Nu Metal, despite being seen as a niche genre of Metal music, has had some real commercial potential to reveal to the world of music. After some time really doing their best to get noticed for a Nu Metal band named Filter, this is where the magic began to happen for them after years of trying. For that reason, this is going to be a promising listen from the start. Let’s listen and hear if this is worthy of checking out.

You Walk Away begins the album with some nice chugging riffs with loud snare drum rolls, making this piece sound gloriously good. Soon enough, singing enters and this piece gets underway. This is decent for what it is, Nu Metal with a realistic and quality edge. This song is fairly enjoyable, it sounds really cool for Nu Metal and does leave a lasting impression. The guitars present in this song are really enormous and of good quality, this does sound really fine and excellent. The screamed vocals in the chorus are really excellent, and the whole band deserves credit for keeping this very lively. In the second half is a cool instrumental electronic-based breakdown, and it sounds rather freaky. Soon enough, the drums and guitars return. Again, the screamed vocals are superb and very impressive, making this loud and noisy tune sound very, very good. Great start to the album, this sounds very powerful throughout.

American Cliche begins with electronic drum beats, guitars and some really cool bass guitar parts. The song goes straight into a socio-political piece that sounds rather definitive for Nu Metal. The chorus is very animated and powerful sounding. The chugging riff work and musicianship present on this album is very, very good. The screaming is very manic and animated. However, despite the fact that this is a good song, this is Nu Metal, which is difficult for many to get into on a regular basis. The bass guitar riffing and electric guitar riffing in the second half is amazing. Good job anyway, this sounds lively and wonderful, with a delayed sounding outro.

Where Do We Go From Here begins with some quiet electric guitars and electronic textures, before launching straight into a good song with acoustic guitars and some plain, yet melodic singing. This continues into a loud and chaotic Nu Metal piece of mastery. Again, this is surprisingly good. It just sounds really excellent, refreshing and powerful. Sure, Nu Metal is very, very limited in its appeal, but still, this is very good for what it is. In any case, this is a good and upbeat sounding piece of music that is well done. A really energetic and good piece of music, this is likely one of the standouts from this album. Cool and entertaining music, this sounds very accomplished and driven. However, the flaw with this song is the length, it is far too long. This could have and should have, been shortened. This would have helped the music a lot.

Columind begins with some weird bass textures, before crunchy guitars and pounding drums enter. This doesn’t sound very good at all, it is a poor attempt at Nu Metal. In any case, the sound of this song really drags down the song itself. It’s very awful and discordant sounding, just sounding really off and like a piece of music that should not be heard. The vocals are barely audible in all of this, which isn’t a good move, either. Anyway, a disappointing song on this album, and one you should not hear. Fortunately, it is only three and a half minutes long.

The Missing begins with some keyboard textures, clean down-tuned guitar and a very dark sound. Soon enough, singing enters with an emphasis on railing against Christianity. Regardless, this musical statement present is a good one for the song, although this is definitely not a classic album for Nu Metal. Near the middle are some more interesting sounds, followed by some melodic and decent singing. This is a deep and meaningful sort of listening experience, and this does sound very uplifting, in a weird way. In any case, an improvement on the previous song, although this music is very limited in appeal. A good and different tune. It ends with some loose drumming.

The Only Way Is The Wrong Way begins with 4/4 drum beats, interesting drop-tuned guitar sounds and electronic textures. The singing here sounds very weird, almost like a Nu Metal Bob Dylan. In any case, this is a fairly emotional ballad for Nu Metal that does the job very well. This is a welcome change from the tracks before in terms of structure and sonics. There are reversed guitar parts that make this sound very unusual and different compared to your average Nu Metal track. Being very deep and emotional sounding, this is a good song that exudes some repressed emotions from within. A good listen, even if it is not a great listen, the guitar loops, harmonies and sounds are very nicely done. Good tune, even if it is Nu Metal, it is an adventurous and welcome statement in an otherwise fairly standard musical territory. Very nice to hear.

My Long Walk To Jail begins with a female voiceover stating that some phone calls are being received from inside jail before drop-tuned riffs enter this piece, and we are underway. The song eventually launches into really heavy Nu Metal territory, with a groove that sounds excellent, along with loud, heavy guitar riffs. Given the amount of misery and torture that is unleashed onto the human race over time, this song is a reminder of that, in a musical and oddly upbeat way. The second half has a good breakdown that quickly launches back into the manic action about a rather nasty subject of imprisonment. Heavy stuff, but exhilarating at that. Good song from start to finish, this is one of the better songs from the album. There is a Thrash Metal section at the end, before finishing with a scream. Not bad.

