Seven years after their previous album, Crazy Eyes, Richard Patrick’s industrial metal band makes a powerful return with The Algorithm. The album has been highly anticipated, and it most certainly does not disappoint. This album has a lot of the weight and power that I absolutely adore the 1999 album ‘Title of Record’ for. It’s unique, experimentative, and heavy. It’s quintessentially Filter. Richard Patrick himself noted that The Algorithm is “the Filter of the last 20 years” and he definitely is not wrong.

Patrick’s vocals throughout the album are incredibly strong; he certainly demonstrates his vocal versatility. The record also maintains the iconic guitar driven sound that is a main aspect of Filter’s flavour of industrial music. However, in this album the frontman has not shied away from including more synthesisers which he had seemingly avoided before, as he “didn’t want to be influenced” by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who he has always held in high regard. Before forming Filter, he had been the touring guitarist for Reznor’s music project.

The Algorithm features a perfect mix of all the styles of Filter song, from the more upbeat and melodic tracks like “Summer Child” which feels like a companion song for the forever iconic track “Take A Picture” to the acoustic driven “Burn Out The Sun”, to the heavy industrial metal of “Threshing Floor”.

The first single of the album, “For The Beaten” features an experimentative riff performed by Zach Munowitz with whom Richard Patrick collaborated entirely over the internet. The song was released in October 2022, long before the album had been officially announced, and after his inclusion in the Nine Inch Nails reunion show in Cleveland in September 2022. His return to the spotlight helped build significant anticipation for the record.

Filter is currently touring in North America alongside Ministry, Rob Zombie, and Alice Cooper for the Freaks on Parade tour but will be touring the UK and Europe throughout March next year.

for fans of: Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Linkin Park, Rob Zombie

favourite tracks: For The Beaten, Face Down, Threshing Floor

Lance Kangasmetsa – Fopp Cambridge