Anthems for the Damned

Last updated

Anthems for the Damned
Anthemsofthedamned.jpg
Studio album by
Filter
ReleasedMay 13, 2008 (2008-05-13)
Recorded2003–2008
Genre
Length49:30
Label Pulse
Producer Josh Abraham
Filter chronology
The Amalgamut
(2002)		Anthems for the Damned
(2008)		 The Trouble with Angels
(2010)
Singles from Anthems for the Damned
  1. "Soldiers of Misfortune"
    Released: March 18, 2008
  2. "What's Next"
    Released: 2008

Anthems for the Damned is the fourth studio album by American rock band Filter. Started in 2003, the album saw many delays, as the band's sole member, frontman and founder Richard Patrick, took several breaks to pursue other musical interests, notably The Damning Well in 2003 and Army of Anyone from 2005 to 2007. Upon the breakup of Army of Anyone, Patrick decided to revisit the old material and finish it up for a final release. It was released to the public on May 13, 2008 through Pulse Records. It sold 13,000 copies its first week and debuted at number 42 on the Billboard 200. [5]

Contents

Background

Early sessions and hiatus

Work on Filter's fourth studio album traces back to early 2003. [6] In July 2002, the band released their third studio album, The Amalgamut , though by the end of September of the same year, all touring and support of the album was cancelled in lieu of frontman Richard Patrick admitting himself into drug rehabilitation due to his excessive drug and alcohol use during the prior four years. [7] [8] [9] While initially planning on just postponing the touring into 2003, [7] Patrick eventually cancelled the tour outright, and instead returned to working on writing new music. [10]

Mirroring the early sessions of creating their second album, Title of Record , Patrick started by working on the album entirely by himself without the assistance of prior band members Geno Lenardo and Frank Cavanaugh. [6] By March 2003, Patrick had 5 songs written, [6] and by the end of the year, he had 10 songs completed. [11] Over the course of the same year, Patrick also worked briefly on a side-project called The Damning Well with Wes Borland, Danny Lohner, and Josh Freese. [11] The group worked together on a number of tracks, but only one, "Awakening", was ever released from the band. [12] Patrick eventually felt like returning to collaborating in Filter again after this, although, rather than with the prior two albums, when he would re-recruit Lenardo and Cavanaugh, Patrick instead chose to collaborate with Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo of the band Stone Temple Pilots, upon hearing they were interested in working with Patrick. [10] The three set out to record a single Filter song for the album, the track eventually titled "A Better Place", however, by the end of their 12-hour jam session, the three felt so strongly about their musical chemistry that they felt they needed to create an entirely new band for the material. [13] The three, along with drummer Ray Luzier, formed the band Army of Anyone, and released one album Army of Anyone , which contained "A Better Place", in 2006, and toured into 2007 until the band entered hiatus. [13]

Later sessions

Work on the Filter album went on a hiatus from mid-2004 to mid-2007, with Patrick stating he felt uncertainty if the album would ever be released. [10] However, upon Army of Anyone's breakup, Patrick revisited his old material, and decided to finish it up for a final release, partially due to an inspiring conversation with his brother, Robert Patrick. [14] Patrick contacted John 5 to assist with the album. [15] He recorded guitars for the album, and co-wrote two tracks; "What's Next" and "The Take". [12] [15] Patrick also recruited former members of The Damning Well for assistance; Borland for writing and guitar-work on "In Dreams", while Freese was recruited to play drums on the album. [15] While the first sessions were drawn out for years, interrupted by sideprojects, the second sessions were completed over the course of fourteen days in the studio. [15] The secondary sessions moved so quickly because Patrick had amassed so much material in the last five years; over 25 songs in total, allowing patrick to weed through tracks he no longer liked or felt were no longer relevant. [12] [15]

Themes and composition

Anthems was waking up after the drug-induced coma and waking up somewhere deep in the Bush Administration and being horrified with what we had done to the place...My real alcoholism started in '92, so by the time I snapped out of it, I had a look around the world and made a very socially conscious record. [9]

Richard Patrick on his shift to more politically themed lyrics after his successful stint in rehab.

