A Perfect Circle
Mer de Noms
Virgin Records
This highly anticipated offering from Maynard James Keenan (Tool’s sacrificial lamb) and Billy Howerdel (erstwhile guitar tech) is both a meditation on the smoldering dynamics that define Tool and a fresh departure into unexplored territories. Keenan’s voice — liberated from the familiar maelstrom of Adam Jones’s dropped-d riffing and Danny Carey’s virtuosic percussion — is a revelation and Howerdel’s commitment to concise songwriting adds depth to his technical prowess. The marriage of these two metal veterans has proven, yet again, that music can be heavy and melodic; delicate and intense.
On “Hollow,” the opener, Keenan’s transcendent vocals and Howerdel’s snaking riffs and atmospheric textures reveal a symbiosis that is built upon throughout the album. As Howerdel weaves in and out of the aural landscape — grinding out turbulent rhythms and then fading out in spirals of technical acrobatics — he is always conscious of the overall power of the song. His subtle, malleable style allows Keenan to flourish as a vocalist. Shrieking warped paranoia in Tool throughout much of the nineties, Keenan rose to the top of a very short list of truly great and extremely out there hard rock/heavy metal singers. But the vicious onslaughts at the heart of Tool juggernauts such as “Stinkfist” and "Forty-Six and Two" are just a distant memory on the majority of these tracks, as Keenan reveals a versatile and quite beautiful voice.
On “Orestes,” Keenan’s mellow croon guides a steady stream of inner torture that elucidates a haunting image of matricide. As the song progresses, his tone intensifies. The forbidden words are drawn into a frantic whirlwind of intertwining harmonies. Here Howerdel’s restraint — the main rhythm is a plaintive arpeggio — can no longer hold out, as he explodes with a barrage of razor-sharp leads. The song culminates in a grandiose chorus of “sever this umbilical residue that’s keeping me from killing you” driven by Keenan’s escalating wail and Howerdel’s unwavering guitar attack. A Perfect Circle lead us down an unspoiled path on “Orestes”, the following song “3 Libras”, and “Brena.” Such a potent concoction of ripe experimentalism, restrained fury, poetically edgy lyrics, polished musicianship, and technical wizardry is a rare find in hard rock's tepid waters.
It's tempting to think of Mer de Noms (French for Sea of Names) as dualistic, since some tracks - especially “Judith” - are close relatives of the classic Tool sound, and the rest point towards something new and quite different. But the unabashed theatrical ambiance and impassioned tone on every song gives the album balance amidst stylistic meandering. On a whole, Mer de Noms is a powerful and meaningful album that showcases a fearless songwriting duo taking their first giant steps on a barren wasteland of ho-hum heavy rock. Most important for the survival of the medium is Keenan's efflorescence into an amazing vocalist and lyricist. At a time when lead vocalists are more apt to scream and rap, it is refreshing to be seduced by the striking words and varying tones of a true rock singer.
D. Cullity
1. The Hollow
2. Magdelena
3. Rose
4. Judith
5. Orestes
6. 3 Libras
7. Sleeping Beauty
8. Thomas
9. Renholder
10. Thinking Of You
11. Brena
12. Over