Thirteenth Step
by A Perfect Circle
  • Record Label: Virgin
  • Release Date: Sep 16, 2003
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 158 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 143 out of 158
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 158
  3. Negative: 8 out of 158

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  1. Newfoundland
    Oct 5, 2014
    10
    This album is amazing. Every song has so much meaning and depth to it and they all sound and feel amazing. A Perfect Circle's best album completely...
  2. RickS
    Oct 16, 2003
    3
    Well what can i say about Thirteenth Step, well for one, its generally dull, very boring and not at all what i expected.. Although i liked the first album(which wasn't that great but still good) I found that a perfect circle is somewhat trying too hard...Alot of the songs on thirteenth step are very weak, some songs come off as if they were trying to make the band a Mainstream TOOL, Well what can i say about Thirteenth Step, well for one, its generally dull, very boring and not at all what i expected.. Although i liked the first album(which wasn't that great but still good) I found that a perfect circle is somewhat trying too hard...Alot of the songs on thirteenth step are very weak, some songs come off as if they were trying to make the band a Mainstream TOOL, which for me(yes me) is repetitive and doesn't work.. The band itself is not really finding there style, songs like the outsider, weak and powerless, and gravity seem to have its own sound, but the rest of the album does not have a sense of uniqueness.... I really wanted to like this album(borrowing it from my friend countless times) but in the end i could only listen to prob 2 or 3 songs which i got tired of pretty off quickly, some songs were just too boring and somewhat annoying to listen through...The music doesn?t build like so many tool songs(yes i know there two different bands) and No i'm not tool freak.. While Maynard is very good on the vocal standpoint, the guitar riffs and bass was shallow, i did enjoy the work of the drums though.. Overall its like what Michael said " Between this album and Mer De Noms, you have one great album.. But I think its listen -able AT BEST… Expand
  3. christoiphern
    Sep 27, 2003
    4
    Turn on any clearchannel radio station, and this could be on.
  4. Raventhird
    Oct 2, 2003
    10
    This is the most amazing CD i heard in 2003, although i'm listening to at least 5 to 10 new records in a week for my job. A dark and powerful Prog-Rock classic.
  5. sarahw
    Jun 2, 2004
    10
    a different stroke for good ole' Maynard, but definatly one thats gonna make people spooge... if not, than youve got some impatency problems.
  6. GaborA
    Jun 20, 2005
    8
    Struggles to be 50 minutes long. What is actually here though is very solid. Infinitly better than mer de noms.
  7. Raventhird
    Oct 2, 2003
    10
    This is the most amazing CD i heard in 2003, although i'm listening to at least 5 to 10 new records in a week for my job. A dark and powerful Prog-Rock classic.
  8. PaulM
    Oct 2, 2003
    8
    not as immediate as mer de noms, then again, i'd be dissapointed if it was. A very textual and moody album that really needs a few listens to let it grow...
  9. TrickyGotMeIn
    Dec 5, 2003
    9
    Just Ignore The Smoke And Smile
  10. InakiSA
    Oct 27, 2004
    10
    BEST ALBUM I've heard for years
  11. killsexy
    Jul 7, 2006
    10
    the girl in Weak and Powerless video is so sexy. What is her name???
  12. KartikP
    Oct 14, 2003
    10
    Flawless.....they have created another master piece.
  13. WickedRapunzel
    Oct 21, 2003
    10
    WOW!!! Maynard does it again... His lyrics and soul shine through yet again... His talent and musical genious is so obvious in eveything from APC and TOOL..
  14. AshLeeS
    Dec 15, 2003
    10
    I think this is by far the most political album Maynard has put out. He always has a lot of soul in his songs but the Thirteenth step just hits right to my heart with all the problems and fears we are all facing today. He is a voice for our generation.
  15. forkyou
    Oct 3, 2003
    6
    meh
  16. kimv
    Sep 27, 2003
    10
    they've done it again.....touched my soul with beautiful, meaningful melodic, painful emotion. i can't get enough of this disc.
  17. talsin
    May 6, 2004
    10
    I took awhile to grasp the meaning... but once I found it. I couldn't stop.
