Title: The Trouble with Angels
Artist: Filter
Genre: Industrial / Rock
Release Date: 24th September 2010
Label: Nuclear Blast
Album Review
Despite ‘Anthems For The Damned’ being a really strong album with a more serious tone musically and lyrically and quite some anthems like the compelling ‘Soldiers Of Misfortune’, it’s not gained the success it deserved in my opinion. Not hard enough? Well, I’ve still not worked it out, but “Not Hard Enough” certainly can’t be an argument this time around with FILTER’s new assault ‘The Trouble With Angels’ touching down soon and having been heralded by ‘The Inevitable Relapse’, which is also the opening cut to the album. It’s gearing up on a processed drum beat, flows over into laid-back industrial with Patrick doing a clean vocal performance to explode in your face with FILTER’s hardest riffs and most pressing drums in a long time. The question for me after hearing this appetizer was whether they would be able to hold up that level over the entire length of a record, because I think the track is a monster in a positive way.
A little jammed radio transmission intro and then my last doubts regarding this were blown away easily like leaves by a strong wind, for ‘Drug Boy’ shows no sign of weariness whatsoever with chords that could cut metal and a rhythm like a brooding volcano that seems to erupt with the vocals kicking in with “Come along Sally let’s have a breakdown” In these words lies a fury at first taking your breath away, then forcing you to scream along yourself. All this contrasted with a melodic chorus, seeing Patrick singing against a wall of instruments. ‘No Love’ riots in the entrails with frigid industrial soundscapes, covering kind of ritual drums into the neck shaking kick off, before everything recedes to highlight mellower, melancholy tones in vocals and melodies. A rousing chorus makes the icing on the cake this track is. Now a moment of peace? Certainly not! Even though ‘Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel)’ is a ballad it’s not peaceful at all; it instead bleeds grief and pain and offers one of the mastermind’s most heartrending vocal deliveries on the album.
Ever tried to ‘Catch A Falling Knife’? Ever wondered how it might be sounding put into music? Well, in case you have this track is probably the answer to your daring question, while the knife in this case of course is just a metaphor for “…a falling life that’s better off dead.” The title track is wasting no time with building to an eruption; it starts with one and maintains the high level of tension on a balancing act through industrial and rock. ’No Re-Entry’ wraps up the album with a powerful ballad that even shows a slight jazz influence in some of the drum parts. Once that track has faded you are like “Wow, what’s just been rolling over me here?” ‘The Trouble With Angels’ finds FILTER at their most furious and uncompromising, bridges to ‘The Amalgamut’ and ‘Short Bus’, injects a healthy dose of catchiness and still becomes something new. An incredible album
Tracklist
01. The Inevitable Relapse - 3:30
02. Drug Boy - 3:47
03. Absentee Father - 3:58
04. No Love - 4:19
05. Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel) - 4:23
06. Down With Me - 3:52
07. Catch A Falling Knife - 4:02
08. The Trouble With Angels - 3:52
09. Clouds - 3:32
10. No Re-Entry - 5:38
Line-Up
Richard Patrick - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Mika Fineo - Drums, Percussion
Rob Patterson - Guitar
Phil Buckman - Bass
Website
http://www.officialfilter.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/filter
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 10
Extras: -
Total: 9.5 / 10
{jos_sb_discuss:19}
Comments powered by CComment