A PERFECT CIRCLE — Mer de Noms (review)

A PERFECT CIRCLE — Mer de Noms album cover Album · 2000 · Metal Related Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Hagbard Celine
I have fond memories of A Perfect Circle's debut from a decade ago, a time when metal was returning to the public eye after several years of extreme un-hipness. Unfortunately, the early '00s metal that broke through in the mainstream turned out to be primarily various nu-metal disasters, but A Perfect Circle became one of the rare great breakthroughs of the dawn of the last decade. On this album, Keenan and Howerdel pull off a beautiful blend of traditional metal and traditional goth. Instead of a mistake that brings out the cheesiest of both genres, as "goth metal" unfortunately often does, Mer de Noms becomes something that sounds almost like a 21st century version of The Cult's legendary metal/goth blend "Love" from 1985. It worked, and both mainstream and alternative (whatever THAT meant by 2000) rock radio incorporated "Judith" into their regular playlists for a year or two. Great album that hasn't become stale in the decade since.
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