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For all the side-project shorthand that still follows Maynard James Keenan around, Puscifer has grown into its own strange, fully formed organism. Keenan sat down with Kyle Meredith to talk about Normal Isn’t, the fifth Puscifer record and one of our Most Anticipated Heavy Albums of 2026. The album leans hard into the mess of modern life — politics, technology, and the ways we mentally navigate all of it — while still leaving room for humor, character-building, and a little theatrical sleight of hand. Listen to the episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.
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“There’s been a few incidents where I’ll post a song or a video and somebody goes, ‘Oh my god, I love this new material,’” Keenan says, before laughing at the lag. “That’s actually from 15 years ago… people are finally finding it.” It’s not reinvention so much as accumulation — years of records that weren’t built for algorithms now getting rediscovered in bulk. Compared to the more cinematic sprawl of albums before 2020’s Existential Reckoning, Keenan describes Normal Isn’t as having more teeth, more songs that bite. “Maybe the frustration is coming out a little bit,” he admits. “We’re tuned in to what’s happening in the world. You kind of write what you know and write what you see.”
That reporting instinct runs through the album, though Keenan is quick to clarify it’s less Walter Cronkite and more something feral and sideways. “We’re reporting more like an interpretive breakdancing poet,” he says. That mindset also feeds into tracks like “ImpetuoUs,” which he sees as a nod to the underdog mentality that’s always defined Puscifer. “It’s okay to not think like everybody else,” Keenan says. “If you feel like an island, lean into it. Don’t think of it as a flaw.” That ethos also extends into the album’s visuals and mythology, including the character Belindina Black, whose story is being rolled out across videos and graphic novels.
Listen to Maynard James Keenan talk about Normal Isn’t, Puscifer’s evolving universe, and more in the new episode above or by watching the video below. You can also check out Consequence’s other recent interview with Kennan, Carina Round, and Mat Mitchell here. The band is set to go on tour this spring, and you can grab tickets here.
Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.
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