The Algorithm Filter Artist

Enduring hard rock vets {|Filter|} return after a seven-year absence, during which time quite a lot happened in the world and in the band's orbit. With global turmoil and a pandemic in hand, the {|Richard Patrick|}-fronted outfit set out to initially create a follow-up to their classic 1995 debut, {|Short Bus|}, but those so-called ReBus sessions eventually morphed into a different beast in the form of the intense eighth set, {|The Algorithm|}. Nailing nostalgic fan service without sacrificing sonic growth or a relevant message (much like 2016's {|Crazy Eyes|}), the LP nestles into the sweet spot between their familiar, post-industrial, aggro-alternative attack and a timely lyrical focus that is quite clear to those paying attention. Opener The Drowning is a time machine to the '90s in the most flattering way possible: dark, churning, and angsty. But that classic {|Filter|} sound is soon twisted by the downtuned guitars and chaotic electro-squabbles of Up Against the Wall and the closing segment of this early triptych, For the Beaten, a skull-rattling, industrial dubstep assault that features one of {|Filter|}'s catchiest choruses. As {|Patrick|} cries to the heavens, World on fire/Down to the wire/We have the right reasons/Fighting for the beaten, his desperation and anger about the state of the United States in a post-2016 landscape is palpable. That frustration seethes through the entirety of {|The Algorithm|}, and {|Patrick|} doesn't mince words about his intended targets, laid out on the sing-along rock epic Summer Child with the line, I've seen divisions have been made/Sold to us with fake grace by an impotent king. That politically charged sentiment has been a part of the {|Filter|} package for decades, but it's refreshing to hear {|Patrick|}'s brand of vitriol delivered with a signature howl that can still level a city block (even with the understandable wear and tear of age). Other highlights include the straightforward rocker Obliteration, the throbbing pogo-stomper Face Down, and the towering cinematics of Be Careful What You Wish For, which features a driving industrial beat that churns atop haunted atmospherics. {|The Algorithm|} closes on a surprisingly soft note, with the midtempo, acoustic guitar-backed Burn Out the Sun providing some bittersweet musing and Command Z utilizing computer commands to help {|Patrick|} escape this messed-up reality. Overall, it's one of {|Filter|}'s best, another late-era gem that marries the comforting and familiar with the new and exciting. ~ Neil Z. Yeung