So I Quit begins with more screaming, downturned guitars and some coughing. The song then begins and sounds fast, furious and extremely aggressive. A bit odd for Nu Metal, mind you, this is not 1980s Metallica. Instead, it is Filter. Still, nonetheless, this does sound very punchy and oddly uplifting throughout. This is a good example of short, shart, extreme attack mode by Metal artists. Still, this is variable and done well enough to ensure that it grabs your attention. There is a strange breakdown, with a repeated line where the listener’s life is threatened. The ending is extremely chaotic, but this is an impressive effort. Quite good to hear.

God Damn Me begins with strummed acoustic guitars that sound quite nice. Bass guitar and hi-hats follow. Soon enough, singing kicks in and we are underway with another nicely constructed Nu Metal ballad. This is less heavy and relentless than other tracks are on this album, and just sounds quite interesting instead of being invariable and one dimensional in approach. Good to hear a bit of variety on this album, even if it sounds somewhat forced. Regardless, a refreshing listen throughout that sounds smoother and more variable than you’d expect. A cool song for those out there who want to hear a bit of variety in their Nu Metal. The song ends with some nicely strummed acoustic guitars.

It Can Never Be The Same begins with a weird Industrial Music style fade in, along with some electronically treated drum beats. Soon enough, the song gradually emerges into another decent Nu Metal piece that sounds really good. The song itself is fairly subdued, until the chorus, where it roars along quite well. There is a load of palm-muted guitar riffing present in this song, along with a load of processed electronic textures. Still, this is supposed to be Nu Metal, not EDM, to be fair. A good listen throughout, this does sound quite energetic and intelligent for Nu Metal. There is an early false ending, before the loud and crushing instrumentation returns. Nonetheless, a good effort with has a huge fade out with sustained guitars and some additional Electronic textures and repeated vocals.

World Today begins with some bass like electronic textures, whilst stereo panned drumbeats gradually enter the scene. Miserable sounding singing enters about nothing important in particular, and the whole thing sounds like a Radiohead meets Nine Inch Nails rip off. All in all, this is a strange and unusual piece of music that could have been dropped from this album. Leave the artsy stuff to those who excel at it, Filter and just make some proper tunes instead. It is also far too slow and difficult to be listened to seriously, this is just a waste of time on this particular track. Anyway, now might be a good time to hit the stop button and go and make a cup of tea, coffee or to have a beer, instead of hearing this nonsense. The second half is worse than the first half, with more strange Electronic textures rather than actual songs. Again, this does not work well with the Nu Metal program, and this is quite clearly not worth hearing. A failure of a tune. It ends with more looped vocals and electronic sounds. It segues into the next track.

The 4th has edited and looped vocals, launching into a very dark and electronic heavy piece. This is, from the beginning, very ordinary sounding, which is not good for a final eight-minute-long track. Dark and devilish textures gradually enter along with the looped vocals, showcasing an eerie side to the dark world of (Nu) Metal. Eventually, the sounds and textures build up slowly and this rather strange instrumental continues. It’s not really Nu Metal at all and is probably not a selling point for hardcore fans of the genre. This is okay for what it is, but only real hardcore Filter fans will appreciate this piece of music. Everyone else will probably unlikely enjoy it at all. The sounds and textures present in this lengthy instrumental sound rather freaky, akin to Industrial music, more than anything. Nonetheless, an interesting mixture of sounds and textures that are like a Nu Metal LSD trip, but not really actually music. The dark ambient textures on this tune are weird, but nonetheless, this is interesting listening. This tune is only for those who enjoy experimental music. The piece concludes with a long fade out with the annoyingly repeated vocals to conclude with.

This is another interesting and good, but not great, Nu Metal release that is good for many out there who like the genre. However, the results are fairly patchy, especially in the second half, which suggests that Filter was only just getting started, and wasn’t quite there yet in terms of quality. Still, if you like the darker side of music, this may be for you. Otherwise, regular listeners will wish to avoid this album for the most part.

Different.
6/10