When Filter mainman Richard Patrick went into rehab in 2002, it marked the end of the industrial-rock band’s rad second line-up. That means it’s been about a decade since the Filter that made Title Of Record (super classic!) and The Amalgamut (epic!), and since then jeez I haven’t caught sight of Patrick’s old team like at all. Which is surprising, cuz drummer Steve Gillis is a stud (here) and guitarist Geno Lenardo co-wrote this phase of Filter’s biggest (here) and biggest-selling jamz (here).

Click to read more…

Yes, that is John Locke on that poster. No, he will not be in the remake, too. He fired his agents and now he has nothing to show for it. Sorry.

Generally speaking, I like Filter very much. And I have a lot of respect for Richard Patrick. I thought that Army of Anyone was awesome. And that dude can really belt it live.

But Filter’s cover “Happy Together” by The Turtles is so bad, only Within Temptation fans could ever possibly enjoy it. (Although, in all fairness, it’s from the soundtrack for the remake of The Stepfather. So at least its pedigree wasn’t misleading.)

Click to read more…

For Richard Patrick’s fourth effort under the Filter moniker, he’s hired an all-star cast of musicians to back him up. But really it doesn’t matter, because Patrick is Filter the way Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails, the band in which Patrick got his start. And the core of Patrick’s patented Filter sound is intact on Anthems For the Damned, a dark sense of melody culled from the industrial scene in which Patrick earned his stripes mixed with songs alternatingly heavy and pensive. Anthems for the Damned runs the (amal)gamut across the sonic spectrum that has come to define Filter, from rockers reminiscent of “Hey Man, Nice Shot” to slower numbers closer to “Take a Picture” and everything in between, capturing the essence of the Filter sound but failing to exceed expectations.

Click to read more…

Despite what Axl might have to say about the guy, I’ve always held that Scott Weiland is one of the greatest frontmen of our generation and I’m super-psyched for the collaboration between ex-Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland, former Army of Anyone members Dean and Rob DeLeo, and Bomb Shelter Studios owner Eric Kretz Stone Temple Pilots reunion. According to a press release the band plans to work on a new album following their massive 65-date Summer tour, which begins May 17th in Ohio and yours truly will attend May 31st in New Jersey. No word yet on a record label or any other details for the album; the band’s prior five releases were on Atlantic Records.

Here’s fan-filmed footage of the band performing “Big Empty” last night in Hollywood. Please excuse the lame-o commentary from the camerawoman (“He’s, like, making love to the guitar!” during Dean’s slide part). Does Dean DeLeo look fucking amped to be playing in front of real audiences or what??

-VN

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_1SYJuSZKs" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

MTV.com published an interview with Richard Patrick this morning in which the Filter main-man only-man revealed more details about the upcoming fourth Filter record, Anthems for the Damned, tentatively scheduled for release in late March. Tracking was completed in about two weeks with producer Josh Abraham (Slayer, Velvet Revolver) manning the boards.

Business first; Patrick says Army of Anyone (his project with the DeLeo brothers of STP who put out a record last year) is “now on hiatus,” and that he’d love to “do more records with them in the future.” Patrick said it was playing old Filter material during live sets with Army of Anyone that convinced him that the band had to be resurrected:

“But this is not a comeback. Filter’s my legacy. It’s just like Al Jourgensen with Ministry. This is something I took very seriously, something I quit Nine Inch Nails to do, and it has allowed me so much freedom as an artist. I would never turn my back on the thing that has always been the #1 thing in my life. And the core fans that I have, they’re expecting a great record. I knew I’d have to return with the goods, and I’m absolutely convinced that that’s what I have with this record.”

Patrick has recruited an all-star cast of collaborators for this effort; Josh “I’ve played drums on every record ever” Freese, former Marilyn Manson / Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 (who co-wrote two of the album’s tracks), and… ex-Limp Bizkit/ current Black Light Burns guitarist Wes Borland???? Given, Borland was always the most intruiging member of Limp Bizkit, but what??? Maybe it was a political move to solidy Filter’s burgeoning market in Jakarta.

-VN

This news is a few days old but will certainly be of interest to some of our readers; Richard Patrick has announced via a voice message on his MySpace page that he is working on a new Filter record, his first since 2002′s Amalgamut. The news is pretty much the final nail in the coffin for Army of Anyone, who released their album, did one tour and then… nothing. Says Patrick:

“It’s official: I am totally cramming on a new Filter record. I’m working with some amazing people — all new people… A-list producers — actually, one A-list producer. The only person that’s old, or from the other records, is a little guy named Rae DiLeo. This is absolutely the most amazing stuff I’ve ever done, and I’m really proud of it. We’re looking sometime into 2008 — probably, maybe springish.”

Rae DiLeo of course produced Filter’s Amalgamut and Title of Record, and bears no relation to Army of Anyone collaborators Dean and Rob DeLeo (ex-Stone Temple Pilots). No official word yet on Army of Anyone, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that management-company-turned-record-label The Firm fucked that one up royally. I, for one, am excited about another Filter record – Amalgamut was excellent, and I’m looking forward to hearing how Patrick’s newly improved, sober vocals will add to Filter’s dense music.

-VN

Korn has had so many drummers since the departure of original drummer David Silveria (the one talented member of the band) that it’s beginning to feel a lot like Spinal Tap’s famous spontaneously combustible drummer problem. Since Silveria left the band officially in early 2007 (after a lengthy “hiatus”), the following have lent their drumming talents to the band either on record or on the road: Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion), Joey Jordison (Slipknot), Terry Bozzio (everyone) and now the latest, Ray Luzier of Army of Anyone and David Lee Roth fame. Even the mighty Luzier can’t save Korn from sucking, and I guess this confirms that Army of Anyone is pretty much dead in the water.

What’s next, a little green globule on the drum seat?

-VN