Anything I really need to hear? Personalized song & album reviews!👇🏼 ko-fi.com/musickingdom/commissions What’re your favorites & least-favorites? Share your thoughts!
I think Mastodon would be a really interesting band for a discography deep dive. Their debut, Remission, sounds like your wading through sludge (that's a compliment btw) but each concurrent album release starts to incorporate more and more elements of groove and rhythmic complexity to the point that they are a completely different sound altogether in this day and age.
I too, love Tool and have been on board almost from the beginning, but I do agree with him about Intolerance. I don't think it's a "bad" song, but it is probably my least favorite with Bottom being my favorite. Tho Sober and Undertow are right there, too.
That's not far off from my experience. When I first heard Tool on the radio (Sober), I thought, "not bad." Fast forward 3 years and they're my absolute favorite band. Danny Carey is so good he inspired me to learn to play drums in my mid 20s. I never reached any heights of great drumming, but learned enough about playing and music in general that it forever changed my entire outlook on music. I still consider Tool to be my favorite band decades later.
The gap between the last 2 songs is there so not everyone hears it or if you leave the disk on it comes out of nowhere. It's a "secret song" tool has done this on a few albums but with different ways to hide the song. On the vinyl version of opiate there were 2 grooves on the first side. When you put the needle down you'd either start the album or there would be silence then would play the secret song. It would be cool if you played a small clip of each song you talk about on the album reviews, to give some context.
The last song was kind of a fun gimmick. A secret hidden song on the CD.. Track 69, by the way. It's just not gonna play the same through a streaming service. 😆 Also note that song has Maynard playing a piano...with a shotgun!
Undertow has been stuck in my brain for the past few weeks during summer classes exams. Very strange, but wonderful album. Just great raw art And thank you for being fair in your analysis, not many people really take the time to think about these things.
I'd need to pull it out and listen to it again, it's been a good long while, but I feel like you pretty much nailed it. If you're going to do metal from the beginning, though, why not start with the inventors? It'd be wild to see someone do Black Sabbath from beginning to end, through the Dio years, all the way to the last song they recorded. Not sure if you'd get enough clicks or likes, but I'd be a sure thing for each album. ;-)
You should listen to Ozzy Osbourne's debut album titled "Blizzard of Ozz". Not only is it an integral part of heavy music history but also it was incredibly influential to music period. Its is a great record with every track being unique and able to hold its own weight. From greatest hits like "Crazy Train" that everyone and their grandma has heard to the beautifully composed masterpiece "Revelation (Mother Earth)" Bob Daisly's lyrical imput is brilliant and creative and Randy Rhoads excellent guitar playing was like no one had ever heard before. Truly an amazing and explosive album start to finish.
I have to admit I usually find full album reviews of Tool kind of insulting to the art as reviewers tend to skim over each song not giving them the respect they deserve. When I saw it was you though I ended up watching the whole thing as your Lateralus review was one of the best. I found it very good actually because you didn't play heavily edited tracks you just provided interesting opinions and insights. I have to admit I still do enjoy individual song reviews more as we get to see your reactions and hear your comments in real time but this was great thanks!
Hopefully you do Aenima soon, it's my favorite album by any band of any genre. Seven sounds about right for this album, MJK has said in interviews that they were still figuring things out musically.
Other prog metal masterpieces: 1. Opeth - Still Life (This is like the wish you were here of metal. It's dark, beautiful and melancholic. Also my favorite album of all time) 2. Dream theater - metropolis pt. 2 (amazing concept album) 3. Porcupine tree - fear of a blank planet (if you like prog rock, which you do, you'll love this one)
Great to hear your review and how nuanced it was! Whether or not someone may or may not agree with you about any particular song, doesn't really matter. What anyone should be able to appreciate is the effort and attention you have when listening. One thing I would say for future videos to be more engaging, is include at least some video of you while actually listening to each song. Doesn't have to be the whole thing, but perhaps the most interesting 10-15 seconds of each, perhaps longer for your favorites. Undertow is not my favorite Tool album and there are several tracks I rarely revisit, but when it came out, it was a real lightning bolt statement of a new force in music. The band was creating a soundscape that was heading in a direction different than anything else happening. It blended so many genres but gave everything a slightly different twist. And it hinted at greater things to come. I think its production showed how the band approached and thought carefully about the engineering and mixing of sound into soundscape, but, like many starting bands, the end result had a lot to do with the money they had available. They did the most with what they had. ANd it only gets better from here.
