Filter

Filter's original lineup reunites for first album in 20+ years (thanks, Veruca Salt)

Filter had something of an industrial classic with their 1995 debut album Short Bus (you know, the one with “Hey Man Nice Shot”), which was recorded by the original lineup of Richard Patrick and Brian Liesegang, both of whom were early contributors to Nine Inch Nails. Brian stuck around for other singles like “Jurassitol” from the The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack and the Crystal Method collab “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do,” before leaving the band. Richard Patrick continued on with various other lineups over the years (and wrote less appealing songs like “Take A Picture”), but now, Richard and Brian have finally reconciled. The original core Filter duo are making their first album together in over two decades, which could make this new album the most exciting Filter album in a long time. (Their latest came out just two years ago, 2016’s Crazy Eyes, but nobody knew that.) They launched a PledgeMusic campaign to help fund the album, which begins:

Filter was thrust upon the musical landscape not with a whimper, but with an inimitable scream of musical ferocity and intent.

It’s back.

For the first time in over 20 years, the original founding members Richard Patrick and Brian Liesegang are making a new FILTER album together.

The duo’s multi-platinum debut “Short Bus” took pride in its drunken, unbridled rambunctiousness, combined with some cherubic intellectualism and social/technological agenda.

It was a place where melody met noise. And it was written, recorded and produced by two kids who hated everything from “social norms”, defining generational tropes, “the man”, and being told what to do and how to do it.

They rejoiced in the chaos. They swam in it. And they lived and performed it like brothers.

And like brothers, and two who were brought together by Nine Inch Nails, they fought, and the nonsense of youth gave way to senseless acrimony, ultimately driving and conspiring to push the two apart.

All good. It happens.

But then a lot of other things have happened. And a lot of water has gone under many bridges.

Tick damn tock.

As for how they got back together and put the past behind them:

Recently, on a “blind” set-up, they were challenged from the stage in mid-performance by their mutual friend Louise Post of “Veruca Salt”, who stopped her concert to admonish them“…to bury any bullshit, forget the crap, and get their shit together”. The two had an interesting conversation on the drive home together.

It appears that perhaps time, circumstance, and the stark reality of modern events have indeed driven Richard and Brian together again to do what they do best together.

What started as an experiment to see what “might happen”, the two have rediscovered not only their friendship, but their unique ‘yin and yang’ complimentary working style of no rules and “whatever works” (because sometimes you just don’t wanna know how the sausage is made).

Forgotten are the specious reasons as to why they stopped working together, as those are things of the past, and the future is far more important.

You can read more and donate here.

(h/t MetalSucks)