Disco de Filter: “The Amalgamut [PA]”

...but somewhere along the way he learned to sing as well. Good on him! Patrick's voice has never sounded better, or the band more cohesive. Still, there are two sides to The Amalgamut. One is pop-station friendly, the other certainly is NOT.

"God Damn Me" is a joy to listen to. Right now it is my favorite song on the record. Bittersweet vocals float over an acoustic guitar and drums during the verse, blending into gorgeous harmony during the chorus. People will invariably compare it to "Take A Picture", but this is better.

"Columined" is the other side of this album, a distorted, throat-scraping soundoff on the events at Columbine. I wonder how the man has a voice left at all!

Some of the songs seem destined for radio airplay, like the already-released "Where Do We Go From Here". That and "The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way)" are both similar to "Take A Picture" in that they are pleasant to listen to and insidiously singable (meaning you'll probably hear even tone-deaf people singing them as you cringe in horror).

Harder, more adventurous stations might take on "My Long Walk To Jail" or "You Walk Away" which feature crunchier guitars, harder drums, and the trademark skullsplitting vocals. Time will tell.

Only the last two tracks seem out of place. "World Today" is wierd and disturbing, like a child in an insane asylum. "I like the world today, I like the world today, I like the world today, when it's green...And sometimes it's mean, and sometimes it's mean, and sometimes it's mean as can be". "The 4th" is companion to "World Today", which is pure aural experimentation. The song (I use that term loosely) is hypnotic and oddly calming but disconserting, as though the musical rollercoaster's track suddenly left the park, and headed out into the desert.

The jumble of styles and sounds on this album is a challenge sometimes, but it is always interesting and ultimately rewarding to follow a band as it grows more skilled and confident. This is Filter's finest effort so far, and I can only hope the next one comes soon.

I have been a Filter fan for awhile. Their band's success is, I believe, derived from the same forces that made Black Sabbath and Ozzy popular. They have never been MTV friendly, but their CDs continue to sell like hotcakes. Short Bus was awesome and Title of Record was incredible. The Amalgamut shows that Filter is remaining strong and that they are going to be around for quite awhile longer.

The only reason I gave this album four stars is that there are a couple songs on it that I don't get. The songs sounded like Richard Patrick wrote them when he was extremely mad or just wrote them to sound mad on purpose. In one part he even sounds like he's trying to sound like DMX or Cypress Hill or something. It's brief but he gets mad and says "You want some of this mother ****er? I'll kick your..." Yeah, the rest is easy to figure out. It was lines like that and other really weird unnecessary lines that made this album less than it could have been capable of.

Overall though, this album reflected the growth of this band, especially Richard Patrick, the lyricist and lead singer. Title of Record's songs seemed to deal with only himself and his internal conflicts, whether they were relationships he failed at (It's Gonna Kill Me) or his venting at his parents (Take A Picture) I mean, they were good songs, but The Amalgamut just seemed way more developed and intelligent because of the universal themes to the world. Filter is a great band with an untouchable, absolutely untouchable sound, and they don't play games (for the most part.) They are solid, heavy, melodic, and powerful. They are going to be around for awhile.

I Love this album "The Amalgamut" with such my favorite songs american cliche and it will never be the same those are my two favorites by them but the whole album is very good i recomend you should by this

This album shows how diverse Filter can be. Rather than boxing themselves into one theme, genre or sound, Filter would rather twist you around until you're well rounded. The first two songs take the listener straight into the album, assaulting the ears with Filter's harder edge, almost as a reminder that Filter is around and kicking. "Where Do We Go From Here" takes the listener back to the emotionaly softer side of Title just as a breather from a heavy moment. Filter takes out the stops again, changing emotions, sounds and styles on the listener with "Columind." Taking the listener on another twist is "The Missing" and "The Only Way Is The Wrong Way" with their softer sounds, more emotional feeling and softer style. "My Long Walk to Jail" and "So I Quit" jolt the listener back into reality, reminding them that yes, Filter still knows how to rock and rock out hard. While the latter is more crude sounding at first, it is not all that it seems. A song about primal anger, it is what it is to cause people to get in tune with that side of themselves WITHOUT hurting someone else. "God Damn Me," a beautiful song brings the album back down, its dreamy lyrics and landscape of sound causing the listener to let go of the adrenaline of the previous track. Although one more harder track is tossed in before the final two softer tracks, it is another bump in the roller coaster that is The Amalgamut. The diversity of the album does not cause strain to the listener, but rather proves how Filter can grow from their previous album and in the future. An album for all music fans who care about true musicial skill.

"Only the last two tracks seem out of place. "World Today" is weird and disturbing, like a child in an insane asylum. "I like the world today, I like the world today, I like the world today, when it's green...And sometimes it's mean, and sometimes it's mean, and sometimes it's mean as can be". Richard Patrick can still scare the pants off a banshee...,

You have no idea what that song, "World Today", means to me.

During my year in Afghani-land it was my `prayer' song when our own blood was lost.

Filter, this CD, amongst so many, helped me keep my sanity.

"But sometimes it's mean as hell; helluva price to pay".

That would be a fact