Mer De Noms

Mer de Noms is definately the best CD I've ever owned. It mixes metal, instrumentals, and lyrical genius, with an overall philosiphy of the world. I'm most impressed with the diversity in song topics: 'Judith' for example, is essentially a sarcastic mockery of Christianity; 'The Hollow' concerns the human libido; and my personal favorite, '3 Libras' is a lyrical mastery of being overlooked. The entire CD has ups, downs, and a completely different sound. Any fan of Alternative music, nonconformist, or otherwise freethinking invidual MUST HAVE IT!

It's been four long years since we last heard the musical brilliance of Tool's Maynard James Keenan. Well Mr Keenan is back with a new project. While taking a well-deserved break from Tool, he has collaborated with some of the best in the business to deliver us A Perfect Circle's' debut album entitled Mer de Noms. With Keenan taking charge of the vocals, he is joined by Billy Howerdel(ex Tool, Nine Inch Nails guitar tech) and Troy Van Leeuwen (ex Failure, Enemy) on guitars, Tim Alexander (ex Primus, Laundry) and Josh Freese (Vandals,Guns'n'Roses) on drums and Paz Lenchantin on bass. With a line up like this it would be (almost)inconceivable for anything to go wrong. The album kicks off with the powerful guitar driven song Hollow which gives the band members a chance to show us straight away that they are some of the best in the business. On the track Orestes, Keenans voice sounds haunting as it slowly dances over the melodic sounds. You can tell straight away that this track is going to be a fan favourite. On Thinking of You you can hear the Nine Inch Nails electronic influence and the funky slap bass holds the song together nicely. The first single, Judith, is perhaps the most Tool-sounding song, however you can tell there is a presence throughout the album. An interesting fact about the album Mer de Noms (which is French for 'Sea of Names') is that not one of the 12 songs are over five minutes long, a bit of a change from some of the Tool epics that we have experienced in the past.It's an emotional album that will no doubt appeal to the fans of Tool and Nine Inch Nails but will hopefully gain acceptance from a new audience also. It's a good sign that in a music world which seems increasingly dominated by dance music. The rock scene is still progressing thanks to bands like A Perfect Circle. - Tom Brewer

This is simply an import, not any sort of real boxed set. It comes in different packaging, which makes it a boxed set. There are no additional tracks, just the CD that can be purchased here in the USA.