Best Tool album

Of the first four releases - Opiate, Undertow, Aenima and Lateralus.


My favorite has shifted over the years from Lateralus, when I first discovered Tool as a teenager, back to Undertow. However I think their artistic peak was Aenima.

Always changing. Originally Lateralus, which also remains my favorite song of all-time but probably Undertow at this point. The greatest run of 3 albums in music history for me

I'll go more in depth on this, gotta run now

can't sink my teeth into the new one...

Much of the same...i'm always declaring Undertow is the best album, but then i'll say Aenima is the best album.Then Lateralus. They are very different from eachother.It would be nearly impossible say which one i would keep if we had to to discard all Tool albums except one.

I think musically they were at their peak with Lateralus. I especially love Danny Carey's drumming on Lateralus, it stands out much more on that album than any other one. It's probably my favorite Tool album end to end.

Probably most of my favorite Tool songs are on Aenima though.

Undertow probably falls short when you really compare, but i can't imagine life without Prison Sex, Swamp Song, Bottom, Undertow, Sober, Intolerence. I['ve been bumping that album since i was 8 and still havent got tired of it. Too bad Tool only picks about one song to play from it for their shows. Last time i saw them it was Intolerence, the time before that it was Undertow.

As for 10,000 Days, i think Jambi and Vicarious are up there with some of Tool's best songs and for the most part the album is very strong, but the Wings of Marie part 1, 10,000 Days, and Rosetta Stoned have failed to grow on me, they are the only Tool songs i can think of that i find tedious after all this time, i've tried so hard because i know they would be great once i was able to take it all in, but that never happened....and i usually listen to Tool albums from start to finish. 10,000 Days is the only one that has some skippable songs that take up about 20-25 minutes of the album. Definetly not in the discussion with the other three but i listen to the album all the time as well.

Anemia best laturalus next then undertow

Quote :

Undertow probably falls short when you really compare, but i can't imagine life without Prison Sex, Swamp Song, Bottom, Undertow, Sober, Intolerence. I['ve been bumping that album since i was 8 and still havent got tired of it. Too bad Tool only picks about one song to play from it for their shows. Last time i saw them it was Intolerence, the time before that it was Undertow.

Man, I had no idea how to digest Tool at 17, what on earth could an 8 year old get from Undertow? Bad influence maybe?

Tool's lyrics are quite evolved. When I was a young guy, direct music like Staind or whatever is what I gravitated toward in times of stress. "I am sad, this is why" basic emotions. The complexity and depth of Maynard's lyrics are something it took me a long time to relate to. I wish I didn't.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Quote :

Undertow probably falls short when you really compare, but i can't imagine life without Prison Sex, Swamp Song, Bottom, Undertow, Sober, Intolerence. I['ve been bumping that album since i was 8 and still havent got tired of it. Too bad Tool only picks about one song to play from it for their shows. Last time i saw them it was Intolerence, the time before that it was Undertow.

Man, I had no idea how to digest Tool at 17, what on earth could an 8 year old get from Undertow? Bad influence maybe?

It was one of the first albums i ever owned, and i still own the same copy to this day. Sober is a very accessible and catchy song with a neat video...as was Prison Sex. That is what lured me into Undertow and the rest of the songs on the album are the kind that catch you right away. Undertow is definetly the album i would recommend to people that i know would not have patience with their later work. I view the album probably differently now because back then the meanings behind the songs didnt register the same way they do now because what does an 8 year old know? but i definetly got a whole lot out of Undertow at 8 years old.

I was not the only one my age bumping Tool.

If it was Lateralus that was out when i was a little kid, i probably would not have gotten into it...but it's probably my favorite Tool album. ..but Undertow was pretty direct i thought. Every song hooked me in right away, lyrically and musically.

Sober might damage an 8 year old. Tool is not for children.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

As for 10,000 Days, i think Jambi and Vicarious are up there with some of Tool's best songs and for the most part the album is very strong, but the Wings of Marie part 1, 10,000 Days, and Rosetta Stoned have failed to grow on me, they are the only Tool songs i can think of that i find tedious after all this time, i've tried so hard because i know they would be great once i was able to take it all in, but that never happened....and i usually listen to Tool albums from start to finish. 10,000 Days is the only one that has some skippable songs that take up about 20-25 minutes of the album. Definetly not in the discussion with the other three but i listen to the album all the time as well.