In past albums, Patrick had written his lyrics around his own personal issues, many of which were about, or related to, drug and alcohol abuse. [16] Upon his successful stint at rehab, and continued success in staying sober since, Patrick's focus was shifted beyond himself to more social and political related themes. [9] A major inspiration for Patrick moving in this direction occurred from him learning that a twenty-three-year-old Filter fan, and maintainer of a Filter fansite, had died in the Iraq War, after only enlisting to begin with due to save up the funds to go to college. [9] The occurrence was the basis of the lead single, "Soldiers of Misfortune", [1] a song described by Patrick as "very pro-troops but vehemently anti-war. [17]

In regards to overall sound, Patrick stated he aimed to have the album sound like "a heavy U2 record". [15] Patrick described the album as more mellow and melodic than the prior three Filter albums, something he attributed to the influence of working with Abraham as a producer. [18]

Release, promotion, and aftermath

The album was released on May 13, 2008, though the band started touring in support of the release a month prior in April. [19] With the album primarily being recorded by Patrick himself, he assembled a new touring band consisting of Mitch Marlow on guitar, John Spiker on bass, and Mika Fineo on drums. [9] The album's first single, "Soldiers of Misfortune", was released well before the album's release, in March, while the album's second single, "What's Next?", was released in August. [20] A remix album, entitled Remixes for the Damned, was later released in 2008. [20]

The album stalled commercially, debuting at no. 42 on the Billboard 200 charts and selling only 13,000 copies. [21] Patrick would later express remorse over his decisions in making the album.

I lost control of the album Anthems Of The Damned; I went in a different direction and followed the lead of the producer. I wanted to stay heavy because that's where I live that's what I'm about. I love anger and being aggressive. The focus on that album was the mellow stuff but ultimately it came down to me. The producer Josh Abraham and I were at odds and I lost control of that record." [18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
ARTISTdirect Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Metromix Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Melodic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]

The album received generally mixed reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic criticized the album's meshing of urgent, political messages with overly-polished instrumentation, stating that "Patrick's urgent words [don't] quite [jib] with the well-executed mannered angst-rock...the disconnect isn't too dissonant, which is the problem: the whole affair feels just a shade too well-manicured -- the rhythms too tight, the guitars too well-scrubbed, the production too well-balanced -- and as a result, the album never gets underneath the skin with way Filter intended." [2] Conversely, Consequence of Sound strongly praised the album, citing Patrick's vocals and lyrics as standout features, deeming it "a great album of musical playing fields and knives of vocal force. Patrick certainly has outdone himself and created a great album that's worthy of replays. The production is top notch, not a single note miscued and lyrically his best since 1995's Short Bus...Filter's fourth album hits a grand slam right out of the park." [1] About.com critic Tim Grierson stated that the record is "impressive for its willingness to be so candid about a flawed society and the singer's place in it, provoking a series of songs that are sonically rich but also thematically compelling." [22]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Richard Patrick, except where noted. [24]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Soldiers of Misfortune" 4:25
2."What's Next"Patrick, John 5 3:34
3."The Wake"Patrick, Luke Walker 3:56
4."Cold (Anthem for the Damned)" 3:45
5."Hatred Is Contagious" 4:25
6."Lie After Lie" 3:45
7."Kill the Day" 3:31
8."The Take"Patrick, John 53:16
9."I Keep Flowers Around" 4:27
10."In Dreams"Patrick, Borland 3:51
11."Only You" 4:40
12."Can Stop This"Patrick, Rae DiLeo5:55
Total length:49:30
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Soldiers of Misfortune (Richard Patrick and Timmy the Terror Brade Runna mix)" 5:30
14."Kill the Day (Ben Wise club mix)" (UK release) 6:08
15."The Take (Stormin Norman mix J.O.B.)" (UK release)Patrick, John 54:36
Total length:65:44

Personnel

Musicians [25]

Production

Chart positions

Album

Charts (2008)Peak
position
Billboard Independent Albums [24] 5
Billboard 200 [26] 42

Singles

YearSongPeak
position
US
Main.
[27]
2008"Soldiers of Misfortune"27
"What's Next"—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Related Research Articles

<i>Shadow Zone</i> (Static-X album) 2003 studio album by Static-X

Shadow Zone is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Static-X, released on October 7, 2003. Marked by many personnel and stylistic changes, the album sports a much more melodic sound than any other work in their catalog, while still staying in the confines of their industrial metal and nu metal sound. It was the first of two albums to feature guitarist Tripp Eisen, and is the band's only album to not feature an official drummer, due to the departure of Ken Jay just prior to the album's recording sessions; drumming duties were subsequently handled by Josh Freese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert DeLeo</span> American rock musician

Robert Emile DeLeo is an American musician, best known as the bassist for rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He is part of Delta Deep and he has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone. He is the younger brother of Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo. He is also the former bass player for the supergroup Hollywood Vampires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Borland</span> American guitarist and vocalist

Wesley Louden Borland is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and backing vocalist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial rock band Black Light Burns, and the co-founder of the experimental metal band Big Dumb Face.

