TOOL — Opiate (review)

TOOL — Opiate album cover EP · 1992 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Stooge
Much of the music on Opiate fits more into the alternative metal bracket of music as opposed to the progressive rock/metal tag they are often branded with. Keep that in mind if you plan on exploring this EP.

“Sweat” starts the EP in a groovy way. It’s a solid tune, but not spectacular. Same thing goes with the following track, “Hush”. Probably catchier than the first track, but I’m not particularly attached to it either.

I’m much more impressed with “Part Of Me”, which has some more creative rhythms driven by some creative playing by drummer Danny Carey. Not as predictable as the first two tracks, which is a good thing in my opinion.

The following two tracks are live recordings. They sound rather nice in the live setting. “Cold and Ugly” starts with some interesting stage banter by Maynard James Keenan, is a rather high energy song with some frantic soloing by guitarist Adam Jones. “Jerk Off” once again beginning with some colorful words by the frontman and maintains the high energy of the preceding songs. These tracks make me wonder if this EP would have made a more lasting impression on me if it were entirely live.

“Opiate” ends the album on a note more Tool fans are familiar with, as the track is a more liberal 8:28 in length. Bassist Paul D’Amour’s harmonic work makes him stand out on this track, though he has great presence throughout the EP. However, this track does include some brief silence before a humorous hidden track during which Maynard sings about a friend taking acid. It’s an interesting psychedelic track musically despite not really being an integral part of the recording. Rather entertaining, but not quite the epic I was expecting.

While a solid start to the band’s recording career, Opiate doesn’t appeal to me nearly as much as Tool’s later works. It still sounds very much like a Tool album, and all instruments have a good presence in the mix. Not essential, but it shouldn’t cost too much, making it a worthwhile investment for the curious.
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