10 Perfect Debut Rock Albums Of The 90s

Around the same time that bands like Pantera were coming up the ranks, there weren't too many bands that were looking to make you headbang anymore. For most of the up and coming metal bands, it was easier to follow the lead of a band like Korn and make emotional music rather than writing something to tear your face off. While Tool would eventually go beyond their traditional heavy metal roots, Undertow is the sound of pure muscle.

From the opening strains of these songs, every band member is playing like they have everything to prove, with Maynard James Keenan being pegged as the breakout star for the sheer power behind his delivery. Then again, this was never a band meant for press exposure, with most of their videos being limited to some truly disturbing music videos done by guitarist Adam Jones.

Based on the music alone though, this album has the capacity to tear your head off, even bringing in Henry Rollins to up the intensity on the song Bottom. After learning their chops on this record, Tool created the blueprint for what they would create in the future, going for weirder prog rock experiments and eventually making some of the most thoughtful metal of the next decade. At this point, this was the baby steps from a band that was about to become a giant.