First off I’d like to tell you about my Empire Strikes Back pop-up book that I got in 1980.  It was amazing; not only easy to read for a two year old, but it also included a mighty Hoth Wompa, Master Yoda, or Lord Vader all jumping out of the book with almost every flick of the page.

Thirty years later, it seems like every other album I open this year (last month Nonpoint, this month Filter) contains some sort of cardboard pop-up. Why did it take three decades for 3D-style technology to catch on? Frankly, I’m bored of the idea by now. You hear me James Cameron? You were three decades too late!

Filter’s latest record comes packaged with a blue pop-up booklet, which doesn’t impress me much either; doesn’t come close to Lando Calrissian flying the Millenium Falcon.  As far as the disc’s content is concerned, Filter does offer a few cool modern rock tunes on their latest release The Trouble With Angels. The best being “The Inevitable Relapse” and most pleasant being “Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel).”

One thing is for sure, all the songs sound very familiar which seems to be part of Filter’s appeal.  You get catchy programming and Richard Patrick’s dragged out “YEAHHHHH!” on many of the tunes.  He does a damn fine job at it.  You can almost equate it to that funny sound that Disturbed’s David Draiman makes on every single song.

Some of the tunes on The Trouble With Angels seem to blend into one another, while the track “No Re-Entry” stands out more than others in terms of careful composition.

Going back to the pop-up art work; Filter did a much better job than Nonpoint’s Miracle because Filter had the decency to offer a sleeve so the disc does not screw up the consistency of your CD rack—Good looking out Filter.

This disc definitely stands up to their previously released work. If you were a Filter fan before, then it would be foolish to say that this disc accomplishes anything different than earlier releases Short Bus or Title of Record.

Filter is Robert Patrick (Vocals/Guitars/Programming), Mitchell Marlow (Guitar), John Spiker (Bass/Programming), & Mika Fineo (Drums).

Track Listing:

  1. “The Inevitable Relapse”
  2. “Drug Boy”
  3. “Absentee Father”
  4. “No Love”
  5. “No Re-Entry”
  6. “Down with Me”
  7. “Catch a Falling Knife”
  8. “The Trouble with Angels”
  9. “Clouds”
  10. “Fades Like a Photograph (Dead Angel)”

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