Tool had a different bass player on that album, big reason for the different feel I think. The Tool you were expecting is evident on the Lateralus album and after, though you can see some of them on undertow as you said.
I thought Opiate was their first album. but Undertow is a great start. Its where I started back in 1997. overall good review. Since you did start with Undertow it would awesome to hear your reviews of all their albums as they progressed through their musical journey. At least you don't have the 5 and 13 year wait times that we had to endure.
Man, you pretty much nailed my thoughts on this album, tho Bottom is probably my favorite track, followed extremely closely by Sober and the title track, Undertow. I agree that Intolerance is probably the weakest track, and if I'm being completely honest, I usually skip it when listening to this album. Enjoyed your take on it man. Great video.
Man, I'd give this a 9.5 Coming out of the overproduced, plastic rock of the eighties, this and grunge were exactly what rock needed. A visceral punch in the face. The production on this is a feature, not a bug.
Life long Tool fan and you lost me on Intolerance. Great song! Also this is a terrific freshman full album. Established their roots that expanded and blossomed over the decades.
Sober has always been my least favorite Tool Song. I could just never get into it. Flood on the other hand is in my top 5 all time. Sure the intro may be a little long but the second half is worth the wait.
Liked the review but not nec. the format. Even with the thoughtful analysis and respectful crit, it felt flat as far as a video. Visually flat with no cuts. Maybe add a few static band photos as b-roll? Undertow is my fave song off the LP. Lyrically he starts "Two-times in." The drugs/addiction has been pulling him in... and he reaches for that high in the calmness of the verses. Then there's the reality of the chorus-ish part. His metaphoric addiction feels like a riptide taking him away. And he knows it. And he knows what the cost of Euphoria is. Death. And he's willing to pay that price. Very dark writing overall with this LP and the production matches. It's what I like about it. And it's tough to get an "uplifting" score for very depressing content. It's also a great contrast between the hair metal party of the late 80s to the, "Whoa, shit is real," of the 90s. I thought that was a great point made in the intro. Looking forward to the next one.
Nice full album review, you may redeem yourself from the nickelback review. Do not miss the opportunity to do a full album review for Dream Theater’s “Images and Words” and Rush’s 2112.
Anything I really need to hear? Personalized song & album reviews!👇🏼
ko-fi.com/musickingdom/commissions
What’re your favorites & least-favorites? Share your thoughts!
@@utubnagain yes please. My favorite maiden album
Mate, you’re gonna hate me. Intolerance & flood are my fave’s. I fully understand your opinion though.
I think Mastodon would be a really interesting band for a discography deep dive. Their debut, Remission, sounds like your wading through sludge (that's a compliment btw) but each concurrent album release starts to incorporate more and more elements of groove and rhythmic complexity to the point that they are a completely different sound altogether in this day and age.
Would you do a reaction/review of Babymetal's latest album The Other One?
Aenima of course!
P.S. Flood is a masterpiece
As a lifelong, die hard Tool fan, I agree with most of everything you said with one exception - Intolerance is a banger.
its my favorite on the album
Intolerance is amazing
I too, love Tool and have been on board almost from the beginning, but I do agree with him about Intolerance. I don't think it's a "bad" song, but it is probably my least favorite with Bottom being my favorite. Tho Sober and Undertow are right there, too.
My experience with Tool has been: first listen: 7. 10th listen: 8. 50th listen: 9. Now, 10.
