A Perfect Circle - Eat The Elephant

Released in 2018, Eat The Elephant marked a long-awaited return for A Perfect Circle, arriving fourteen years after their previous studio album and reaffirming the band’s relevance in an increasingly fractured world. Rather than revisiting the dense guitar-driven aggression of earlier records, the album expands the group’s sonic palette, incorporating piano-led arrangements, electronic textures, and spacious atmospheres alongside moments of restrained heaviness.

Lyrically, Eat The Elephant is both introspective and outward-looking, addressing themes of apathy, political division, and cultural decay with a sense of urgency and measured restraint. Maynard James Keenan’s vocals shift between hushed reflection and biting critique, while Billy Howerdel’s evolving songwriting leans into tension and release, favoring mood and dynamics over brute force.

The album also reflects the band’s history and evolution. Formed in 1999 when Keenan joined forces with guitarist Billy Howerdel, A Perfect Circle quickly established themselves as a defining voice in alternative rock with the platinum-selling Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step. After years of inactivity, Eat The Elephant does not attempt to recreate the past. Instead, it presents a mature, deliberate statement that mirrors the unease of modern times.

Pressed as a double vinyl LP, Eat The Elephant stands as a bold and thoughtful comeback, proving that A Perfect Circle’s voice remains as incisive and resonant as ever.