Both editions are slated for arrival later this fall
A Perfect Circle are celebrating their seminal debut Mer de Noms with two special limited edition reissues on vinyl. The 2-LP zoetrope vinyl arrives on September 25, and the Definitive Sound Series (DSS) One-Step Audiophile Edition comes out on October 10. Check out product shots of both editions below, plus a link to pre-order.
The 2-LP zoetrope edition brings the record to life with four distinct animations: the album’s distinctive glyphs, images from our original photo session, clips from the David Fincher-directed “Judith” video, and a hypnotic display of the APC logo.
Definitive Sound Series (DSS) One-Step Audiophile Edition (out Oct. 10) – Mastered by Levi Seltz from 96kHz/24bit source files transferred from analog flat masters, pressed at RTI, and strictly limited to 3,000 hand-numbered copies. Experience Mer de Noms with unparalleled depth and clarity.
A Perfect Circle’s debut album, Mer de Noms (“Sea of Names”), arrived on May 23, 2000, as a fully formed aesthetic from guitarist-producer Billy Howerdel and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Written largely from Howerdel’s stockpile of meticulously arranged demos and elevated by Keenan’s melodic, brooding vocal lines, the record was tracked across three Los Angeles–area studios—The Chop Shop (Hollywood), Sound City (Van Nuys), and Extasy (North Hollywood). Howerdel produced, engineered, and handled much of the instrumentation himself; Alan Moulder assisted on mixing, bringing the gloss and punch that let the album’s dynamics breathe. The lineup captured on the record features Josh Freese on drums (with Primus’s Tim Alexander appearing on the studio version of opener “The Hollow”), Paz Lenchantin on bass and violin, and Troy Van Leeuwen adding lead-guitar color on select tracks—an ensemble that translated Howerdel’s layered arrangements into something both heavy and textural. The material’s recurring first-name song titles (“Judith,” “Breña,” “Thomas,” “Orestes”) underscore the album’s intimate, character-driven perspective.
Stylistically, Mer de Noms threads the seam between alternative and art-metal: glassy acoustic guitars meet serrated, drop-tuned swells; strings and xylophone peek through the mix without softening the impact. Critics clocked the record’s tension between smolder and surge—songs often withhold their detonations until the last possible moment—while Keenan’s performance locates a wounded melodicism that’s distinct from his work in Tool. This balance of elegance and force turned tracks like “3 Libras” and “Magdalena” into signature pieces, while “Judith” delivered the album’s most immediate jolt, built on a cycling riff and precision rhythmic lock.
Commercially, Mer de Noms made an emphatic entrance. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200—the highest-charting debut ever for a rock band’s first album—on first-week sales exceeding 188,000 copies. The album remained on the chart for 51 consecutive weeks and earned RIAA platinum certification later that year (Oct. 31, 2000). Internationally, it landed at No. 2 in both Australia and New Zealand and hit No. 5 in Canada, extending the project’s impact well beyond U.S. rock radio.
The singles campaign balanced visceral and vulnerable. Lead single “Judith”—a blast of serrated guitars and tightly coiled drums—rose to No. 4 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock and No. 5 on Alternative Airplay, while also brushing the pop sphere at No. 5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. Follow-up “3 Libras,” with its acoustic guitar and violin filigree, peaked at No. 12 on both Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock. Third single “The Hollow” returned to a taut, metallic groove, reaching No. 17 on Alternative Airplay and No. 14 on Mainstream Rock. Together, the three tracks established A Perfect Circle as rare crossover auteurs who could move from combustible riffing to chamber-rock delicacy without losing momentum.
Beyond the U.S., Mer de Noms posted durable chart life. It reached No. 55 on the UK Albums Chart and notched additional placements across Europe, including the Netherlands (No. 81), Germany (No. 55), Sweden (No. 54), and Norway (No. 32). In year-end tallies, it ranked No. 90 on the Billboard 200 and also appeared on Canadian and Australian year-end lists, reflecting steady consumption long after release week. Certification followed the trajectory: platinum in the U.S., platinum in Canada, gold in Australia, and silver in the UK.
As a document of conception as much as execution, Mer de Noms captures the band’s origin story in sound: Howerdel’s exacting, cinematic arrangements; Keenan’s lyrical portraits rendered as names; and a production approach that finds grace in weight. It set a high-water mark for a debut—artistically assured and commercially undeniable—while laying the sonic and thematic foundations A Perfect Circle would expand on with 2003’s Thirteenth Step. Two decades on, its blend of restraint and rupture still feels uniquely theirs.
A Perfect Circle – Mer de Noms [Virgin, 2000]
1. The Hollow
2. Magdalena
3. Rose
4. Judith
5. Orestes
6. 3 Libras
7. Sleeping Beauty
8. Thomas
9. Renholdër
10. Thinking of You
11. Breña
12. Over
Pre-Order Now HERE