Filter / The Sun Comes Out Tonight

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Album Reviews | Released on Wind-Up/Spinefarm Records on June 4 13

Filter / The Sun Comes Out Tonight
(Wind-Up/Spinefarm Records)
***

Within the realm of music different ‘movements’ emerge and fall like the empires of man, punk, grunge, the Mersey Beat and more obscure examples like Sludge Metal included. Each of these styles of music have one or a handful of real pioneers who singlehandedly shaped each genre, however, they also all each have bands who are forever lost in the shadows – underrated and undervalued. For grunge no one is ever really going to live up to the myth of Nirvana, Sludge Metal’s real innovators were the Melvins and I hope I don’t have to explain who forged the Mersey Beat, but bands are continually left in the wake of these ground breaking musicians – bands that have either arrived just a little late, or have simply been supplied with a dud hand from lady luck. Filter are an industrial band who were at one time platinum selling – a fact hard to believe now as I couldn’t fill a room of people who have heard of them, but maybe that is something to do with my choice of friends – however, they have now faded into the pages of history under the shadow of band’s like Nine Inch Nails. The band’s Richard Patrick has always been seen as a pale imitation of Trent Reznor and they have never been held in high esteem for a prolonged period of time, but can Filter bring some attention back to themselves with their brand new release ‘The Sun Comes Out Tonight’?

When listening to the record it is easy to see the motivations behind Filter’s latest effort – to get some mainstream attention back that they has so long been absent. The 90s was a time of mainstream success for the band with songs like ‘Hey man, Nice Shot’ and ‘Dose’, both hailing from the band’s debut LP ‘Short Bus’ becoming widely recognised – since then, however, no dice. ‘The Sun Comes Out Tonight’ is clearly attempting to regain the band’s former popularity and does so with the use of radio-friendly tracks which are accessible to the wider audience. ‘Suprise’ and ‘First You Break It’ have to be some of the band’s more middle of the road material to date, being unfamiliar acoustic numbers with faux pop-punk singing styles which bow to the corporate expectations of pop. Althought there are only a handful of songs like this on the record it is enough to suggest some level of desperation to become recognised and radio-friendly once again. The rest of the record offers much of what you would expect from an industrial metal album – distortion, some shouting and driving drum and bass lines. This stuff shows some quality musicianship and proves the band are worth a dime, but in general the album just doesn’t offer anything new or substantial and I say that with regret.

‘The Sun Comes Out Tonight’ is a good enough record and if you like industrial rock you will enjoy it, however, where the album falls down is its desperation to fit in. It seems like Filter are trying a bit too hard to get back some of the limelight they once had, the acoustic and tamer tracks scream “give me some airplay!” when they could have been replaced with some real, hard-hitting tracks made for the die-hard fans who I’m afraid to say may be disappointed with this latest effort.

Sam Willis