Diversity has been a hallmark of Richard Patrick’s career, and it’s administered with crushing efficiency on his latest eclectic set of new material from his band Filter. Fans weaned on the industrial outbursts and corrosive beats of such platinum – selling
albums as Short Bus and Title of Record will be ecstatic to hear Patrick’s unmistakable scream and unflinching honesty dominating this new album. The prolific multi-instrumentalist swings back and forth between intensely personal narratives and politically
charged diatribes in throwback industrial crushers. On the surface, tracks like “Thoughts & Prayers,” “Murica” and “Come Take My Guns” detail disgust in the goings on during Trump’s time in the White House, while a track like “Race to the Bottom” chronicles the alcoholics road to addiction.
Frontman Patrick, the lone constant member of the veteran industrial rock act, reunited with original Filter programmer and producer Brian Liesegang to write several songs on the new record- Filter’s first in five years. While Patrick has always participated in the production of his music, this is the first time he has officially sat in the producer chair. In so
doing, he has called upon several friends to help create his latest masterpiece, including newcomer Zach Munowitz and rapper TweezeDaShaggyGod. Filter was originally formed in Cleveland, OH in 1993 when Patrick desired to start his own band after leaving Nine Inch Nails as their touring guitarist. Their debut album Short Bus was released in 1995 and ended up going platinum, largely
due to the success of the single “Hey Man Nice Shot.”
The follow up, 1999’s Title of Record, also went platinum driven by the success of the song “Take a Picture.” Filter’s third album, The Amalgamut, was released in 2002, though sales stalled when Patrick checked into rehab after years of heavy alcohol and drug abuse just as touring and promotion began. Upon getting healthy, Patrick formed the supergroup Army of Anyone with Dean
and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots and Ray Luzier of Korn, released one critically acclaimed album and toured the U.S. After
AOA went on hiatus, Patrick returned to Filter, releasing Anthems for the Damned in 2008, The Trouble With Angels in 2010, The Sun Comes Out Tonight in 2013 and Crazy Eyes in 2016.