That just goes to show how under rated it is. This album was my first introduction to Tool, and I've been hooked every since. I saw them on the 2nd stage at Lalapalooza and they blew me away. I had never heard of them before and I ran out and picked up Undertow and Opiate the next day.
Undertow has my favorite lyrics and mood of any of their album. I think it's really pure-sounding music, and definitely a bit overlooked by people who are really into Aenima and Lateralus.
Undertow is my favorite Tool disc. Alot of people will say that its not groundbreaking, but you have to put it in context: when it was released, nothing else sounded like it, no other album art looked like it, and none of its videos were like anything around.
Undertow was groundbreaking and revolutionary when it was released.
My mom has Opiate.... I was messing around with her CD's listening to Alica In Chains, Soundgarden, and I found Opiate and I was addicted.... I now have to say that Undertow is so hardcore and awesome... I love it, definately my favorite, with Ænima as a second (Not close second though) I also love Opiate and Lateralus equally, then 10,000 Days as last...
My mom has Opiate.... I was messing around with her CD's listening to Alica In Chains, Soundgarden, and I found Opiate and I was addicted.... I now have to say that Undertow is so hardcore and awesome... I love it, definately my favorite, with Ænima as a second (Not close second though) I also love Opiate and Lateralus equally, then 10,000 Days as last...
You can't listen to it in the same mood that you listen to lateralus in. I always come back and listen to it and realize how good it is, but then just go back to lateralus.
Definately underrated due to the fact its overshadowed by the complexity and deepness of Lateralus, Aenima and *cough* 10,000 Days. But it's great in it's own ways. I like the heavy hard rock sound which makes it different from Tool's other stuff (minus Opiate).
And Sober was the first Tool song I liked. I thought Stinkfist, Aenema, and 46 & 2 were sorta immature and stupid (didn't understand the lyrics and use to assume 46 & 2 was some sorta sex position...) but I liked the seriousness of Sober. I also thought it was about....the influence of alcohol. God if I knew what it was really about I would have disliked it (due to me being a former Christian).
But I'd place Undertow up their with Aenima and Lateralus.
__________________ "STA likes emotional people because he's a bitch." -- Tyson
this is an interesting topic for me. undertow used to seem under par, and it was not one of my favorite tool cd's. but recently, i really gave it a good listen, its been a long time coming, and now i love it. i don't know if its just the fact that i love tool, or that unlike the other albulms nothing grabbed me right away. my answer is that this albulm is not sub par, in fact its much better than i ever thought possible. please, if you like tool and don't like undertow, give it another couple of listens. i'm telling you if songs like: undertow, bottom, crawl away, swamp song and 4 degrees don't begin to play in your head long after you stoped listening then maybe you should start questioning how much of a tool fan you really are.
this is really some of tool's most raw work (other than opiate), its before they were the polished entity they are now, and its nice to know where such genius originated from.
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Last edited by somniferousalmondeye; 09-04-2006 at 04:51 AM..
I would say Undertow contains some of the band's best work, but I don't think the majority of current Tool fans (i.e. actively listening to the band's recent work and going to see them live as opposed to dropping them in the mid-90s) would agree. So I'd say, yeah, it's underrated. I love it; "Undertow" is my favorite Tool song and I think "Crawl Away" and "Flood" are amazing, too. The singles are both great (though I personally prefer "Prison Sex" to "Sober"; I know that's not a popular idea, but hey).
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undertow is awesome, but its not nearly is intricate or experimental as the later albums, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
adam's guitar tone on undertow was a bit weak compared to the wall of sound he has now, but its still a great cd. i could see the undertow era tool hanging out with alice in chains...
undertow is awesome, but its not nearly is intricate or experimental as the later albums, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
adam's guitar tone on undertow was a bit weak compared to the wall of sound he has now, but its still a great cd. i could see the undertow era tool hanging out with alice in chains...
It isn't as experimental as they would later be as a band, but I think even in '94 they already had their own sound. I think of Undertow as thick and gritty. So damn good. I always put it on and just let it play whereas other albums there are songs that I will occasionally skip. And besides, Undertow has Flood. Underrated? hard to say. I don't know what the general consensus is.....but I know its a great album.
Undertow is tied with Aenima for my favourite Tool album, and yes it is very underrated, mainly because the album is more alternative metal influenced then it is progressive metal influenced.