Watch An Excerpt From Tool’s “Opiate²” Short Film, Their First Video In 15 Years
Back in the day when Tool were a regular MTV presence, the band was notorious for never appearing in music videos. Instead, Tool’s videos, usually directed by guitarist Adam Jones, were abstract claymation nightmares, freaky little cartoons built on hopelessness and body horror. You could encounter one of those things in the middle of the night at a sleepover, and it could fuck you up. Up until very recently, Tool hadn’t made a music video since their 2007 clip for “Vicarious,” but now they’re back with a new one, and it’s long.
Tool’s new clip is for “Opiate²,” a stretched-out and reimagined version of their 1992 single “Opiate.” (“Opiate,” notably, never had a music video.) The new “Opiate²” video is 10 minutes long, and it’s included on the deluxe reissue of Tool’s debut EP Opiate. The physical edition of that EP comes out today. You’ll have to shel out some money to see the full 10-minute video, but Tool have just shared a three-minute excerpt.
Adam Jones co-directed the “Opiate²” video with CGI artist Dominic Hailstone, who’s previously made videos for bands like Mogwai and Isis. Jones and Hailstone also made the filmed backdrops that Tool are using on their current tour. In the excerpt of the “Opiate²” video, we see an unformed mass of flesh flopping ashore and trying to evolve into a functional body. It’s pretty gross! Check it out below.
The deluxe Opiate² reissue is out now on RCA, and the physical edition includes a Blu-Ray and a 46-page book.