Tool Starts Music Scene 1992

Tool's first album, smash hit! After touring with such bands as Nirvana Tool got signed to a record deal and have created Opiate. Primitive by Tool standards, Opiate is still more developed and expressive than most alt-metal records of the era. Driven y youthful aggression and contempt, the songs lunge and hammer in repetitive, staccato bursts, but beneath the raw savagery is a tension that builds through the clench-and-release rhythms, textural guitar waves, and vocals as pained as they are angry. In the lyrics, Keenan sings about religion ("Opiate"), retribution ("Jerk-Off"), and reactionary hostility ("Hush") in raw, unrefined phrases. This 24-minute EP features two live recordings sandwiched between four studio cuts but hardly suffers for its unconventional construction. Keep your eyes open for tour dates!