That's not far off from my experience. When I first heard Tool on the radio (Sober), I thought, "not bad." Fast forward 3 years and they're my absolute favorite band. Danny Carey is so good he inspired me to learn to play drums in my mid 20s. I never reached any heights of great drumming, but learned enough about playing and music in general that it forever changed my entire outlook on music. I still consider Tool to be my favorite band decades later.
Please continue with their discography. Love the articulate reviews.
How is this video only 18minutes long? Man I would have loved to have seen longer version of this video
Gotta check out the EP Opiate that released a year prior. Huge growth between 1 year of music
The gap between the last 2 songs is there so not everyone hears it or if you leave the disk on it comes out of nowhere.
It's a "secret song" tool has done this on a few albums but with different ways to hide the song.
On the vinyl version of opiate there were 2 grooves on the first side. When you put the needle down you'd either start the album or there would be silence then would play the secret song.
It would be cool if you played a small clip of each song you talk about on the album reviews, to give some context.
Great insight!
The last song was kind of a fun gimmick. A secret hidden song on the CD.. Track 69, by the way. It's just not gonna play the same through a streaming service. 😆 Also note that song has Maynard playing a piano...with a shotgun!
Undertow has been stuck in my brain for the past few weeks during summer classes exams. Very strange, but wonderful album. Just great raw art
And thank you for being fair in your analysis, not many people really take the time to think about these things.
Strange & wonderful is a great way to put it.
This is 100% a great choice for an album review. It's my favorite tool album, and it just has so much to offer. Great songs and great artistry.
You should do their EP Opiate before Ænima. That's how many early TOOL fans progressed.
I'd need to pull it out and listen to it again, it's been a good long while, but I feel like you pretty much nailed it. If you're going to do metal from the beginning, though, why not start with the inventors? It'd be wild to see someone do Black Sabbath from beginning to end, through the Dio years, all the way to the last song they recorded. Not sure if you'd get enough clicks or likes, but I'd be a sure thing for each album. ;-)
You should listen to Ozzy Osbourne's debut album titled "Blizzard of Ozz". Not only is it an integral part of heavy music history but also it was incredibly influential to music period. Its is a great record with every track being unique and able to hold its own weight. From greatest hits like "Crazy Train" that everyone and their grandma has heard to the beautifully composed masterpiece "Revelation (Mother Earth)" Bob Daisly's lyrical imput is brilliant and creative and Randy Rhoads excellent guitar playing was like no one had ever heard before. Truly an amazing and explosive album start to finish.
I have to admit I usually find full album reviews of Tool kind of insulting to the art as reviewers tend to skim over each song not giving them the respect they deserve. When I saw it was you though I ended up watching the whole thing as your Lateralus review was one of the best. I found it very good actually because you didn't play heavily edited tracks you just provided interesting opinions and insights. I have to admit I still do enjoy individual song reviews more as we get to see your reactions and hear your comments in real time but this was great thanks!
Hopefully you do Aenima soon, it's my favorite album by any band of any genre. Seven sounds about right for this album, MJK has said in interviews that they were still figuring things out musically.
Other prog metal masterpieces:
1. Opeth - Still Life (This is like the wish you were here of metal. It's dark, beautiful and melancholic. Also my favorite album of all time)
2. Dream theater - metropolis pt. 2 (amazing concept album)
3. Porcupine tree - fear of a blank planet (if you like prog rock, which you do, you'll love this one)
Great to hear your review and how nuanced it was! Whether or not someone may or may not agree with you about any particular song, doesn't really matter. What anyone should be able to appreciate is the effort and attention you have when listening. One thing I would say for future videos to be more engaging, is include at least some video of you while actually listening to each song. Doesn't have to be the whole thing, but perhaps the most interesting 10-15 seconds of each, perhaps longer for your favorites.
