A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan.

The original incarnation of the band included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums.

The band's current lineup features Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, bassist Matt McJunkins, and drummer Jeff Friedl, the latter two also being contributors to the related Puscifer and Ashes Divide projects.

Despite the varied cast and numerous lineup changes, the primary roles of creating A Perfect Circle's songs has remained consistent with Howerdel as music composer, and Keenan writing lyrics and vocal melodies.

[1] A Perfect Circle was originally conceived by Billy Howerdel, a former guitar technician for Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fishbone and Tool.

"[4] Howerdel originally wanted Cocteau Twins lead singer Elizabeth Fraser to be A Perfect Circle's vocalist, but she was unavailable.

[6] The two rounded out the band's initial lineup with bassist and violinist Paz Lenchantin, former Failure guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, and Primus drummer Tim Alexander.

[3][7] The band played their first show in Los Angeles at the Viper Club Reception in August 1999 followed by a performance at the Coachella Festival that October, by which time Alexander had been replaced by Josh Freese,[8] who worked with Howerdel on Guns N' Roses recording sessions that would later lead to the album Chinese Democracy.

[15] In the album review by Rolling Stone, Pat Blashill wrote that Keenan "added an almost operatic angst to Howerdel's songs" and concluded that "A Perfect Circle sound like a desperate dream of what rock used to be.

"[16] AllMusic's review expressed that "there's little question that the addicting combination of Keenan's aching voice and Howerdel's accomplished songs and production skills made for one of 2000's best splashes in whatever was left of 'modern rock'.

[20] In public appearances with the group, Keenan often wore wigs, carrying over a practice begun with Tool of wearing costumes in order to maintain anonymity in his private life.

[26] Efforts continued through mid-2002, with Howerdel primarily focusing on writing new material while sporadically working with Van Leeuwen, Lenchantin, and Freese.

[27] Lenchantin would leave to join Billy Corgan's new start-up band Zwan in April 2002,[32] while Van Leeuwen began touring with Queens of the Stone Age shortly after.

[33][36] Beyond the new personnel, the dynamic had changed: With Mer de Noms, Howerdel had already written and finalized all of the music, with Keenan just contributing the lyrics and vocals.

[26] This time around, Keenan was more active in vetoing or altering musical ideas,[30] determined to make something different than just another hard rock album, in fear of it being redundant.

While not a radical departure from Mer de Noms, there is a real progression here.... Lyrically, musically, sonically, the Thirteenth Step is proof positive that mainstream rock has plenty of life and vision left in it.

[45] After wrapping up the touring in support of Thirteenth Step in the first half of 2004, the band had announced it planned to enter a long hiatus while Keenan returned to Tool and Howerdel pursued a solo career.

[46] In July 2004, Keenan performed at Serj Tankian's (System of a Down) and Tom Morello's (Rage Against the Machine) Axis of Justice concert – an event for musicians to advocate for political and social causes.

[49] Keenan, who had been very critical of President George W. Bush during the touring cycle, proposed tying the concept together as a political-themed covers album, with Howerdel, while generally apolitical publicly, felt was worth pursuing in their post-September 11th attacks political and social climate.

[50] The sessions, largely the work of Howerdel, Keenan, and Freese, contained contributions from past and present members of the band, including Lenchantin, Lohner, White, and Iha.

[68] Towards the end of 2007, Keenan spoke more optimistically about the band reforming someday, but felt that it would probably be in a more limited capacity – for a tour or a new single release, not another full-length studio album.

In 2005, he wrote and composed the soundtrack to Jak X: Combat Racing, collaborating with Van Leeuwen, Lenchantin, and Freese on a number of tracks.

[71][72] Howerdel continued to work on recording a solo album from 2005 through 2007; the sessions were difficult, so he eventually began collaborating with past A Perfect Circle members, including Lohner as a producer, Freese as a drummer, and Lenchantin as a co-writer for a track.

[76][77] As early as December 2008, Keenan had mentioned that he and Howerdel had passively and separately been writing new material for A Perfect Circle,[78] although the band would officially remain in hiatus and largely out of the view of the public through mid-2010.

[97][98] The band played a few live shows in early 2013, including Soundwave Music Festival in Australia[99] and Lollapalooza Chile,[100] though Keenan reported that they had still yet to complete any new tracks due to their other commitments.

[109] In March, the band announced they had signed a new record contract – their first in thirteen years – to release a fourth full-length studio album through BMG Rights Management.

[120] In June 2018, the band extended their touring with a new North American leg towards the end of the year, and released a 2D hologram video for the song "The Contrarian".

[125] In late 2021, Keenan noted that while he still saw a future for A Perfect Circle, that 2022 would be more focused on him working with Puscifer and Howerdel releasing a solo album, What Normal Was.

While similar to Tool in intensity and melancholy, A Perfect Circle is less dark and more melodic, with a theatrical, ambient quality that incorporates occasional strings and unusual instrumentation.

"[162] Reviewers from outlets such as AllMusic and Rolling Stone cited Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step as rare examples of relevance and quality in contemporary rock music.