Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle

Pros: Peaceful, Calming, and any other synonyms for those words you can think of
Cons: It's not 100% consistant; a few tracks don't work

Maynard James Keenan obviously wasn’t looking to make a band that sounded like Tool with his side project, A Perfect Circle. But that makes sense: if he wanted to write Tool songs, he would’ve done them with Tool. Instead, “Thirteenth Step” is a ...

Pros: A few songs that range from 'decent' to simply amazing.
Cons: Too boring too often. Doesn't even begin to scrape the brilliance of Mer De Noms.

In the past, I've struggled with the concept of incredible bands releasing unimpressive albums. It's almost like I was once in denial that such a thing could be possible, so I adapted the theory of "If most of [insert band name here]'s music is genius, ...

Pros: Harmonious, edgy, and captivating.
Cons: A shaky second half holds the album back from greatness.

Three years after the release of the maddeningly inconsistent Mer de Noms, A Perfect Circle returned with a more polished and determined album that blends all of the performers’ talents together with stunning regularity. It’s not quite ...

Pros: Brilliant music, brilliant idea, just a brilliant album
Cons: "Crimes" and "Blue".... maybe

WARNING: This review may be a little long, this entire album tells a story that I believe should be correctly analyzed. There are times in which music is not even the main focal point of the album; this is one of those times. Back in 2000, Virgin ...

Pros: Clever and dark but innocent in approach, like the opposite spectrum of a nursery rhyme.
Cons: Crimes and Vanishing. Sex with tornadoes is wrong and should be illegal.

A Perfect Circle's music works much like a mathematic equation: You + X = Your experience with their music. In Thirteenth Step the x variable is addiction, the whole thing swirls itself around a mysterious addiction to something, ...

Pros: Keenan's beautiful voice, Howerdel's music, the lyrical genius that is A Perfect Circle.
Cons: Excuse me? I think not.

Summary Ye Gods! I was turned on to A Perfect Circle by one of my good friends, and the instant I heard the CD, I was infatuated. After attending their concerts, I have nothing to say but that this is indisputably one of the greatest ...

Pros: Still APC. Still great. Plenty of tracks for you to love.
Cons: Not as magical as previous album. A couple of tracks feel mailed in.

Alright, review-boy, what's the story here? Well, I've been a passing, casual fan of Tool over the years. I appreciate some of their songs, and always turn up "Sober" and "Prison Sex" whenever they pop up on the radio, but I don't actually own ...

Pros: 7 really great songs
Cons: 2 average songs, 1 horrible song, and 2 pointless fillers

For those who don't know, here's the quick story on A Perfect Circle. APC was formed in 1998 or so and was composed of Maynard James Keenan(Tool) on vocals, Billy Howerdel writing guitar and bass, and Josh Freese(Vandals) on drums. Paz Lenchantin ...

Pros: Different.
Cons: Lack of direction.

Being an avid Tool fan, and admiring the masterpiece that was Mer De Noms, I was anticipating the release of this disc for months. Having truly been moved by Mer De Noms I hoped that this release would be different, yet have the same ...

Pros: Jeordie Orsborne White on bass, eclectic mix of music
Cons: Some songs seem too short, like "The Noose"

Alright. I’m throwing away the fact that my favorite band in the world is Tool. I’m throwing out the fact that my favorite vocalist in the world is Maynard James Keenan. I’m throwing out the fact that this album is TOTALLY different than APC’s last ...

Pros: Angelic and demonic.The best of tool meets it's softer side.
Cons: The albums to me are never long enough. In this case fourty minutes isn't.

I warn all: Mainly a verbatim of the lyrics from the songs off of this album [true some of these songs appear on APC's website-only 2 songs... state full-lyrics,but I wondered and decifered the rest by ear]...technically my review is in my comments of ...

Pros: Um ... there are a few decent tracks on here.
Cons: It's quite dull.

Well. I've got some good news and I've got some bad news. (This cliché will never get old!) The good news: This is an album done by professionals. Three of these band members have come from several famous groups, including "Guns N' Roses" (Josh ...

Pros: Intricate, well crafted songs. Moody, dark ethereal production.
Cons: Perhaps too abstract for some?

A Perfect Circle's Thirteenth step provides a well recorded, atmospheric musical journey courtesy of some well crafted and detailed songs. The short review for the impatient is that I reckon this is a bloody good album. If you want a longer story, rea ...

Pros: Some original stuff, some hard stuff, some interesting lyrics.
Cons: Maybe a bit on the self-indulgent, (ohh I hate this word) pretentious side.

It is in that time of reviewing true rock music that my fellow reviewers totally kick my ass. If you don't believe me, go ahead and suffer through this blathering tub of mediocrity and then check out some of the other reviews. A Perfect Circle...

Pros: Some good songs and lovely arrangements
Cons: Not at all cohesive or focused

When a man whom you’ve come to expect the best out of doesn’t deliver the goods, listeners are even more disappointed. Such is the case with Maynard James Keenan of both Tool and A Perfect Circle fame. In the matter of less than a decade, Ke ...