A Perfect Circle will debut new material in Las Vegas

Some darkness is about to come to light.

More specifically, A Perfect Circle will soon be debuting some new tunes.

The shadowy alt-rockers, whose catalog ranges from contemplative atmospherics to blood-and-thunder bombast, haven’t released a new studio album in 14 years, though they’re currently working on the long-awaited follow-up to their 2003 sophomore record, “Thirteenth Step.”

When the band kicks off its first tour since 2013 with a three-night stand next week at the Palms, it’ll be premiering fresh material from an album that’s still very much a work in progress.

“You’ll be the first ones to hear something new,” says guitarist Billy Howerdel of APC’s next record, which is in the gestation stage. “It’s a solid foundation of songs. (Singer) Maynard (Keenan)’s given me good initial feedback. He’s solidly working a good portion of the songs, but nothing is done. And that’s what is crazy because we’re going to play some new songs. There’s as much excitement for us as there is for anyone else when we hit the stage.”

As for how the album is shaping up, Howerdel doesn’t provide a lot of details.

He’s not being guarded, it’s just that he approaches his music in such a way that to press him for specifics would be akin to asking him to respond in a language he doesn’t speak.

“You’re entering areas that I choose to keep out of focus and hopefully it just comes out,” Howerdel explains of his songwriting process. “I can say that sometimes the music is in contrast to what I’m feeling because those feelings are so overwhelming that I need a little bit of juxtaposition or balance to it.

“I think there’s a range of that stuff on the record. Musically, there’s some very dire and deep heaviness, kind of ominous feel, then there’s some stuff that’s probably the most uplifting that I’ve ever put forward. We’ll see what makes it off the cutting-room floor.”

With but two studio albums in APC’s discography thus far, the group’s sound is as free-spinning as a compass needle, capable of going any number of directions.

There are some constants: Keenan’s stirring voice, an emotive thunderbolt that can escalate from a whimper to a roar in a breath, a co-mingling of vulnerability and fury as he sings of addiction and loss, emotional entanglements both suffocating and life-affirming.

Howerdel complements Keenan’s vocal range with dusky, dramatic musical mood-setting, contrasting ringing guitars with snarling power chords as he crafts songs that skillfully pair understatement with aplomb.

And though their lineup has evolved over the years, APC remains among rock’s most well-pedigreed bands, founded by Howerdel and friend and former roommate Keenan, who also fronts prog-metallers Tool. APC currently also features former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Eagles of Death Metal touring bassist Matt McJunkins and drummer Jeff Friendly, who plays with both Howerdel and Keenan in some of their other projects (Ashes Divide for the former; Puscifer for the latter).

But to attempt to pinpoint APC’s sound any further would be a fruitless exercise, even for the dude largely behind it.

“I don’t want to know what my patterns are. I’m sure I have them,” Howerdel says. “I’m not classically trained. I know generally what chords and scales are, but I don’t have a clear picture of it.

“Everything else in my life I mostly have a clear picture of. I like to be pretty organized and know where everything is. But when it comes to music I find this intimate affair that you have to kind of keep out of focus. If you’re too scrutinizing of your partner, you can keep focusing on the negative and then there’s no magic left. There has to be some of that.”

Bringing said magic to the stage is a rigorous process for Howerdel, especially this go-round, when APC is coming off an extended hiatus from the road, relearning songs from the past while readying tunes bound for future release.

“It’s been a pretty grueling retooling of all the gear, getting set for that, and then working on new material for a record,” he acknowledges. “I’ve never really had this experience before where I’m writing new material as we’re trying to rehearse and remember how to play these old songs or how to program sounds for the show. It’s been a little more challenging of a situation for this one.”

How’s Howerdel holding up?

Well, he could use a little more Lever 2000.

“I’ve got to shower more. That would be a good start,” he chuckles. “I’ve literally just been waking up, working, falling asleep, waking up, getting back to the studio.

“We’ll get there,” he adds with weary confidence. “But I might have some black bags under my eyes.”

Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com and follow @JasonBracelin on Twitter.