Skip to content

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Uncover the details behind the most iconic albums ever recorded.

Primary Menu
  • Home
  • About Riffology
  • LastFM Collage Builder
  • Riffology Podcast
  • MP3 Converter
Superunknown: Soundgarden’s Genre-Defining Journey Superunknown (Super Deluxe)
7 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Superunknown: Soundgarden’s Genre-Defining Journey

Neil Johnson 29 October 2024
Released on March 8, 1994, Soundgarden's "Superunknown" defined the grunge movement, achieving immense commercial success with over...
Read More Read more about Superunknown: Soundgarden’s Genre-Defining Journey
Evil Empire: Rage Against the Machine’s Iconic 1996 Album Evil Empire
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Evil Empire: Rage Against the Machine’s Iconic 1996 Album

Neil Johnson 29 October 2024
Rage Against the Machine's second album, Evil Empire, released on April 16, 1996, showcased the band's blend...
Read More Read more about Evil Empire: Rage Against the Machine’s Iconic 1996 Album
Uncovering the Legacy of Stone Temple Pilots’ Core Core
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Uncovering the Legacy of Stone Temple Pilots’ Core

Neil Johnson 29 October 2024
Stone Temple Pilots' debut album, Core, released on September 29, 1992, was pivotal in the rock genre,...
Read More Read more about Uncovering the Legacy of Stone Temple Pilots’ Core
Vs. – Pearl Jam’s Defining 90s Album Vs.
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive
  • Podcasts

Vs. – Pearl Jam’s Defining 90s Album

Neil Johnson 29 October 2024
Pearl Jam's album "Vs.," released on October 19, 1993, solidified the band's place in rock history with...
Read More Read more about Vs. – Pearl Jam’s Defining 90s Album
Revolution by Skillet – album review Skillet_20Cover_1.jpg-2
3 min read
  • Review

Revolution by Skillet – album review

Neil Johnson 28 October 2024
Skillet's upcoming album, Revolution, scores 85/100 and marks a new independent phase for the band, focusing on...
Read More Read more about Revolution by Skillet – album review
Unraveling Korn’s Issues: Nu-Metal’s Defining Album Issues
9 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Unraveling Korn’s Issues: Nu-Metal’s Defining Album

Neil Johnson 27 October 2024
Korn's fourth studio album, Issues, released on 16 November 1999, significantly influenced the nu-metal genre. Blending raw...
Read More Read more about Unraveling Korn’s Issues: Nu-Metal’s Defining Album
XXX Years Ov Blasphemy by Behemoth – album review album_cover
2 min read
  • Review

XXX Years Ov Blasphemy by Behemoth – album review

Neil Johnson 26 October 2024
Behemoth's album, XXX Years Ov Blasphemy, celebrates their 30-year journey in extreme metal, released on October 25,...
Read More Read more about XXX Years Ov Blasphemy by Behemoth – album review
The Night the Zombies Came by Pixies – album review album_cover
2 min read
  • Review

The Night the Zombies Came by Pixies – album review

Neil Johnson 25 October 2024
The Night the Zombies Came by Pixies, released on October 25, 2024, showcases the band's eclectic creativity...
Read More Read more about The Night the Zombies Came by Pixies – album review
The Nothing That Is by Fit For An Autopsy – album review album_cover
2 min read
  • Review

The Nothing That Is by Fit For An Autopsy – album review

Neil Johnson 25 October 2024
Fit For An Autopsy's latest album, The Nothing That Is, scores 86/100, showcasing their evolution in deathcore...
Read More Read more about The Nothing That Is by Fit For An Autopsy – album review

Posts pagination

Previous 1 … 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 … 31 Next

Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast
Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Welcome to Riffology, where a GenX and a Millennial talk about the albums from their youth. Itโ€™s more fun than it soundsโ€ฆ

RIFF067 – Tool – Undertow
byRiffology

Two nerds, a laminator, and an extremely long โ€œwarm wormโ€ somehow lead to a deep dive into one of the darkest, driest, and most hypnotic debut albums of the โ€˜90s. Undertow wasnโ€™t just Toolโ€™s arrival โ€” 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 โ€™93 sound like it was recorded in a gym hall.

Neil and Chris get into Sylvia Massyโ€™s production magic, the infamous piano-and-shotgun session that birthed โ€œDisgustipated,โ€ 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 โ€” this oneโ€™s for you.

Timestamps

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

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

RIFF067 – Tool – Undertow
Episode play icon
RIFF067 – Tool – Undertow
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF066 – A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF065 – Deftones – White Pony
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF064 – Anthrax – Sound of White Noise
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF063 – Anthrax – Persistence of Time
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF062 – Soulfly – Soulfly
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF061 – Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF060 – Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF059 – Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF058 – Carcass – Heartwork
Episode Description
Search Results placeholder

Mailing List

  • The Making of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac - Monday 27th January 2025

1975 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2007 2024 2025 Alice in Chains Anthrax Entombed Green Day Iron Maiden Korn Led Zeppelin Linkin Park Megadeth Metallica Ozzy Osbourne Pantera Pearl Jam Pink Floyd Podcast Queensrรฟche Radiohead Sepultura Slayer The Smashing Pumpkins Tool

Archives

  • October 2025
  • September 2025
  • August 2025
  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024

Categories

  • Album Deep Dive
  • Feature
  • News
  • Podcasts
  • Review
  • Tech

You may have missed

tmpcn7rfxas
5 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Para Bellum by Testament – album review

Neil Johnson 13 October 2025
Undertow album cover by Tool
21 min read
  • Album Deep Dive
  • Podcasts

Undertow: Tool’s Breakthrough Album Unveiled

Neil Johnson 5 October 2025
Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts - Troubled Paradise - Artwork
4 min read
  • Album Deep Dive
  • Review

Troubled Paradise by Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – album review

Neil Johnson 30 September 2025
Mer De Noms - A Perfect Circle Album Art
25 min read
  • Album Deep Dive
  • Podcasts

A Deep Dive into A Perfect Circleโ€™s Mer de Noms

Neil Johnson 29 September 2025
  • X
  • Blue Sky
  • Facebook
  • IG
  • Discord
  • Apple
  • Spotify
Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.