<i>Title of Record</i> 1999 studio album by Filter

Title of Record is the second studio album by American rock band Filter, released on August 24, 1999, by Reprise Records. The album's earlier sessions were marred with slow progress due to lineup changes and frontman Richard Patrick's decision to construct his own studio for recording. However, progress improved after solidifying the lineup and bringing in further production help. In support of the album's release, Filter performed on the 1999 Family Values Tour.

<i>Short Bus</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Filter

Short Bus is the debut studio album by American rock band Filter, released on May 8, 1995, via Reprise Records. Lead singer Richard Patrick said in an interview that Trent Reznor had told him he should make his own record while he went off to work on Nine Inch Nails' 1994 album The Downward Spiral. Patrick, while still retaining industrial elements in the music, chose to focus on the guitars, which he felt was something missing when he played with Nine Inch Nails; he also chose not to go with the standard industrial rock sound, which he felt would set them apart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Patrick</span> American singer (born 1968)

Richard Michael Patrick is an American singer, musician and songwriter. He is the frontman for the rock band Filter and a founding member of the supergroups Army of Anyone and The Damning Well, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails.

Daniel Patrick “Danny” Lohner, frequently known as Renholdër, is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Nine Inch Nails.

The Damning Well was a rock supergroup comprising Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit on guitar, Danny Lohner formerly of Nine Inch Nails on bass, Richard Patrick of Filter on vocals, and Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle, on drums. While rumors spread that an entire album had been recorded, Patrick has said on numerous occasions that this is false. Only two songs were recorded: "Awakening", which was released on Underworld movie soundtrack in 2003, and "Power", an unreleased track featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence on guest vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of Anyone</span> American rock supergroup

Army of Anyone was an American rock supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured brothers Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo, and Ray Luzier, formerly of David Lee Roth's band, on drums. The band released one self-titled album in November 2006, which was well-received, but sold well short of the members' multi-platinum selling releases of their other bands, even despite the success of their first single, "Goodbye", which peaked at number three on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. After releasing a second charting single, "Father Figure", and touring in support of the album, the band went into hiatus in mid-2007, with members returning to their respective bands, except Luzier, who joined Korn. Despite being relatively inactive since 2007, all members have stayed in contact, and have independently shown interest in working on a second album if the logistics and scheduling of their commitments to other bands ever aligned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Light Burns</span> American rock band

Black Light Burns is an American industrial rock band fronted by Wes Borland. Founded in 2005 after Borland departed Limp Bizkit, the band's lineup also includes Nick Annis, Dennis Sanders and Dylan Taylor. Their debut album, Cruel Melody, was released in June 2007 to critical acclaim. They released a covers and b-sides CD/DVD combo package in the summer of 2008 titled Cover Your Heart and the Anvil Pants Odyssey. After a temporary hiatus, the band regrouped in 2012 and released their second album, The Moment You Realize You're Going to Fall in August. The band released a concept album, Lotus Island, in January 2013.

<i>Cruel Melody</i> 2007 studio album by Black Light Burns

Cruel Melody is the debut album of American rock band Black Light Burns, released on June 5, 2007, through Ross Robinson's label I AM: WOLFPACK. The album is an outcome of frontman Wes Borland's efforts after his departure from Limp Bizkit in 2001, after which he took part in many projects such as Eat the Day and The Damning Well. After receiving additional inputs from then members Danny Lohner, Josh Freese and Josh Eustis, Cruel Melody was released in the spring of 2007.

<i>Army of Anyone</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Army of Anyone

Army of Anyone is the only studio album by American rock band Army of Anyone. The band consisted of Richard Patrick of Filter, Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, and Ray Luzier, prior drummer of David Lee Roth's band and current drummer of the nu metal band Korn. The album was released on November 14, 2006, in the US and December 4, 2006, in the UK. It was produced by Bob Ezrin and mixed by Ken Andrews. Despite largely positive reviews from critics, the album sold below the expectations set by Filter and Stone Temple Pilots past multi-platinum albums, with around 88,000 copies sold. The album produced two singles, "Goodbye" and "Father Figure", the former peaking at number three on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart.

<i>The Very Best Things (1995–2008)</i> 2009 greatest hits album by Filter

The Very Best Things (1995–2008) is a greatest hits compilation album by American rock band Filter. It was released on March 31, 2009 through Rhino Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filter (band)</span> American rock band

Filter is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist and programmer Brian Liesegang. The band was formed when Patrick desired to start his own band after leaving Nine Inch Nails as their touring guitarist. Their debut album Short Bus was released in 1995 and ended up going platinum, largely due to the success of the single "Hey Man Nice Shot". After the album, the band would go through the first of many lineup changes, leaving Patrick as the only consistent member across all releases.

