Jones collaborated with stop-motion director Fred Stuhr in “Sober,” to create the first of many Quay-like Tool videos. Tool famously responded to the censorship by reissuing the album with a new cover displaying a giant barcode. The artwork, which guitarist Jones crafted, was considered too explicit and removed from the shelves of major retailers, including Wal-mart. The cover for “Undertow” featured a rib cage, which, when backed by a light, showed to encase a nude, overweight woman. Tool's complex songs and explicit artwork, coupled with its ever-evolving theologies, quickly formed a large, cult-like fan base the world over.įrom the start, Tool's artwork and music videos created much controversy. Dubbed “art rock,” Tool became a dark, progressive force in a stale metal scene.

The band introduced intelligent metal music at a time when grunge rock was popular.

Perhaps the controversial nature of the band's debut drew attention. Notable songs include the controversial “Prison Sex,” which addresses molestation and child abuse, and “Sober,” which featured the band's first stop-motion music video, created by guitarist Jones.īut just how did an obscure rock band's first album sell two million records?

It went double platinum, selling more than two million copies. This album broke through the melodramatic mood of rock music at the time, issuing a fresh dose of heavy metal anguish. Tool's first album, “Undertow,” debuted in 1993 under the Zoo Entertainment record label. The EP's songs were raw metal, with hints of the band's forthcoming sound. The band's lineup has remained unchanged since. In the three years between Tool's first and second album, D'Amour left the band, and was replaced in 1995 by Justin Chancellor of the English rock band, Peach, with which Tool had previously performed. in 1990, originally comprised of vocalist Maynard James Keenan, drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Paul D'Amour. If you lost track of Tool in its many barren years between record releases (the band has not released a new album since 2006's “10,000 Days”), or got distracted with side projects such as A Perfect Circle, refresh your memory with a crash course in Tool history.Ī progressive, art-metal band from California, Tool formed in L.A.

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