I would add in Right in Two with Jambi/Vicarious and although hideously overplayed just like Schism when Lateralus dropped, the Pot is solid as well

Agreed on never being able to get into Rosetta Stoned though. That's become like a staple at their shows too. They've played it everytime I've seen them since that album came out

I haven't seen them since the Lateralus tour...

bobbitt15 wrote:

KingsOwn19 wrote:

As for 10,000 Days, i think Jambi and Vicarious are up there with some of Tool's best songs and for the most part the album is very strong, but the Wings of Marie part 1, 10,000 Days, and Rosetta Stoned have failed to grow on me, they are the only Tool songs i can think of that i find tedious after all this time, i've tried so hard because i know they would be great once i was able to take it all in, but that never happened....and i usually listen to Tool albums from start to finish. 10,000 Days is the only one that has some skippable songs that take up about 20-25 minutes of the album. Definetly not in the discussion with the other three but i listen to the album all the time as well.

I would add in Right in Two with Jambi/Vicarious and although hideously overplayed just like Schism when Lateralus dropped, the Pot is solid as well

Agreed on never being able to get into Rosetta Stoned though. That's become like a staple at their shows too. They've played it everytime I've seen them since that album came out

I saw them last year and the only songs they played off 10,000 Days was Vicarious and Jambi. They didnt even play The Pot. Mostly all Aenima and Lateralus material with Intolerance thrown in as the token Undertow song. They opened with Third Eye which was a pleasent surprise.

Damn, not too shabby. I've seen them 3 times in the last 5 years if I remembering correctly and had to get a Rosetta Stoned performance in all of them. They threw Flood out as the token Undertow last time out which was pretty cool although Swamp Song would have more preferential. The only complaint I have about their shows is I'd like to see a little more variety. Its Stinkfist, Forty Six and Two, Schism, Lateralus, Vicarious, Jambi, Aenima, every time out now. Can I get some fucking Parabol/Parabola or the Grudge damnit? Anything off Undertow besides for one song?

Tool Before Aenima had several standout tracks and plenty of their odd or eerie tunes as well, but when Aenima came out, wow, just a stacked album. Saw my first Tool show in the height of that, makes it hard not appreciate to this day, they knew how to put on a show. It kind of spoils you to see it then, then to see the late end Lateralus shows and early 10,000 days shows that failed to create the same experience or even approach it.

I used to feel like that, since Undertow doesn't have the creepy crawly doominess of the later albums as much, but it is hardly a straight forward metal album. It is just as complex and progressive as anything they've done, and still has that undercurrent of Sabbathian goodness that makes Tool Tool. Undertow is the most angry and emotionally raw album. I listen to it too much, and sometimes it effects me in a negative way.

I'd like them to play "Bottom". Dead insiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!

I really would of liked to see A Perfect Circle in 2003 or 4 after 13th step came out, never got a chance to.

IMO it's Undertow. Tool is a great band.

GDPofDRC wrote:

I really would of liked to see A Perfect Circle in 2003 or 4 after 13th step came out, never got a chance to.

I saw them after thirteenth step came out at Lollapalooza...they came on before Incubus, Audioslave and Janes Addiction so it was probably not as good as it could have been had i saw them on their own...which i just recently missed out on. It was awhile ago and i was pretty smashed, but their performances of The Package and Magdelena were off the hook yo.

bobbitt15 wrote:

Damn, not too shabby. I've seen them 3 times in the last 5 years if I remembering correctly and had to get a Rosetta Stoned performance in all of them. They threw Flood out as the token Undertow last time out which was pretty cool although Swamp Song would have more preferential. The only complaint I have about their shows is I'd like to see a little more variety. Its Stinkfist, Forty Six and Two, Schism, Lateralus, Vicarious, Jambi, Aenima, every time out now. Can I get some fucking Parabol/Parabola or the Grudge damnit? Anything off Undertow besides for one song?

Yep, you pretty much just listed their whole set from when i saw them last year except for Intolerence and Third Eye as an Aenima wild card.

I think it's that those songs all have established videos and special light shows that they have been doing for years, so it's probably difficult for them to switch it up outside of a song or two per tour.

The big problem is, Tool simply has too much great material and with how long their songs are and the average concert being about 2 hours...but having an established set of songs that they always play and only picking one song off Undertow...it's a pretty big deal when they decide to throw in Third Eye or Intolerence out of the blue.