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10 songs that feel like Sober

Matched to Sober by Tool on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Sober
Tool
intense 80/100 intensity 93 BPM
Maggot Brain — Funkadelic intense 90 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

St. Matthew Passion — Johann Sebastian Bach intense 100 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100). Same complex texture.

Watershed — Opeth intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — runs a little hotter at 86/100. Measured 93% alike.

Monkey — Low intense 120 BPM

Measures 93% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Demon of the Fall — Opeth intense 90 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Master's Apprentices — Opeth intense 90 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Same complex texture.

Away — Neurosis intense 90 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

The River Within — Neurosis intense 90 BPM

Measures 91% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Same complex texture.

Somebody Someone — Korn intense 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Faget — Korn intense 90 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Sober is more than you want right now.

Many Men (Wish Death) — 50 Cent moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 50/100, down from 80. Nearly the same tempo, too.

One and the Same — Audioslave moderate 100 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 51/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Shadow on the Sun — Audioslave moderate 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 50/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Pieces of a Man by Gil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man — Gil Scott-Heron moderate 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 50/100, versus the original's 80. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Da Art of Storytellin' Pt. 1 — Outkast moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 50/100, down from 80. Nearly the same tempo, too.

My Eyes by Travis Scott
My Eyes — Travis Scott moderate 95 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 61/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

River — Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran moderate 95 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 51/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Walk on Water by Eminem
Walk on Water — Eminem moderate 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 57/100, versus the original's 80. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Sober” by Tool?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Maggot Brain” by Funkadelic, “St. Matthew Passion” by Johann Sebastian Bach, “Watershed” by Opeth — the top match scores 94% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “Sober” but calmer?

“Many Men (Wish Death)” by 50 Cent, “One and the Same” by Audioslave, “Shadow on the Sun” by Audioslave keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Sober”?

It measures 80/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 93 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 94% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 80/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 94% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus1/10
Workout6/10
Dinner4/10
Party / hype6/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1993 in context

The 260 songs we’ve measured from 1993 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity80
Dynamics78
Tempo29
Surprise75
Density60
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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