Album Review: Puscifer, Normal Isn't

By Christian Cole, OOTB Publications

Maynard James Keenan is no stranger to experimentation, specifically on the sonic frontier. Some fans are die hard; others are honest.

While I do have some love for both A Perfect Circle and Tool, I have never been one to coddle a teet. While both sonic fronts have some incredible music, they also come with an equal amount of skips.

Puscifer always manages to sort of break that mold a little for me, when a new album is released it is always an interesting experience to immerse yourself in; and that trend continues with the upcoming LP Normal Isn’t (Puscifer Entertainment, Alchemy Recordings, BMG), releasing tomorrow: Friday, Feb. 6.

To bottle it all up, Normal Isn’t is an eclectic twist on Post-Punk formalities with a tinge of industrial, techno, etc. But, it's so much more than just that.

There are swelling drums, hypnotic baselines. Sometimes heavy on the riff, sometimes droning. The album is full of so many dark textures.

Between the record’s occasionally tongue-in-cheek lyrical content mixed with its incredible production and all the band’s capability of not taking itself too seriously, Normal Isn’t is an incredibly well-rounded LP.

In recent years, I’ve found Puscifer to be Keenan’s most legitimate project and Normal Isn’t has done nothing but confirm that for me.

Get out and grab a copy this week or give it a stream. Either way; you are in for a pretty solid and unique listening experience.

Rating

3.8/5

Favorite Tracks

“The Algorithm”

“Pendulum”

Get Album

https://puscifer.lnk.to/normalisnt

Tracklist

1. Thrust

2. Normal Isn’t