Anthems for the Damned

Filter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 13, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Pulse Recording
• ASIN: B00167TT9O
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,960 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

12 tracks. 2008 marches in with Anthems for the Damned, the fourth studio album by US industrial rock band Filter. The album is reportedly written around lead man Richard Patrick's time in rehab, the current state of the world, and the current state of his life. This will be Filter's first album release since 2002, due to the Army of Anyone supergroup Richard Patrick took part in. The album is said to be a dose of heavy industrial, soaring anthems, and heavy soundscapes. The album will feature collaborators such as guitarist/songwriter John 5, Black Light Burns guitarist Wes Borland, and Nine Inch Nails live drummer Josh Freese.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is "Anyone Listening?", May 13, 2008

By 

Glenn O. Kirms (Anywhere, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anthems for the Damned (Audio CD)

You will rate this current offering by Richard Patrick depending on what you are looking for in the band Filter. If you're looking for the nu-metal of their first three cd's then I guess you will be very, very disappointed. But if you're looking for a more mature Richard Patrick like in his side project, 'Army of Anyone', then you will not be disappointed. This is an outstanding release from Patrick and an overall great rock album. Any band that I've ever listened to I never want the band to produce similar sounding cd's time after time because then, what's the point. Although I might consider this an 'Army of Anyone' Part II Patrick gives it enough of the 'Filter' sound here to hopefully satisfy the listener, but probably not. And I totally disagree with one reviewer who states that they only played two songs from this cd on their current tour. Many bands do just that deciding to play more of the older material to satisfy the fans at the concert which is nothing new. I don't give a whole lot of credence to the fact that they played only two songs from this cd. While many are going to trash this cd because they still want Filter from the past I will disagree here because this is a great listen as was his 'Army of Anyone' project. If you love Richard Patrick's voice then this is a keeper, but you will have to judge for yourself. Don't go into this cd with any preconceived notions about what it "should" sound like and listen to it for what it is. For me it's between 4 & 5 stars, but leaning more towards the 5 star rating for a great rock album. The closing track though would be the one drawback of the album as stated in previous reviews and one would question why it's there so that might be the song that keeps this from the five star rating. 11 out of 12 though is okay.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What's Next?, May 14, 2008

By 

A. Estes (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthems for the Damned (Audio CD)

After getting the supergroup thing out of his system with Army Of Anyone, Richard Patrick finally decided it was time to reactivate Filter -- with or without a band to back him up. Heading to the studio with producer Josh Abraham, Patrick collborated with such session talent as John 5, Josh Freese and Wes Borland and finished this thing almost as fast as Trent Reznor releases albums these days. The first Filter album after sobering up nearly six years ago (unlike that other guy who fronts a band with the DeLeo brothers), "Anthems For The Damned" has a big job to do. With a six year gap between albums, expectations will no doubt be higher than usual. Unfortunately, despite all the best efforts, this newest incarnation of Filter is, for lack of a better word, damned.

Maybe you could chalk it up to the fact that Army Of Anyone just wrapped up a year ago. Afterall, half the material here sounds like it belongs on a second Army Of Anyone CD, which wouldn't be such a bad thing, but we're expecting FILTER here. Since "Title Of Record," we've gotten used to ballads being a part of Filter's sound. It worked before, giving them a massive hit with "Take A Picture." It worked on most of "The Amalgamut" as well. Unfortunately, Richard feels the urge to pad half the album with the same kind of material. It doesn't matter that "I Keep Flowers Around" is basically just a rearranged, slightly modified version of "Where Do We From Here" or that "Lie After Lie," despite the signature creeping bass-line, is just a watered down Radiohead wanna-be.

The album does, however, have some legs to stand on. The first four tracks, in particular, stand out. "Soldiers Of Misfortune" and "Cold (Anthem For The Damned)" are ballads well-done, while "What's Next" and "The Wake" are heavy, raw and dynamic old-school Filter. After such a strong start the album pretty much slips into mediocrity like an old man into a bath. There is salvation later on, in "The Take" and "In Dreams," but for the most part, the ship has sunk. Had Patrick incoporated these ideas into a new Army Of Anyone album, or better yet, finished this album before jumping into that band, we might be left with a truer Filter sound. Overall, not a terrible record, but not remarkable either. And certainly not worth sticking out for the six year wait.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Close to great!, May 13, 2008

By 

David Parker (burlington, vermont United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anthems for the Damned (Audio CD)

I type this review mostly to counter the other "one-star" review here - although I do agree with several points by that reviewer. The former members of the band, particularly co-songwriter Geno Lenardo, are definitely missed here. If I wanted to hear Wes Borland or John 5, both of whom I love and think are great guitarists, I'd listen to my Marilyn Manson and Limp B. albums. They don't quite fit here. But overall, this is still pretty much classic Filter to me, and a step up from the nu-metallish Amalgamut album. However, like that album, where the last two cuts, totalling almost 15 minutes, just drift off into a meandering and pointless mishmash of sound effects, this album, too, ends with a real whimper: a 6-minute non-song, where instead, there should have been one final, killer album-closer. But, if FILTER is what you're after, you'll find it here. There just happens to be only 43 minutes of it!