Undertow is the debut studio album by the American rock band Tool, released on April 6, 1993, by Zoo Entertainment. Produced by the band and Sylvia Massy and recorded at Grand Master Studios in Hollywood, the album includes some tracks omitted from the band's debut EP Opiate and is their only album to feature original bassist Paul D'Amour.
According to AllMusic, Undertow helped heavy metal remain prominent as a mainstream musical style, and allowed several later bands to break through to the mainstream. It was released at a time when grunge was at the height of its popularity, and pop punk was slowly beginning to gather mainstream attention. Adam Jones recalls a story in which the band purchased two second-hand pianos with the intention of blasting them with shotguns in the indoor parking lot of Grand Master Studio and putting the resulting sounds to tape. Apparently the woman running the studio was happy as long as they cleaned up the mess afterwards. Since the incident, Tool has been approached by other bands claiming to have seen the shotgun holes left by them in the carpark wall. The band reacted by releasing another version, which depicted a giant barcode on a white background.
In some versions of the album, when the black CD tray is removed from the case, a picture of a cow licking what appears to be its genital region is revealed. In other versions of the album, released internationally, the picture of the cow licking the genital region is viewable without problems under the transparent backing of the disc case. The photo of the cow is accredited in the album's liner notes to have been taken by Danielle Bregman. The ribcage is also on the front cover of the album, but the obese woman is absent from the booklet; only the members of the band are depicted.
Adam Jones' pet pig, Moe, appears on the back cover amid an array of forks standing on end.
Reception
AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating "With its technical brilliance, musical complexities, and aggressive overtones, Undertow not only paved the way for several bands to break through to the mainstream adolescent mall-rage demographic, it also proved that metal could be simultaneously intelligent, emotional, and brutal."
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Track listing
Notes
- "Disgustipated" is track 69 on most pressings in North America (tracks 10–68 are silent; tracks 10–67 are one second each in length, and track 68 is two seconds). It also appears as track 39, track 10 (mostly in Europe and Australia) or as a hidden track following "Flood" on track nine. On certain Japanese imports, "Disgustipated" is track 70 and the tracklist is removed from the back. In most cases, however, it is listed as track 10 on the album itself. The track is omitted entirely on vinyl releases.
Personnel
Personnel taken from Undertow liner notes.
Tool
- Maynard James Keenan – vocals (listed as "Möstresticator")
- Adam Jones – guitar (listed as "Bastardometer"), art direction
- Paul D'Amour – bass (listed as "Bottom Feeder")
- Danny Carey – drums (listed as "Membranophones")
Additional personnel
- Henry Rollins – additional vocals on "Bottom"
- Statik – programming on "Disgustipated"
- Chris Haskett – sledgehammers on "Disgustipated"
Production
- Sylvia Massy – production, engineering, mixing on "Disgustipated"
- Tool – production, art concept
- Ron St. Germain – mixing (all except "Disgustipated")
- Robert Fayer – engineering assistance
- Brad Cook – engineering assistance
- Chris Olivas – mix engineering assistance
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- K. Lee Hammond – creative direction
Charts
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! scope="col"| Chart (1993–1994)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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!scope="row"| US Billboard 200
|align="center"| 50
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{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (2001)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (2019)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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