Hey, this is grunge! A bit slicker and more rhythmically complex than Soundgarden, angrier than Helmet, with hooks to match Alice in Chains. Keenan is the revelation, a voice that seems incapable of such power during the quiet refrains, such as they are. This is all just enough to counterbalance the unchecked brooding and rage and keep the band in the mainstream, albeit with a Haley's Comet-shaped orbit. You'll hear the term "thinking man's metal band" thrown around with abandon, but seriousness applied like a sledgehammer holds their debut back. Especially the last track, which is "prog rock" in all the wrong ways.
6
1993, Zoo