Tool & A Perfect Circle Reveal If They’ll Release New Albums In 2017

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A week and a half ago, A Perfect Circle’s Twitter account confirmed that the band will not release a new album in 2017, despite media quotes from Billy Howerdel leading many fans to believe it was a possibility. A Perfect Circle also shot down the possibility of Tool releasing a new album in 2017.

A Perfect Circle guitarist Billy Howerdel discussed working with Maynard James Keenan on the band’s new album in a recent Las Vegas Journal interview.

“It’s through the mail and over the Internet. I work here in my studio, just me, and I’ve been working on these songs for a long time in different forms. I’ve sent off things to him, but didn’t want to overwhelm him throughout the years, so he’s been kind of chewing on these for a while, and now it’s to the point where he’s asking for some modifications, so it’s a collaboration, a musical conversation. He’s saying, ‘Take out your scissors, cut the song up, put in these different pieces rearranged and let’s see what that sounds like.’ So that’s where we’re at right now. He was texting me about two minutes ago with notes on something I sent him yesterday. I’m trying to do my best to get him to a place to be inspired to write, too.”

Santa Ana, CA rockers Saint Blasphemer formed just a year ago, but they sound like they’ve already been together for years on their great new EP Theotokos, which features heavy Tool and A Perfect Circle influences.

“Collapse” kicks off the EP, and it sounds like a modern alternative rock Led Zeppelin track. It sounds a bit like Wolfmother and other retro rock bands, but with a much rawer sound. The lyrics are defiant: ‘Fuck your opinions!’ The main riff that drives the track is one of the most memorable I’ve heard in recent memory.

The riff on “Low” is reminiscent of Tom Morello’s work in Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. Lyrically the song is about somebody living on the edge, with no regard for their life: ‘Your mother is an addict/your father is a freak.’ ‘I’ve seen this all before and you deserve so much more.’

“She” has some guitar work that sounds like Dave Navarro’s work in Jane’s Addiction, especially with the song’s structure, where it is driven by a heavy riff but breaks down into more melodic breakdowns.

“Road To Nowhere” is the Grungiest track on the EP, with some shades of Alice In Chains during the chorus. It features the line: ‘Isolation is what freedom brings.’ The frenetic vocals also sound a bit like Maynard James Keenan’s in Tool and A Perfect Circle.

The title track “Theotokos’ continues the Grungy vibe after “Road To Nowhere” with a Jerry Cantrellesque guitar solo.

Definitely check out Saint Blasphemer’s new Theotokos EP. This is a really tight band, with great vocals, guitar work, bass playing, and drumming. They really sound a radio hit away from breaking out. Check them out on Facebook, buy their EP on Bandcamp, and check out their official website.