Last month's pick was Otep- Sevas Tra (Capitol, 2002). To see past picks check out the archive.

What's up freaks? T-Bone here to let you in on my next pick of the month. I selected Filter's third release titled The Amalgamut simply because it's a cross between their first and second effort. This CD has the heaviness and classic Filter I know mixed with the potential radio-friendly songs that seemed to dominate their second disc. Filter seems to have found a nice blend of the two, keeping their die hard fans happy and keeping their new radio friendly audience happy as well.

Granted that I've made it really clear that I love heavy music, I also love music that's put together well by talented bands who aren't one-dimensional. I've seen Filter rock it out in the past but now I can also see them playing the mellower crowd and hitting mainstream. There's nothing wrong with that and I don't consider them sell-outs. To me, a sell-out is giving up their fans and totally shifting their focus away from them. Filter keeps both sides of the fence happy with The Amalgamut.

Keeping that in mind, is it really that big of a surprise that their first single Where do we go from here, features both aspects of the above mentioned. This song was written after the events of September 11th and really is a question about the process of what is happening to America after all of this.

This CD is streaming with American pride! I believe the concept came to Richard Patrick by traveling the US by himself. Just driving to different cities and meeting all kinds of people in the most remote places. Thus, the concept of how happy he is to be an American portrays through this CD with the tracks World Today where the main line is "I like the World Today." Another song along the same lines is American Clich�.

Columind is another song that based on the title, you kind of know where he's going with it. Basically, the message portrayed here is that there are other alternatives when things go bad than shooting up your classmates. The chorus of this song was by far the most impactful on the CD. "Shame�you had everything, you killed everything." I personally like the screech he uses while shouting this line.

Some of the mellower songs on the album that could definitely be the next single or two on the album would have to be The Only Way (is the wrong way), The Missing, & God Damn Me. On these songs, the focus is on the singing and acoustic guitars. It seems to me that Patrick is becoming more aware of his singing abilities and that on the last album, he was experimenting. However, on The Amalgamut he has truly captured the essence and has given Filter a whole new element and chapter to work with.

One of the most surprising songs on the album, which reminds me, the most of the Short Bus days, would have to be So I Quit. This is my favorite song on the album. The beginning of the song starts with Patrick screaming "Motherfucker!" and at the end of the song "You're gonna fucking die you piece of shit" which will always bring a smile to my face when I hear it.

So all in all, has Filter lost their heavy edge? Not at all. I highly suggest everyone in picking up this CD. It's nice to see a band that isn't one-dimensional and one that can flourish in the both genres. Most of the bands out there simply aren't that talented. I thought a change in pace was overdue and this is the one you'll want.

Until next time, later freaks!

By T-Bone