A Perfect Circle Announce ‘Mer De Noms’ Vinyl Reissues
The band is celebrating 25 years since the release of its debut album.
Mer De Noms, the landmark debut album from A Perfect Circle, reached its 25th anniversary this year. To celebrate that milestone, the band is releasing a special 2LP vinyl reissue of the album featuring a series of special zoetrope animations, as well as a Definitive Sound Series audiophile edition.
The zoetrope, a pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion, continues to be used today on occasions, including in some movies and 3D museum exhibits. A Perfect Circle have deployed the technique to harness the power of a spinning record. The reissue packaging includes four different zoetrope animations — one on each side of vinyl — in a premium gatefold jacket with enhanced cover art and special black inner pockets. When played at 33 1/3 RPM, the animations come to life via your phone’s video app or using a strobe app.
Order A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms on zoetrope vinyl now.
Mer de Noms will also be available as a special One-Step pressing as part of the Definitive Sound Series. As a press release about the album explains, the One-Step process means that you’re getting “the truest possible representation of Mer de Noms, offering an audiophile-grade experience that captures every subtlety of the platinum album.” Pressed at RTI and mastered by Levi Seltz (Metallica, Green Day) from 96kHz/24bit source files transferred from analog flat masters, it’s limited to 3,000 hand-numbered copies.
Order the Definitive Sound Series edition of A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms now.
Guitarist and primary songwriter Billy Howerdel met Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan through his work as a guitar tech for bands including Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, and Fishbone. The two struck up a friendship, with Keenan eventually offering Howerdel a room in his North Hollywood home. While living together, Howerdel was able to showcase his demos for Keenan, which led to the singer speculating that his voice would sound good on Howerdel’s songs. With the addition of drummer Josh Freese, bassist Paz Lenchantin, and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, the original A Perfect Circle lineup was complete.
The Howerdel-produced Mer De Noms arrived in May of 2000 and instantly became a fixture of the hard rock landscape, with hits like “Judith,” “3 Libras,” and “The Hollow” flourishing at radio and MTV. In contrast to Tool’s intensely heavy sound and embrace of unconventional time signatures and structures, A Perfect Circle set Keenan’s unmistakable voice loose over top of sweeping, anthemic art-rock songs that hit hard but also boasted a rare beauty.
Upon release, Mer De Noms was a critical and commercial success. In one of many rave reviews of the album, NME wrote, “In exploring their corrupt visions, A Perfect Circle have created a work of morbid beauty. In terms of darkness, it eclipses nearly everything else.” In terms of sales, Mer De Noms was one of the biggest albums of 2000 in any genre, debuting in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 and finishing the year as one of the 100 bestselling albums. It’s been certified Platinum in the United States.
