Undertow
Tool
Reviewed by Neville Spencer
"In the late summer of 1948, Ronald P. Vincent decided that survival had become intolerable, that absolute anguish had become less fearful than suppression. Six months earlier, his wife had been dismembered in a tragic accident involving a snow plough, and from that moment on, the crop-spray contractor's life had become an unrelenting nightmare."
So begins the information sheet which accompanies the promotional copy of Undertow, by Los Angeles band Tool. It goes on to explain that Vincent subsequently authored a book, A Joyful Guide To Lachrymology, under the influences of Francis Bacon and Friedrich Nietzsche.
A meeting of Vincent a number of years later (shortly before his death from cirrhosis) with guitarist Adam Jones became the inspiration for the formation of Tool.
The information sheet continues, bemoaning: "The number of people willing to study the science of lachrymology seriously dwindled to just a handful, and the entire cult had become virtually extinct by 1960. By a cruel (yet ironic) twist of fate, the new cult of scientology boomed, so while L. Ron Hubbard became immensely rich and moved to San Luis Obispo, Ronald P. Vincent became destitute and friendless." Oh dear.
Still, the album cover itself contains none of this, and potential listeners need not dip into the heavy-handed spoofery unless it interests them. The ability to relate the ubiquitous theme of alienation is why Tool's music has managed to capture an audience. Coping with the alienation and violence of '90s Los Angeles by expressing it musically seems to be their central inspiration.
Musically, the tracks on the album are powerful but not as abrasive as might be expected. The vocals are as much sorrowful as anguished, backed by slow, punchy baselines. It is probably most reminiscent of the Rollins Band, both musically and in its attempt to reflect and comment on the frustration and violence which surround them. One of the tracks on the album in fact features Henry Rollins.