A Perfect Circle

Mer de Noms

A Perfect Album

Review Score:

(10/10)
It's a shame I cannot rate this album with six, or even seven stars. Mer de Noms is, quite simply, incredible.

As everyone probably knows, this is Maynard James Keenan's second band (his first being, of course, Tool). This is not, however, a mere side project. Mer de Noms has a feel all its own. While the song "Judith" sounds very Tool-ish, it feels a bit more controlled than anything Tool has done. Although I love Tool, I feel that these songs are a bit more polished and focused. There are no nine minute epics here, though this album does hint that if the band wanted to create nine minute long songs, they could do so with great effect.

It's hard to pinpoint anything as being the best part of the album. All the parts, from Billy's composing, to Maynard's lyrics and singing, have purpose, and the result is an incredible piece of work.

Don't buy this only because you're (potentially) a Tool fan. Buy this because it is one of the best albums to be released in the last decade.

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