TRACKLISTING

 

1.-The Hollow
2.-Magdalena
3.-Rose
4.-Judith
5.-Orestes
6.-Three Libras
7.-Sleeping Beauty
8.-Thomas
9.-Renhölder
10.-Thinking Of You
11.-Breña
12.-Over

 

   If we note the certainties of life, Tool is one of the most interesanting and quite possibly the most inteligent alternative band. So, having pulled apart any curtain, A Perfect Circle go around the expectative Tool cause. Because Maynard's shadow is Tool's.  So, having said this, we can say that Mer De Noms is welcomed as a good try, but, by Tool's standars, not as original. This side project causes certain impact. Definitely, it is as melodic as alternative gets, not a single moment for a metal-head. I think this should be clear from the start. And sadly, the album feels corny some of the times. But the melodic choruses are very well done. Maynard's voice is at his best, not as raspy as before, just clean. He reaches never-heard tones in his voice. Almost every song is an example, but we should mention "Orestes", "Three Libras" or "Sleeping Beauty". And let's get this straight. Maynard's voice is by far the most remarkable thing about this album. He is simply superb. About the other instruments, we can't say a lot. The guitar, done by the former guitar tech of Tool, sometimes take that whiny sound borrowed. And who knows? he may have invented that effects, but the guitar in "Judith" sounds a lot like several Ænima's parts. I saw no purpose on that. The bass does nothing remarkable, except a line or two that can be called interesting ("Thinking Of You" comes to my mind) and the drumming is pretty boring. The musicianship fell inside Boredomland. But the hero of the record was undoubtedly Tool's singer. I hope he insists in doing side projects, cause at least, he did his part.

 

81 OUT OF 100