Puscifer

About Puscifer

Puscifer is what happens when Maynard James Keenan gets bored between Tool and A Perfect Circle albums. What started as a joke in the mid-90s eventually turned into an actual band, though calling it a band feels generous. It's more like Keenan's experimental playground where he can mess around without the weight of prog-metal expectations or the need to spend a decade perfecting every snare hit.

The project first appeared as a gag on Mr. Show in 1995, but Puscifer didn't release proper music until 2007 with "V Is for Vagina." Even then, nobody was quite sure what it was. Industrial rock mixed with electronica, weird humor, and Keenan's trademark cryptic lyrics, but looser and more willing to be absurd. Songs like "Queen B" and "The Undertaker" established the template: heavy on production, light on guitar worship, and occasionally funny in a way that would get you kicked out of a Tool recording session.

"Conditions of My Parole" arrived in 2011 and surprised people by sounding almost pastoral. The title track and songs like "The Weaver" leaned into folk influences, proving Keenan could do acoustic introspection just as well as industrial snarl. It's probably the most accessible thing Puscifer has made, which isn't saying much. "The Remedy" became something resembling a hit in the band's universe, though Puscifer hits work differently than normal band hits.

The rotating cast of collaborators is part of the deal. Carina Round became a core member and vocal counterpart, while Mat Mitchell handles most of the actual music construction. It's less a traditional band and more a studio project that occasionally tours, complete with elaborate theatrical performances involving costumes, characters, and storylines that may or may not mean anything.

"Money Shot" in 2015 brought things back to heavier industrial territory. "Grand Canyon" is Puscifer at their most hypnotic, building tension over seven minutes without any interest in release. "The Arsonist" and "Agostina" showed they could still write hooks when they felt like it, buried under layers of production and Keenan's bone-dry delivery.

"Existential Reckoning" dropped in 2020, leaning further into synths and away from anything resembling rock. "Apocalyptical" and "The Underwhelming" are as close as the album gets to immediacy, which tells you something about where Keenan's head was during lockdown. The whole thing sounds like transmission from a desert cult, which tracks given the Arizona recording location and general vibe.

Puscifer put out "Existential Reckoning: Rewired" in 2022, a remix album that somehow made sense for a project already this strange. They continue touring sporadically, still treating each show like performance art that happens to include music. It remains unclear if Puscifer is serious, a joke, or the most honest thing Keenan does. Probably all three.

Puscifer shows are deliberately weird and sometimes hostile to the audience. Keenan treats crowds like they need to be earned, not entertained. Expect industrial soundscapes, theatrical staging, and an atmosphere that's more unsettling than cathartic. Not everyone leaves happy. That's intentional.

Known for Conditions of My Parole, Mommy Daddy Smoke Crack, The Remedy, Hungry for Heaven, Apocalyptical

See Puscifer Live