4 out of 5

Label: Zoo

Produced by: Syliva Massey

Even around the time I was a big Tool fan, I cast my eyes about a bit when listening to ‘Opiate.’  I mean, Tool is one of those bands like System of a Down, or Manson, or even like Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix where they can act as sort of generic placeholders for taste in music.  Obviously these musicians / bands have a ton of skill, and have put out some truly quality records, but it’s hard not to just assume something about a dude or gal jamming out to one of those bands, even when you probably have the same album in your collection.  And Tool conjures up memories of sweaty puberty and dyed black hair and Hot Topic, for better or worse, and there are moments on any given disc where you remember that, yeah, this is exactly what people assume bands of this nature sound like.  But: Ænima (when many of us sweaty puberts jumped on board) was murky and artsy enough to hold up under most judgments.  When you take a step back to Undertow, it’s a bit less layered, but still, it’s got a good sense of build and melody.  But Opiate is pretty front and center most of the time, which a lot of right-away riffs and double-bass drumming and chugga chuggas and Maynard screaming, and he hadn’t quite learned yet to add some veil of creepy mystery or new age nonsense to his lyrics, so we get some pretty blatant teen angsty anthems in ‘Hush’ and ‘Jerk-off.’

By the same token – this was not just another yelly band.  MJK’s vocal range is already apparent, and the way tracks like ‘Hush’ slink in early metal influences or the way closer ‘Opiate’ builds shows an appreciation for deliberate song construction that would only grow as things went on.  And the two live tracks brush away any doubt that the energy on display requires a studio, as the songs are just as volatile as the rest of the disc.  It’s also rather refreshing to go back to ‘Opiate’ now and again, with its comparatively crisp mix – though you still know it’s Tool, with that warm bass and guitar – and directness with a riff, like if you’re stuck on a 6 minute sludge on 10,000 Days and need to remember that the group absolutely knows how to rock, ‘Opiate’ offers a to-the-point refresher.

So, yes, its the group in its very obvious infancy, and thus a little too eager to offer up genre stereotypes.  But in retrospect its so clear that this band had a spark; not a moment on the EP drags, by any means, and the secret track is a welcome reminder of the group’s humor… though it also displays their youth at the time.