Album Review: Filter – The Algorithm

The Beginning of a New Era

A band arguably born of Nine Inch Nails’ guitarist, Filter, released their eighth studio album on August 25, running for 43 minutes and 44 seconds. Richard Patrick fathered this post-grunge band with Brian Liesegang, a guitarist and programmer, in 1993 after touring with Nine Inch Nails between 1989 and 1993. Filter’s platinum debut album, Short Bus (1995), put Filter on the map primarily because of the single “Hey Man Nice Shot.” This track was originally perceived as crass commentary on Kurt Cobain’s suicide, but the song is truly about R. Budd Dwyer’s public suicide during a press conference in 1987. The track was not received well, either way. Listeners were concerned about insensitivity on the subject, thus Filter’s debut began with controversy, which eventually added a particular appeal for many listeners. 

The Algorithm, Filter’s first album in seven years, displays Filter’s persistent disregard for what people think of them. Seven years can stretch into eons in the world of music. Bands break up, albums fade from memory and people age out of jobs and music taste. The Algorithm pays no heed to the fear of falling off. It opens with “The Drowning, ” which reinstates this authoritative mindset by beginning with a riff similar to “You Walk Away” from the The Amalgamut (2002), continues with gritty “yeahs” and ends with a full minute of intense growls, guitar, synth and drums. It reintroduces Patrick’s weathered tone combined with seething guitars that seem to sneer at the listener. The tune of “The Drowning” carries a weight with it, as if Filter is overburdened with life in the modern age. “For The Beaten,” The Algorithm‘s lead single, begins with an intense synth reminiscent of the classic arcade game Space Invaders that is “dynamic, dark and heavy, just like the moment we are in,” as Patrick puts it. The track is full of stuttering guitar and drums that ascend and crescendo into a melodious and catchy chorus. Filter chose “For The Beaten” as the lead single because it defines Filter’s new era, which is one of exhilarating, dark authority. It blares the message: Filter is aging and wiser, but not fading.