Crazy Eyesby Filter

Filter has had some ups and downs over the years, experimenting with different sounds and line-ups with varying degrees of success. After trying to score some younger fans by incorporating some pop-punk into their last album, front man Richard Patrick decided it was time to go back to his roots. Way back. Reaching behind the lo-fi, post-industrial sounds of his 1995 debut album Short Bus to his time as guitarist in industrial powerhouse Nine Inch Nails, Crazy Eyes hits hard with the same grit and ferocity with the polished production quality of his work afterward, like Title of Record and The Trouble With Angels. Right from the start, Patrick lets loose with his insane trademark screams atop grinding riffs on Mother E, followed by a warning of America's burgeoning police state in the straightforward industrial slap in the face Nothing In My Hands. While City Of Blinding Riots takes a dark stroll through techno, tracks like Pride Flag, Kid Blue From The Short Bus Drunk Bunk, and Your Bullets sound like Short Bus tracks that grew up since the 90s. Patrick knows when to slow things down as well, with the emotional palette cleansers Welcome To The Suck and Head Of Fire in the midst of the album and powerful closer (Can't She See) Head of Fire Part 2 capping things off. This album successfully proves that post industrial rock is not dead; it's alive and kicking.