Undertow is not my favorite Tool album and there are several tracks I rarely revisit, but when it came out, it was a real lightning bolt statement of a new force in music. The band was creating a soundscape that was heading in a direction different than anything else happening. It blended so many genres but gave everything a slightly different twist. And it hinted at greater things to come. I think its production showed how the band approached and thought carefully about the engineering and mixing of sound into soundscape, but, like many starting bands, the end result had a lot to do with the money they had available. They did the most with what they had. ANd it only gets better from here.
The 7 minute silence was actually because the last track was track 69 on the cd
Tool had a different bass player on that album, big reason for the different feel I think. The Tool you were expecting is evident on the Lateralus album and after, though you can see some of them on undertow as you said.
I thought Opiate was their first album. but Undertow is a great start. Its where I started back in 1997. overall good review. Since you did start with Undertow it would awesome to hear your reviews of all their albums as they progressed through their musical journey. At least you don't have the 5 and 13 year wait times that we had to endure.
Could you attach a vid of you experiencing the album. and shit talk Flood again and we will have a problem bud.
Man, you pretty much nailed my thoughts on this album, tho Bottom is probably my favorite track, followed extremely closely by Sober and the title track, Undertow. I agree that Intolerance is probably the weakest track, and if I'm being completely honest, I usually skip it when listening to this album. Enjoyed your take on it man. Great video.
Much appreciated!
Man, I'd give this a 9.5
Coming out of the overproduced, plastic rock of the eighties, this and grunge were exactly what rock needed. A visceral punch in the face. The production on this is a feature, not a bug.
Great video! But I would love to see your live reactions when you do another album review.
Was expecting to see Rush (Xanadu) for some reason, but looking forward to this full album review from Tool.
Life long Tool fan and you lost me on Intolerance. Great song! Also this is a terrific freshman full album. Established their roots that expanded and blossomed over the decades.
Great choice. This album is a MASTERPIECE.
Opiate (an EP) was released earlier than this album. You definitely should give that a listen.
Band - Rush Album - A Farewell To Kings Year - 1977 Rating - 10/10 I may be a little biased...
Band - Pink Floyd Album - Animals Year - 1977 Rating - 12/10 I may be a little biased...
Sober has always been my least favorite Tool Song. I could just never get into it. Flood on the other hand is in my top 5 all time. Sure the intro may be a little long but the second half is worth the wait.
Interesting you mention bottom as not being a track you’ll throw on in the car… it being the first track I throw on in the car.
One of the greatest albums ever
Good not great. I generally agree with that. I typically enjoy it when I go back. But generally the other albums are stronger to me
Please review the album "mer de noms" from "a perfect circle"
Liked the review but not nec. the format. Even with the thoughtful analysis and respectful crit, it felt flat as far as a video. Visually flat with no cuts. Maybe add a few static band photos as b-roll?
Undertow is my fave song off the LP. Lyrically he starts "Two-times in." The drugs/addiction has been pulling him in... and he reaches for that high in the calmness of the verses. Then there's the reality of the chorus-ish part. His metaphoric addiction feels like a riptide taking him away. And he knows it. And he knows what the cost of Euphoria is. Death. And he's willing to pay that price.
Very dark writing overall with this LP and the production matches. It's what I like about it. And it's tough to get an "uplifting" score for very depressing content.
It's also a great contrast between the hair metal party of the late 80s to the, "Whoa, shit is real," of the 90s. I thought that was a great point made in the intro. Looking forward to the next one.
should have started with opiate... two of their best songs ever are on that EP
Nice full album review, you may redeem yourself from the nickelback review. Do not miss the opportunity to do a full album review for Dream Theater’s “Images and Words” and Rush’s 2112.
I think the song flood is the only tool song I don't really like... besides all of fear inc
this video emdarass cw action sequence in cut cuts per second
Don't listen to the critics, I've been a Tool fan for years and imo Fear Inoculum is way better than Undertow
The reason why Tool always sounds like Tool no matter how far along they are in their evolution is...Danny Carey.
Whats your opinion on opiate, thier 92 EP? It's so much more heavy and angry but not as good as everything they did after obviously.