Puscifer a musical collective riot of sound

Maynard James Keenan's sense of humor is as black as the shiner that the dude sports on the cover of his latest disc.

Said record would be "Conditions of My Parole," the second release from Keenan's square-peg musical collective/performance art project Puscifer, for which Keenan dons prisoner garb and a Ric Flair-worthy blond wig for the liner art.

Keenan, best known as frontman for heady metallers Tool and shadowy alt-rockers A Perfect Circle, has often infused his works with a fondness for the absurd, winking at everything from the apocalypse to his own mortality.

With Puscifer, he makes this sardonic streak both more explicit and knowingly outlandish -- the group's debut was titled "V for Vagina."

The group is essentially a solo vehicle for Keenan, who works with a shifting cast of musicians from one tune to the next, his two-dozen-plus collaborators ranging from actress Milla Jovovich to former Primus drummer Tim Alexander to hushed singer Lisa Germano to his own son, Devo.

Puscifer's catalog is heavy on atmosphere, with tunes that tend to be powered more by percolating electronics than guitars, like in Keenan's other bands.

Live, the outfit takes the form of an unhinged cabaret show/improv comedy routine, with a riot of sound, visuals and skits all congealing into a colorful mess like a box of melted crayons.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.