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Filter--The Trouble with Angels

Kristen Hatch | Fredericksburg, VA United States | 08/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richard Patrick takes listeners on a wild ride through his life. This album almost feels like an autobiography, starting with his young, addicted days through broken-hearted relationships, to questioning life, the unknown, and the world around us.



"The Inevitable Relapse" winds up the album then pounds guitar and drums into you while describing Richard Patrick's addiction to drugs or "love" as he says. The drum and guitar breakdown sounds like signature Filter. Richard's scream of "When I wake up" is a highlight of the song. And it ends with the Filter trademark sound of guitar string scratching.



"Drug Boy" is the most hardcore song on the album. It never lets you rest, just pummels you with thrashing guitars and a chanting chorus. Each verse begins with only drums and vocals, then it builds up to a multi-faceted chorus consisting of one of the most catchy guitar riffs, accompanied by the longest background scream ever done by Richard Patrick, topped off with the chanting chorus of "Drug boy loves the night." It captures the chaos and debauchery of his youthful days.



"Absentee Father" starts off with a great scream. The growling verse and guitar riffs remind me of Alice in Chains. At the end of the song he screams again, leading you into the most abstract guitar solo ever heard, pushing the boundaries of all sensible music theory.



"No Love" enters with drums, then breaks in with a head-banging/fist-pumping guitar riff. Like a love/hate relationship, Richard Patrick's voice smoothly coaxes in the verse then breaks into painful screaming in the chorus. This song feels the most like a rock anthem compared to the rest of the songs.



"No Re-entry" consists of a gentle, almost skipping drum beat, with poetic, melodic vocals. Layers and layers of sound evoke layers and layers of emotion. The instrumental mid-section is beautiful. This is definitely the most emotional song on the album.



"Down With Me" slaps you awake after the softness of No Re-entry. This song sounds more industrial and the vocal effect used during the verse actually reminds me of Duran Duran in a strange way. The guitar solo is unique Richard Patrick-style. The lyrics are extremely dark throughout and the scream of "then no one will" is very dynamic at the end.



"Catch a Falling Knife" feels the darkest. A distorted guitar intro fades into a murky bass line and Richard's dark vocals narrate his interpretation of Jaycee Dugard's situation. There is more bass dominance during the verse and ending, counteracted by grinding guitars leading up to the chorus. This is the most dynamic song on the album.



"The Trouble with Angels" opens with another blaring guitar riff, then quickly drops into very low vocals. The dark intro and drum style are reminiscent of "Cancer." Lyrically, Richard continues an ongoing theme from all of his albums, his questioning of religion versus science. This ends with powerful guitar riffs to screaming "The sky is falling down."



"Clouds" starts off with a great drum and guitar intro, then transitions to softer, higher singing. The verse style is similar to U2, but then it builds into a screaming chorus. It's topped off with another wailing guitar solo. This is one my favorite tracks on the album.



"Fades Like a Photograph" starts with beautiful piano then transcends to a surreal electronic chorus. The background music actually reminds me of Enya. This new version fits the atmosphere of the song much better than its predecessor on the "2012" soundtrack.



The one thing I found lacking for me personally, was a true shocking moment, which I've found on each preceding Filter album at first listen. This is definitely an overall enthralling album, exploring vast aspects of Richard's personal life and the world around us.



I'm still anxiously awaiting the bonus tracks on the deluxe version. After watching/hearing the "Plume" teaser video, I think that song has a possibility of being my favorite. And with an 8-minute time listed on amazon.com, it's bound to be one of his brilliant ending abstract tracks that has also become a Filter signature.

"