Filter - Crazy Eyes

Filter is an industrial rock band formed in 1993. Richard Patrick was the former live guitarist for Nine Inch Nails, and Brian Liesegang was the former studio engineer for Nine Inch Nails. After both wanting to show their creativity during Nine Inch Nails’ third album The Downward Spiral, the duo created the band Filter. After recording the debut Short Bus and various soundtrack cuts, Liesegang left the band. Since then, Patrick has been the only consistent member, releasing six additional albums to date. The seventh and latest release, named Crazy Eyes, harks back to Filter’s debut album while putting an emphasis on the industrial rock label, among other odds and ends.

1. Mother E
2. Nothing in My Hands
3. Pride Flag
4. The City of Blinding Riots
5. Take me to Heaven
6. Welcome to the Suck (Destiny Not Luck)
7. Head of Fire
8. Tremors
9. Kid Blue From the Short Bus, Drunk Bunk
10. Your Bullets
11. Under the Tongue
12. (Can't She See) Head of Fire, Part 2

As previously stated, Richard Patrick has been the only consistent member of Filter throughout its existence. The release of Crazy Eyes is no different, featuring an all new lineup of band members, which is Oumi Kapila on guitar (whom cowrote the majority of the album), Bobby Miller on keyboards, Ashley Dzerigian on bass, and Chris Reeve on drums. This change is musically crucial after glancing at previous albums. Filter embraces the industrial rock subgenre tag, for both better and worse. “Mother E” is the opening track, and is a killer of an intro. Lyrically focusing on school shooters and serial killers, the quiet-loud-quiet pattern of the music and vocals reflects the mind of said person, switching between regret and satisfaction. A prominent drum beat and heavy guitar riff seems simplistic at first, but it all blends together perfectly. Patrick’s vocals are also clear and filled with anger, as age hasn’t slowed him down one bit. If there’s one song that is reminded of Patrick’s Nine Inch Nails days, this would be the one. There are other industrial heavy songs on the album, but not quite on the same level as the intro. “Tremors” has a blistering guitar riff and speedy drum rhythm, and is the fastest song on the album. Patrick screams his lungs out during the song and keeps up with the fast pace of the music. Although it is heavy, there isn’t any industrial-driven keyboards or samples throughout the song. “Welcome to the Suck (Destiny Not Luck)” is the complete opposite. One of the slower tracks, the instruments are crawling to a near halt during the chorus, while the verses has minimal keyboards. It all sounds pretty generic and unenthusiastic as a whole, even if it is textbook to an extent. One of the more standout tracks is “Nothing in My Hands” and is an excellent offering. The verses has a patterned synth line, heavy bass, and consistent drum. The hooks has an increased guitar riff and brutal vocals. Towards the end of the song, the guitar picks up even more so, and becomes both catchy and hard. The song has the ability to be a staple of Filter’s setlists. “Take Me to Heaven” is the lead single off of the album and is a bit more radio-oriented than the other tracks. Lyrically, it’s a successor to the 1999 hugely popular Filter song “Take a Picture.” This song deals with the death of Patrick’s father. Although he himself is an atheist, he basically wishes his father is in an overall better place now. The song is rock infused with subtle samples and keyboards, but is clearly aimed towards the pop scene. Music wise, it’s not a memorable offering and other songs could have been a better selection as a single. “Kid Blue From the Short Bus, Drunk Bunk” is the other radio rock friendly track from the album, in regards to the lack of any memorable moments. The lyrics however are interesting, as it pertains to former band member Geno Leonardo. “The City of Blinding Riots” is a song that sounds a bit out of place, but works on its own. It has an alternating low toned keyboard line during most of the song, and has a techno influenced chorus. The raw energy of the electronic samples is differently haunting. Only downside is that parts of it gets repetitive after awhile. “Under the Tongue” is another odd track, in which it’s mainly an instrumental, and is co-written along with the majority of the band. The keyboards are spooky, the drums are tribal sounding, the bass is solidly picked, and the guitars are both eerie and heavy. Although it’s not groundbreaking, the rhythm section easily harks back to Filter’s debut hit “Hey Man, Nice Shot” from 1995. Closing out the album is “(Can’t She See) Head of Fire, Part 2” and will delight fans of Filter’s slower acoustic songs. As a whole, it’s not very intriguing and seems kind of rushed. Even though the instruments slightly pick up at the end, it’s not a solid closer and something else could have probably been created. Filter tries to flashback to the older days, when 90s industrial rock was all driven by unique keyboards, heavy guitars, grooved beats, and angsty lyrics. A few of the songs pull it off with a modern twist, while a few others fall flat as straight expected rock. The band also tries to experiment with other songs for better or worse, but thankfully doesn’t stretch too far away from the industrial rock genre. Crazy Eyes is one of the band’s more solid releases in a long time, and regardless of the minor inconsistencies, it grows as a satisfying album.