But, this song is about the first step in the process, which is recognising." "That's the first step of the process: realisation identifying. "This song is about recognising, identifying, the cycle of abuse within yourself," Keenan said onstage, introducing the track at a Montreal show in 1996. Just as with the band's later 1996 hit 'Stinkfist', physical penetration is a metaphor for something far more serious. To dismiss 'Prison Sex' on its surface level as about inmates dropping the soap in the shower is to miss the point. Then there's the disturbing climax: 'I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this / Shit, blood and cum on my hands'. 'Do unto others what has been done to me' Keenan sings, the point of view switching between victim and perpetrator 'My lamb and martyr / you look so precious'. The serpentine riffs and religious imagery return in 'Prison Sex', an ugly, harrowing tale of molestation and the cyclical nature of abuse. If you become addicted and a junkie, well, that's your fault." You can do what you want, but you have to take responsibility for what happens. I don't tell people to do or not do drugs. Keenan gives a memorable performance, fusing biblical cynicism (' Jesus, won't you fucking whistle / Something but the past and done?) with an allegory for substance abuse, based on a friend of the band who "is at his artistic best when he's loaded," Jones told Guitar School in 1994. 'Prison Sex' and 'Sober' are the most radio-friendly things the band have ever done, which is deeply ironic given their sensitive subject matter.ĭriven by a straightforward 4/4 time signature (a band rarity), 'Sober' orbits around its gritty, dramatic drop-D bass hook and guitar that alternates between eerie backdrop and growling foreground. But there's an accessibility and emotional urgency to Undertow that means there's an argument for it remaining a great entry point into the cult of Tool. Undertow would be outclassed by the intricate listening experiences to follow and is rarely named by fans as their favourite Tool experience (I'm ride or die for 2001's Lateralus, fyi). It's actually easier to focus on the differences. Many of the Tool signatures – the tricky time signatures, labyrinthine structures, confrontational imagery, the forceful synergy – would get more complex over the course of their career but so many of those seeds are sown on Undertow. There are so many recognisable trademarks: The guttural churn of opener 'Intolerance' and the title track the sitar effect and hand percussion that exoticises '4°' the creeping dread that swells through the mid-section of 'Swamp Song', before rounding back satisfyingly to its burly chorus. All of it fronted by the compelling presence Maynard James Keenan, whose nuanced vocals and lyrics distinguished him as a frontman a cut above. The meditative insistence on groove and exploration, powered by Adam Jones' drop-tuned riffs and the octopus-limbed drums punishment of Danny Carey. Returning to Undertow today, it's striking how much of what would come to define Tool is already there. "We're not a metal band, a grunge band, a rock band or a country band. "Our tastes run through Joni Mitchell, King Crimson, Depeche Mode and country," guitarist Adam Jones told Guitar World in 1993. Grunge? Industrial? Prog? Whatever label got thrown Tool's way never seemed to stick, because on their first full-length album, the four-piece were reaching beyond the trappings of any one genre or scene. They were found in CD racks with neighbouring not-quite-metal acts like Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Melvins, and Helmet, but Tool seemed smarter, weirder, crafting amorphous compositions loaded with potent mystery as much as riffage. The presence of Henry Rollins on the album suggested links to the hardcore scene, but that was an inaccurate fit. They'd come up in the Los Angeles scene with Rage Against The Machine, but served up a very different breed of sonic fury. Emerging at the height of the grunge boom, with Nirvana and Pearl Jam topping the charts, many music critics simply didn't know what to make of Undertow, saddling Tool with incompatible comparisons to the major-label acts filling up radio and MTV.
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