A Perfect Circle has taken its “Thirteenth Step,” and luckily, it’s in the right direction. Following the success of debut album “Mer De Noms,” the rock supergroup has returned with another album full of dark imagery and creepy melodies.

“Thirteenth Step” opens with “The Package,” a slow, unsettling tune reaching nearly eight minutes.

-While “Thirteenth Step” is overall a more mellow album than “Mer De Noms,” tracks like “Blue” and the first single, “Weak and Powerless,” pick up the pace. Other songs like “A Stranger” trade in the raw sounds of the electric guitar for the more relaxing riffs of an acoustic. Orchestrated melodies fill up the background on some of the tunes, including “The Nurse Who Loved Me.”

“Thirteenth Step” only lacks Keenan’s screaming vocals. His voice is one of the best in the business, and sometimes when he screams instead of sings, the music turns a little sour. On this album, Keenan sticks to singing, with the exception of a couple instances when he grunts.

Bands like A Perfect Circle, whose members are veterans of rock ‘n’ roll, need to stick around and continue setting the standard for good rock music.

“Thirteenth Step” does a great job playing with our emotions. It contains a perfect blend of aggressive beats and quiet undertones. Some of the younger bands out there today could learn a lot from these crafty veterans.