10 Greatest Debut Albums In Metal

Metal as a whole did not have the greatest of decades in the '90s. Despite having the heavy-hitters like Metallica and Pantera holding the reigns, the sudden influx of nu metal bands started to get way too silly for their own good. However, there was something pretty sinister creeping up just off to the side.

Coming out of California, Undertow by Tool is a virtual onslaught of heaviness from the word go, with riffs that feel like they could cut through concrete. Long before they bathed their sound in prog rock complexity, Undertow is probably the closest Tool would ever sound to just a straight-up heavy metal band, which pays off pretty well on tracks like the title track and Prison Sex. Though Justin Chancellor hasn't entered the fold just yet, Paul D'Amour's basslines still propel the groove, with Maynard James Keenan settling into his role as the ringleader of Tool's trademark weirdness.

You can't just throw Henry Rollins onto your record without it being one of the heaviest things that anyone's ever done, right? While this record opened the door for Tool, it was only a matter of time before they started stretching, giving way to masterpieces like Lateralus just a few years later. Those looking for something more complex may be disappointed, but this is still a juggernaut of a record from front to back.