Filter is the band of Richard Patrick, formerly a member of the illustrious industrial group Nine Inch Nails. Already in 1990 Patrich left that group to fully focus on his own band. He did take some industrial influences with him and incorporated them, albeit sparingly, in Filter's music that had rock as its starting point. The records that have been released so far, Short Bus (1995) and Title Of
… Record (1999), were both reasonably well received, but never delivered the band the desired success. With this third album it has to happen and Filter has pulled out all the stops to force a breakthrough. Nu-metal is not quite yet, but it would not have made much difference when Filter had neatly joined the rows of colorless big earners, with silly songs like You Walk Away and My Long Walk To Jail. Ironically enough, what saves this record are the quietly carried songs such as Where Do We Go From Here, The Missing and The Only Way, in which the voice of Patrick comes into its own and the musicians do not hide behind neatly bricked and sealed guitar walls. All in all, The Amalgamut is a nice record, but is it good enough for that breakthrough? Probably not. (RWK)more
