10 Underrated Metal Albums Of The 1990s
3. Opiate - Tool
Though no one may have known it at the time, the beginnings of Tool in the 90's were setting the stage for one of the greatest metal acts ever created. With releases like Undertow pummeling its listeners, the band's golden period started to become more apparent once they reached their 1998 masterpiece Aenima.
While both of these records are must-hears in metal, it is a crime that any fan of heavy music sidesteps the band's real debut Opiate. It may just be an EP, but the band make every second of runtime count with some of the most caustic metal they have ever created. Undertow may have been many fan's first exposure to the band's heavy sound, but this is that same heaviness dialed up all the way. Though the record is composed of a handful of studio recordings and live cuts, every single track sounds like the band is actively trying to tear you apart through the sheer power of sound.
Even the ending dirge of "Gaping Lotus Experience" shows the band starting to play around with the more experimental music that they would create a few years down the road. It may not have gotten its just due back in the day, but Opiate is still a good helping of metal destruction that hits just as hard as the band's debut.