If Lateralus was Maynard Keenan’s full descent
into progressive metal, Mer De Noms was his tentative first
step, albeit one year prior and with a different band.
Now perhaps I’m missing something here, since most
serious music fans are convinced Tool is the greatest modern metal
band since Metallica went the way of the commercial. By extension,
Keenan’s side project A Perfect Circle should be just as good,
since it’s like Tool but with shorter songs.
But I can’t really tell the difference. Keenan sings
the same. The songs are all dark and edgy and deal with religious
themes, disappointment, etc. The usual Tool sludge, and I’m
convinced anything from Aenima could have gone on here
without the casual fan noticing. A side project is supposed to be a
departure, right? Maynard has two copies of the same band.
Upon its release, this record was hailed as one of
the best of the new millenium’s rock movement, and I guess I can
see that. Given where rock was at the time — somewhere between
“Nookie” and “How You Remind Me” a dark and progressive band that
could still write catchy music was necessary. Though they lack the
sense of humor, musically Tool picks up where Soundgarden left off
and throws in a bit of the early Metallica progressive feel.
But I prefer this record to Lateralus, because it is
more approachable and not as pretentious. Sure, the song titles are
elite — “Brena”? “Orestes”? “3 Libras”? “Renholder”? “Mer de
Noms”? — but the music is foreboding, 12 blasts of noise at around
four minutes apiece, with Keenan singing his heart out about
something or another.
“Judith” tackles religious hypocrisy against some
guitar pyrotechnics and perhaps Keenan’s best vocal performance of
his career, while “Magdalena” has an early grunge feel with a sense
of darkness. The best track is “3 Libras,” with a gorgeous acoustic
opening, some light strings and a restrained vocal, at least until
the end explodes with Keenan wailing “You don’t see me!” over and
over.
But that’s about it for the highlights. The rest of
this is dark sludge that is hard to tell apart, and only the
occasional flashes of brilliance — the eerie “Renholder,” some
good bass work in “Thinking of You” and “The Hollow” — make this
interesting to the casual fan.
If dark Gothic rock is your thing, and/or you like
Tool, then you’ll probably enjoy this. And certainly Keenan and his
second band are just as talented as his first, but where Tool has a
sense of majesty to back up its pretension, A Perfect Circle is all
darkness and little redemption, not only for his soul but for the
listener, who may need some Prozac to get through this.
