Neil Johnson

Heartwork: Carcass’s Pioneering Melodic Metal Journey

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Neil Johnson 19 July 2025

Carcass – Heartwork: The Album That Redefined Extreme Metal Some albums don’t just change a band’s direction—they...

The Making of (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis

(What's The Story) Morning Glory (Deluxe Remastered Edition)

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Neil Johnson 7 July 2025

In October 1995, the world changed for Oasis and for British music. Their second album, (What’s The...

The Making of Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers

The Making of Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers

Neil Johnson 16 June 2025

Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers: The Definitive Story When I think about the musical landscape...

The Making of 1977 by Ash 1977

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Neil Johnson 8 June 2025

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The Making of Earth Versus The Wildhearts by The Wildhearts

Neil Johnson 1 June 2025

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The Painful Truth by Skunk Anansie – album review The Painful Truth - Skunk Anansie

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Neil Johnson 23 May 2025

Monster Shop Score: 92/100 Skunk Anansie’s seventh album, The Painful Truth, isn’t just a comeback—it’s a defiant,...

Roar Like Thunder by Buckcherry – album review

Roar Like Thunder by Buckcherry – album review

Neil Johnson 22 May 2025

Monster Shop Score: 81/100 Buckcherry’s eleventh album, Roar Like Thunder, explodes with raw energy and classic rock...

Skeletá by Ghost – album review

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Neil Johnson 9 May 2025

Monster Shop Score: 85/100 Ghost’s sixth studio album, Skeletá, is a grand, theatrical journey through hard rock,...

The Making of Powertrippin by The Almighty

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Neil Johnson 4 May 2025

Powertrippin’ by The Almighty: The Full Story Sometimes an album lands at just the right moment. In...

Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Welcome to Riffology, where a GenX and a Millennial talk about the albums from their youth. It’s more fun than it sounds…

Two nerds, a laminator, and an extremely long “warm worm” somehow lead to a deep dive into one of the darkest, driest, and most hypnotic debut albums of the ‘90s. Undertow wasn’t just Tool’s arrival — it was a statement: no gloss, no funk, no flannel. Just tight, menacing precision and the kind of sonic control that made everything else in ’93 sound like it was recorded in a gym hall.

Neil and Chris get into Sylvia Massy’s production magic, the infamous piano-and-shotgun session that birthed “Disgustipated,” and why Undertow still feels so unsettlingly alive today. They unpack the censored artwork, the Lollapalooza breakthrough, and what makes this record sound dangerous even three decades later.

If you like your riffs dry, your rhythm sections ritualistic, and your frontmen just a little terrifying — this one’s for you.

Timestamps

00:00 — Warm-up chaos: “warm worm,” laminator drama, and remembering to actually start the show.
00:04 — Why Undertow and not Lateralus (yet). Tool’s shift from soundscapes to surgical precision.
00:07 — Setting the scene: 1993’s heavy landscape and why Tool went against the grain.
00:10 — Comparing Undertow’s live-band energy to A Perfect Circle’s layered polish.
00:14 — The dry, claustrophobic mix and why it works.
00:15–00:19 — Who is Sylvia Massy and why her production mattered.
00:19–00:22 — The piano + shotgun recording session and how it became “Disgustipated.”
01:05 — CD quirks, hidden tracks, and Flood’s strange indexing.
01:08 — “Turn it up”: why the album rewards volume.
01:11 — The censored cover art and mail-in reveal.
01:14 — Lollapalooza ’93: the moment Tool broke through.

Listen & follow
• Blog & show notes: https://riffology.co/2025/10/05/the-making-of-undertow-by-tool/
• Main site: https://riffology.co/podcast
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/riffology-iconic-rock-albums-podcast/id1691556696
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LIU9mein7QMw346q20nyy
• Email: [email protected]
• X: https://x.com/RiffologyPod
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• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riffology