggests and beckons all while swallowing
It surrounds and drowns and sweeps me away
But I'm so comfortable, too comfortable

The next song is called 4 Degrees and its optimistic mood provides a contrast from the overall bleak mood of the rest of the album. It opens up with an Eastern flavored acoustic guitar that mirrors the chorus melody. The main melody carried by the vocals and guitar is very memorable as is the chugging riffs during the verses.

I'll kill what you want me to,
take what's left and eat it
Take all or nothing
Life's just too short to push it away

Flood has a slow, drum driven four minute intro that I’ve been guilty of skipping. I think it could have been trimmed down a bit, but it is otherwise an excellent buildup to the actual meat of the song. The music after the intro is catchy due to the guitar riff that is prevalent throughout the chorus.

I take what is mine,
and hold what is mine,
suffocate what is mine,
and bury what's mine
Soon the water will come
and claim what is mine
I must leave it behind,
and climb to a new place now

Skip through fifty-nine blank tracks and you’ll find the last song, Disgustipated. It’s pretty hard to describe and it’s something you have to hear for yourself. It’s full of different noises as Keenan delivers an amusing speech over a megaphone. It’s roughly sixteen minutes long and nearly ten of them are taken up with the sound of crickets chirping.

This is an incredible album and possibly my second favorite in Tool’s discography. I think the album cover represents the songs on this album well. Seemingly simple and dark, but it may have deeper meanings when you actually look into it. Undertow is highly recommended if you’re looking for Rock music with some more thought put into it.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening