Album Review: Puscifer Release Normal Isn't
- Karie Henkel
- 24 hours ago
- 5 min read
Puscifer released their fifth album, Normal Isn’t on February 6th, 2026. Not only are we getting a new album, we’ve got a video for “Bad Wolf” and the film Normal Isn’t: Live at the Pacific Stock Exchange (available February 9th, 2026). Frontman and vocalist Maynard James Keenan (Tool and A Perfect Circle) with Carina Round (vocals) and bandmates Mat Mitchell (guitars and production), Gunner Olsen (drums), and Josh Moreau (bass) have really created something stunning with this one. Go ahead, pop those earbuds in, pick your poison, and get cozy as we dive into this one.
This album immediately lets the listener feel the connection between the lyrics and the music. The music feels exactly like what the lyrics are saying. It is a mutualism between voices and instruments, so masterfully paired. Maynard is a musical wizard, and this album is magical.
The whole album is hauntingly beautiful. It is a gorgeous compilation of masterfully crafted musical perfection. This one has the classic Puscifer sound with some incredible A Perfect Circle vibes that resonate on this album much stronger than Puscifer’s previous albums. This one feels more serious. It also has some very obvious gothic, creepy vibes. That is a good thing. It’s got the traditional Puscifer comedy as Maynard sings the word “bunghole,” while partnering the silliness with a deep realness of the message.
Each Puscifer album comes with a theme. This one feels like it is all about existing as a human being in this contorted timeline. It is about existing with the ugliness of the world and our government that we have no choice but to cohabitate with. It’s about a buildup of anger and resistance to what “normal” has become. It’s about how we are in the age of technology and how it feeds us, and how we are fed and stay hungry for more. Living in a constant state of survival has brought out the worst of us, creating a vicious cycle that feels like a game that can’t be beaten.
From the first delicious note, the first song, “Thrust,” with its magnificent bass immediately captivating, had me buckling in for the ride of this new album. “Thrust” starts out with that chunky bass and then the smooth grungy guitar comes to play, wrapping around the notes. Maynard and Carina’s vocals circle around like the listener is prey. This song makes you feel exactly like what they’re singing about. Daily life is suffocating and surrounds us “every fuckin’ day.” This track is both anxiety-inducing and relaxing. Relaxing in the way that a fresh breeze feels on your skin after the sun’s been beating down on you for hours of work in the elements. It’s kind of like how life takes us and beats us around, then one good thing makes it all feel ok.
The sound of static and Maynard’s melodic vocals bring us into the second track, “Normal Isn’t.” The electric guitar is smooth with drums in the distance building up as the vocals progress. This one feels a little spooky, but in all the right ways. This song makes me think of how “normal” isn’t “better,” and nothing in life is “normal,” but also ironically everything in life could be considered “normal.”
The next track, “Bad Wolf” begins with some serious video game-like vibes that flow into even more of that beefy bass. In this song, the bass is even more yummy and thick. Maynard’s vocals are deep as Carina’s voice is like an angel echoing and encouraging the emotion. The sounds that flood my ears with this one fit the theme of being part of a program that we cannot escape until the game is over. With life lately feeling so much like a war of survival, we resort to letting our bad wolves (our ugliness) forward.
As “Bad Wolf” suddenly halts, a primal drum beat and the guitar, so suspenseful, bring us into “Self Evident.” This one feels like preparing to get revenge. Carina’s voice is the glue that holds the theme together. This one feels like lashing out. It feels like punching pillows. It feels like screaming into the void. It’s a definite emotional purge.
“A Public Stoning” is up next and brings the haunt and the creepy keys. Maynard is screamy and angry in the best way possible in this one. This one feels like it is depicting how being lost in your own perspective can be your downfall. How being blind to reality and being stuck in your own toxic ways creates your own misery.
Moving into “The Quiet Parts,” we are taken on an electronic ride. These vocals and harmonies by Maynard feel similar to “The Contrarian” or "Disillusioned" from his work in A Perfect Circle. If perfection exists, then this beat, with the music matching the lyrics like cheese goes with wine, makes this one pure perfection! The drums in the back feel like a constant warm motivation from a friend. This one’s absolutely beautiful.
The seventh track, “Mantastic,” keeps up with the creepy, spooky vibes. It progressively builds up tension. Maynard growls with purpose as he projects his voice majestically as you hear Carina popping in from ear to ear. She is tantalizing and complimenting Maynard. I highly recommend ear buds (put both of them suckers in-none of that one ear crap) for this album, especially this song.
“Pendulum” swings in after “Mantastic” all slow and hypnotizing. The deep vocals from Maynard are smooth and addictive. There are a lot of repeating sounds, strange and unidentifiable, yet familiar. This song feels like being controlled or being caught up in life’s influences.
“ImpetuoUS” is so deep, so captivating, yet I’m still here pondering on its full meaning. It feels like knowing you’re not the crazy one when you lash out after keeping your cool for too long. It feels like someone seeing the truth and taking your hand and saying, “I’ve got you dude.” That’s what I love about the art of music. It can mean a million different things. It can be whatever you need it to be.
The next track, “Seven One” also has me feeling a bit confused, but not in a bad way. In the way that it has me focused, listening to the many theories of the number seven, but I am still left with questions.
The last, and the eleventh song, “The Algorithm,” concludes the album. This one’s a live mix from the Sessanta tour. This one is robotic and hits on the theme of being addicted to the algorithm. The majority have been grabbed by the throat and become prisoners to trends. The age of technology has provided instant gratification, fueling our internal emptiness with the doom scroll.
With each Puscifer album having a theme and characters to support the story being told, (The Pusciverse) all of them glorious, Normal Isn’t has so far been my favorite. It’s been a pattern though, with each album released being my new favorite. Puscifer keeps getting better and better, aging like a fine wine. This album houses an absolutely powerful message that I believe the masses can relate to. Throughout the whole album and every song, each instrument and sound is placed exactly where they should be. Precise. Each of the members of Puscifer should be proud of this excellent display of music. Even with the state of the Nation and the world being so abnormal, it is normal. It's normal now, even if it isn’t.
Normal Ins’t
Thrust 5:15
Normal Isn’t 4:45
Bad Wolf 4:51
Self Evident 4:01
A public Stoning 6:25
The Quiet Parts 4:49
Mantastic 4:28
Pendulum 5:16
ImeptuoUS 5:20
Seven One 5:35
The Algorithm (Sessanta Live Mix) 4:15
Truly, a 10/10 album. Catch a live show coming near you!
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