  18. zachc
    May 18, 2006
    10
    When I hear people talk about how similar Tool and A Perfect Circle are, it angers me. though they are cut from similar threads, A Perfect Circle has gone far and away from what Tool has become. Thirteenth step flows, like poetry or romantic language, it's melodies are etheral and serenly dark. Tool is mathematical, they are calculated and deliver either upon a hammer's stroke When I hear people talk about how similar Tool and A Perfect Circle are, it angers me. though they are cut from similar threads, A Perfect Circle has gone far and away from what Tool has become. Thirteenth step flows, like poetry or romantic language, it's melodies are etheral and serenly dark. Tool is mathematical, they are calculated and deliver either upon a hammer's stroke or a delicate segue. Thirteenth Step is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard, lyrically brilliant, musically mastered and deep in spiritual reflection. Maynard proves that this is not a side project, nor just an offshoot of Tool, APC on this album defines themselves as something else entirely. Where Mer De Noms was a beautiful precursor to something upcoming, This album proved to be a progressive and emotional masterpiece. Just as Tool may have reached their musical zenith with Lateralus, I doubt whether A Perfect Circle can eclipse what they produced with Thirteenth Step. All in all, it's a damn brilliant effort by one of the best rock bands today.… Expand
  19. johns
    Jan 16, 2007
    10
    one of my top 10 albums of all time. giving stiff competition 2 my other beloved albums from the likes of tori,jeff buckley and depeche m. what a voice! what a bunch of extraordinary good and honest songs! what a gem! a must.
  20. JesJ
    Oct 16, 2008
    10
    Awesome record!
  21. BrandyH.
    Jan 9, 2009
    10
    I love this album because that song the noose reminds me of one of my good friends that had to move away ,he had me to listen to this song man do I miss him! I want that song on my myspace profile but I can't figure i out.
  22. nealm
    Oct 1, 2003
    10
    gorgeous
  23. wackyman
    Oct 17, 2003
    8
    A perfect cirlce's second attempt sounds more like the cure's disintegration, than it does to Tool. still, great album
  24. mariop
    Nov 8, 2003
    10
    it is the best album sence mer de noms
  25. missdistress
    Dec 3, 2003
    10
    more than most expected
  26. mmmhmmm
    Dec 6, 2003
    10
    yummi
  27. MahaliaR
    Dec 8, 2003
    9
    My boyfriend and my sister are always all, "Ah, you've got to listen to Maynard, he's sooo good..." blah blah blah. For the last couple years I just resisted because it all seemed to mainstream to be any sort of alternative I'd like, and I'm more of a ska person. But... yes but... when I did finally start giving it a chance, first liking Mer de Noms, then a bit of My boyfriend and my sister are always all, "Ah, you've got to listen to Maynard, he's sooo good..." blah blah blah. For the last couple years I just resisted because it all seemed to mainstream to be any sort of alternative I'd like, and I'm more of a ska person. But... yes but... when I did finally start giving it a chance, first liking Mer de Noms, then a bit of Tool, Thirteenth Step hit me pretty hard. Maynards soft voice combined with disturbing lyrics just sticks in your brain and kind of twists you into a pretzel from the inside out, in a pleasant way if you can imagine such a thing. (?) Anyway, I think this album was a breakthrough in music itself, and I think it was a lovely expression far beyond what Maynard becomes for Tool. The only reason it's not a 10 is there's no brass LOL j/k… Collapse
  28. JackieP
    Oct 3, 2003
    10
    neverless
  29. jeffr
    Oct 3, 2003
    7
    not as lyrically complex as maynard's other albums, with much more repetition of verse, and honestly this is rather disappointing. still a very enjoyable album, and the high points are incredibly high ("Pet" is probably the most likely to stand out in one's mind, along with the single "weak and powerless" and the very tongue in cheek "the nurse who loved me") but not the same not as lyrically complex as maynard's other albums, with much more repetition of verse, and honestly this is rather disappointing. still a very enjoyable album, and the high points are incredibly high ("Pet" is probably the most likely to stand out in one's mind, along with the single "weak and powerless" and the very tongue in cheek "the nurse who loved me") but not the same calibur as the previous CD, nor the more recent TOOL albums. i hate to say it, but there are three tracks that i just skip over every time i play the CD. vanishing, crimes, and lullaby are largely without lyrics, and are not in my opinion instrumentally impressive. on the first listen they're cool, but afterwards they just break the flow and turn an already short 12-song CD into a 9 song one, feeling mostly like filler. its a good cd, but its not great, and that is unfortunately very disappointing.… Expand
  30. EricY
    Sep 23, 2003
    9
    Another fantastic album. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. How can you not? Maynard rules and so does this album.
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Most Discussed Album of 2003
14
#14 Most Shared Album of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Launch.com
    80
    By muting Tool's over-the-top attack, Keenan has more time to devote to deepening the textures throughout.
    Read full review
  2. Rolling Stone
    70
    Sounds more like the dusky thrum of Disintegration-era Cure than it does any of the members' previous bands.
    Read full review
  3. Spin
    50
    It's more cerebral than aggressive.... A derivative effort that makes Keenan sound less talented than he actually is. [Oct 2003, p.105]
See all critic reviews »