<i>The Trouble with Angels</i> (Filter album) 2010 studio album by Filter

The Trouble with Angels is the fifth studio album by American rock band Filter. It was released on August 17, 2010, by Rocket Science Ventures in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe. The first single from the album, "The Inevitable Relapse", was released for free on the band's official website on May 26, 2010. The album debuted at number 64 on Billboard's Top 200, selling 6,300 copies.

<i>The Amalgamut</i> 2002 studio album by Filter

The Amalgamut is the third studio album by American rock band Filter, released on July 30, 2002 by Reprise Records. Unlike their first two albums Short Bus (1995) and Title of Record (1999), which were both certified platinum, the album stalled prior to hitting 100,000 copies sold, in part due to frontman Richard Patrick cancelling its main tour in order to enter a rehab facility. The album still had two singles released in its promotion: "Where Do We Go from Here" and "American Cliché". The Amalgamut was the last album to feature band members Geno Lenardo, Frank Cavanagh, and Steve Gillis, with Patrick starting up the band Army of Anyone upon getting out of rehab. It was the last Filter album to be released until six years later, when Patrick reformed the band with new members and released 2008's Anthems for the Damned.

Device was an American industrial metal band started by David Draiman, frontman of the heavy metal group Disturbed, and Geno Lenardo, former guitarist of Filter. They released one album, Device, in 2013.

<i>Device</i> (Device album) 2013 studio album by Device

Device is the only studio album by American industrial metal band Device, a side project featuring David Draiman of Disturbed and former Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo. It was released on April 9, 2013, with their first single, "Vilify", out on digital download on February 19, 2013. The second single, "You Think You Know", was released on June 11, 2013.

<i>Crazy Eyes</i> (Filter album) 2016 studio album by Filter

Crazy Eyes is the seventh studio album by American rock band Filter. The album was released on April 8, 2016. The first single, "Take Me to Heaven", was released in January 2016. In its opening week, the album debuted at number 151 on the Billboard 200 charts, the band's lowest debut to date.

"Goodbye" is a song by American rock band Army of Anyone. It was their first single off their only studio Army of Anyone. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2006.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Album Review: Filter – Anthems For The Damned". May 13, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Filter: Anthems for the Damned". Allmusic . Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Miller, Kirk (May 12, 2008). "Filter, 'Anthems for the Damned'". Metromix. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Wippsson, Johan (May 14, 2008). "Melodic Net Review: Filter - Anthems for the Damned". Melodic . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Death Cab for Cutie Scores First No. 1 Album". Billboard .
  6. 1 2 3 "FILTER's PATRICK: 'I'm Doing Crazy Stuff With My Music'". March 19, 2003.
  7. 1 2 "FILTER Frontman Checks Into Rehab, Band Cancel Tour". October 1, 2002.
  8. ↑ PureVolume. "Stream Filter's New Album The Sun Comes Out Tonight and Read a Q&A With Richard Patrick". Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "FILTER - Nuclear Blast USA". Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "Army Of Anyone Raiding Stone Temple Pilots, Filter Catalogs For Tour". MTV.
  11. 1 2 "Filter Making Progress On New Album". Billboard .
  12. 1 2 3 "A Chat with Richard Patrick, Richard Patrick interview, Filter, Anthems for the Damned".
  13. 1 2 "The Newest Supergroup: STP's DeLeo Brothers Join Filter Singer In Army Of Anyone". MTV.
  14. ↑ Willschick, Aaron. "Interview with Filter lead singer Richard Patrick « Interviews « PureGrainAudio.com".
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Filter Frontman Promises Band's Comeback LP Will Sound Like A 'Heavy U2 Record'". MTV.
  16. ↑ "Filter Interview". Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Richard Patrick protests loudly in 'Anthems for the Damned'". June 20, 2008.
  18. 1 2 "Oregon Music News - Oregon's only all-genre, online music magazine covers music news and events in Portland and throughout the state".
  19. ↑ "Filter March Out Anthems For The Damned - HipHop-Elements.com".
  20. 1 2 "FILTER: New Video Interview With RICHARD PATRICK Available". August 27, 2008.
  21. ↑ "10 YEARS, FILTER, IRON MAIDEN, DEICIDE, EMMURE First-Week Sales Revealed". blabbermouth.net. May 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  22. 1 2 "Filter Anthems for the Damned Review - Review of Filter Album Anthems for the Damned". Rock.about.com. May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Anthems for the Damned by Filter". Artistdirect.com. May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  24. 1 2 Anthems for the Damned > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums. Allmusic. Retrieved on April 17, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Filter's New Anthems for the Damned Sounds a Whole Lot Like Filter". May 7, 2008.
  26. ↑ "Death Cab For Cutie Scores First No. 1 Album". Billboard .
  27. ↑ Anthems for the Damned > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved on April 17, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.