A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step

My Thoughts: (Reviewed by O. Anderson)

I was all too happy to buy this album, as the bassist is former Marilyn Manson member Twiggy Ramirez, and the guitarist is James Iha from what used to be the Smashing Pumpkins, and that's pretty much the only experience I'd had with A Perfect Circle prior to purchasing "Thirteenth Step". So, obviously, I hadn't the slightest idea what to expect from this band. Luckily, I wasn't too unpleasantly surprised with my purchased, but just a little. There are really two tracks on the whole album that I totally and completely enjoy, which are "Weak and Powerless", and "The Outsider", coincidentally, their singles from the album. I later learned that the lead singer is that guy Maynard from the extremely weird band Tool. Now, I'm something of a fan of Tool, so I know their music remotely. However, I thought that Maynard brought too much of Tool to the table on this record. I'm not sure what it is about it, but the songs just don't rub me the right way. I find the flow of most of them kind of weird, even though the music is really good. To be fair, the guys in the band are very talented musicians, and Maynard has got a great voice. However, this wasn't enough to impress me. I'm not sure if I'd recommend "Thirteenth Step" to someone, but not because it isn't good, it's just because I don't like it. Sorry, A Perfect Circle.

Key Tracks:

Weak And Powerless
The Outsider