After hearing about Tool's planned hiatus, with more of a focus being put on APC and other ventures for the time being, I was pretty bummed. Tool are just about the only commercially massive band in the world that could be classified as "progressive metal", and they are the one band that could possibly open doors for like-minded groups to break into the charts in the future, so it's in everyone's best interests that Tool continue to release top quality material year after year. As well as that, I didn't exactly blow a load over APC's virgin effort, Mer De Noms. However, after hearing Thirteenth Step, I take it all back and I'm glad it has been released.

Musically, the album is a nice mix of progressive-tinged heavy metal and slow, melodic rock. It's a lot more mellow than Mer De Noms, a welcome change indeed, but still has a lot of hard-edged metal for the headbanger in all of us. The heavier sections are similar in style to Tool, which won't come as a suprise to anyone who's heard Mer De Noms, but I suspect that this is mostly to do with the fact that Maynard is the singer for both bands. His voice is so recognisable and unique that he could probably make a Foo Fighters song slot into a Tool album without many people noticing.

But on the other end of the scale, we see a whole new side of APC that wasn't fully explored in Mer De Noms, and that is the spacey, atmospheric soundscapes that can be found in tracks like "Vanishing" and the last three songs on the album. It is this extra element that puts Thirteenth Step head and shoulders above not just Mer De Noms, but just about every other album released in 2003.

The highlights for me are the catchy rocker "Weak And Powerless", and the cover of Failure's "The Nurse Who Loved Me". They represent the best of APC's two worlds - the heavy, progressive Tool-ish side; and the mellower style only recently associated with APC. There really isn't a lowlight on the record, it's a very consistent album which will make you ask yourself "where did all the time go?" when it's over.

The lyrical content of the album doesn't disappoint either. A concept album about a man's struggle with alcoholism and its effect on his life. I won't spoil the suprise for anyone reading this review, but there is definately a lot of substance to the lyrics of the album, which adds another level of enjoyement.

So if you, like me, didn't particularly care for A Perfect Circle's first release, don't assume that you won't like Thirteenth Step. I'm certainly glad I got the chance to hear what will probably take it's place at the top of the heap in years to come.