Music Spotlight: A Look at the 5 groups of Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan, including their shared group Puscifer
5 Groups featuring Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan
5. Early Winters
(Carina Round and Justin Rutledge)
Insanely underrated band. Best album by far is I Want to Break Your Heart, sadly their last album, which was released in 2017. While their first 2 albums are somber and melodic, the third record added a folk element and cranked it to 11 in terms of haunting, captivating lyrics.
Favorite Song: Dragon on a Hill
4. A Perfect Circle
(Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel)
While Mer De Noms (2000) and Thirteenth Step (2003) are powerhouse albums, the band’s third album Emotive (2004) which was full of covers and had just one original song Passive, had some good parts but was not a cohesive project. Eat the Elephant (2018) had some great tracks – Disillusioned in particular – but still didn’t get to the heights that the first two albums. Last song by the band was released this year, ‘Kindred.’
Favorite Song: Breña
3. Carina Round
(solo career)
Of all the groups on this list, Carina’s solo albums were the last I really dived into and it has sucked me in like a black hole. Things You Should Know (2009) might be the best 24 minutes of music on display via an EP. All of her albums have gems on them from The First Blood Mystery (2001) to Tigermending (2012)..
Favorite Song: You and Me
2. Puscifer
(Maynard James Keenan, Carina Round, and Mat Mitchell)
The forces combine, the voices compliment each other perfectly, along with the lyrical composition. If you haven’t listened to Conditions of My Parole (2011) and Money Shot (2015), then you are missing out on two great recent masterpieces. The latest LP, Existential Reckoning (2020) contains some of my favorite Puscifer tracks and is on par with the earlier two mentioned.
Favorite Song: Grand Canyon
1. Tool
 (Maynard James Keenan, Adam Jones, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor)
I mean… it’s TOOL. This is the vehicle Maynard rode to have creative freedom with his other two bands. Their latest resurgence since Fear Inoculum was released in 2019 has been great - the band members to be more on the same page than ever. Danny really elevates Tool above the other bands on this list. Adam is a genius in his own right as well. And Maynard’s voice is on full display in songs like Ticks and Leeches on 2001’s Lateralus and Eulogy on their tour de force that is Aenima (1996).
Favorite song: Pushit (Salival version - live)
Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan projects, written by BW Derge
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Music Spotlight: Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan
Early Winters, A Perfect Circle, Carina Round, Puscifer, and TOOL