Rock Music Comes Full Circle With A Perfect Circle
Written: Oct 22 '00
Product Rating:
Pros: great music, somewhat reminiscent of Tool, mostly due to Keenan's voice, heavy rock music with soul, heart, conviction, in other words, all the things that Papa Roach, 3 Doors Down etc wished they had
Cons: this may be the only album to come from this collaboration =(
MattA75's Full Review: Mer de Noms [PA] by A Perfect Circle
As Tool fans wait for not one but two new discs from that band (a live album by the end of this year, a disc of new material early next), most of them were at least tided over with the release of A Perfect Circle's album, Mer de Noms this past summer. Featuring Tool's frontman, the very enigmatic Maynard James Keenan, it is often mistakenly referred to as "his" side project. And while I'm sure his presence on the record helped spur the very good sales of this record, this is really guitarist Billy Howerdel's music and band. Keenan himself has said he just added lyrics and vocals to the completed songs.
Also spurring album sales, no doubt, was the heavy and almost incessant radio airplay given to it's first single, Judith. Perhaps it is only fitting that this is a song that could be mistaken for Tool, and I know I'm not the only one who made that mistake. The fills are rapid fire, and very reminiscent of Tool drummer Danny Carey. But here, it's well known session man Josh Freese. (Freese also does the drumming on the new GNR album that has supposedly been done for like 6 months now) Lyrically, it's a sarcastic rant about Christianity and basically how hypocritical it seems to be.
Perhaps the best way to describe this record would be "art-metal" or "art-rock." Every song creates a distinct setting, flavor, and atmosphere, something most rock bands are lucky to pull off at all nowadays.
My favorite track, bar none, is the second single, 3 Libras. The intro is rather reminiscent of Incubus, but this band pulls it off with much nicer results. The string section adds a nice dimension to the song as well. While lyrically this song is somewhat of a mystery to me (as are many of the songs on this record), this whole track sends shivers up and down my spine and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Thinking of You is unlike anything I've ever heard from a modern metal band. The sleek and somewhat funky (!) bassline that carries the song from the intro, and the electronic drum beat that gives the verse it's very atmospheric feel. Slowly but surely though, the usual rock instruments come into play, and the song reaches it's crashing conclusion.
Brena is more melodic, and more like classic heavy metal, even though the tempo on the song isn't fast or particularly driving. Rather, it's the sounds that are made that make me think of "classic metal." The dense and hollow ringing style of guitar playing that is evident on this track is the best proof of this.
If you're a Tool fan, then most likely this album was a godsend. Maynard has such a unique and distinctive voice, and I don't think there are many side projects out there that would hit it. But this does, and one can only hope this will be a permanent collaboration, rather than just a successful one off that disappears after cashing in on Tool's starved fan base.
A Perfect Circle is a new rock band formed by Tool s Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howardel. Also, in the band are Troy Van Leeuwen, Paz Lenchantin, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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