Tool released the 1993 alternative metal album Undertow.
Undertow was Tool's debut studio album and was produced by Sylvia Massy, with additional production by the band. It combines heavy guitar riffs, complex rhythms, atmospheric passages, and Maynard James Keenan's intense vocals. The record helped establish Tool as an important force in alternative metal.
Its songs include “Sober,” “Prison Sex,” “Undertow,” and “Bottom.” “Sober” became the album's best-known single, while the band's visually striking videos and artwork contributed to its mysterious public image.
Undertow was followed by Ænima in 1996, Lateralus in 2001, and 10,000 Days in 2006. It is sometimes confused with Ænima because both are foundational Tool albums, but Undertow was the debut and came three years earlier. The album was certified multi-platinum in the United States.