Filter is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their critically acclaimed third studio album The Amalgamut with two special reissues, including the album’s very first vinyl pressing.
In stores on March 31 via Craft Recordings and available now to pre-order, the 2-LP edition is presented in a deluxe gatefold jacket and features the hits “Where Do We Go From Here” and “American Cliché,” as well as “The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way),” which was featured in several films and commercials. An autographed opaque white pressing (limited to 500 copies worldwide) is also available exclusively at the band’s official website.
Beginning today, fans can also stream or download a new expanded edition of the 2002 album, featuring nine remixes and alternate takes of “Where Do We Go From Here”—all of which were previously unavailable on digital platforms. Among the highlights are two mixes by the popular British producer DJ Hyper, plus two re-imaginings of the song from the legendary New York City DJ crew the X-Ecutioners.
When The Amalgamut was released in July 2002, Filter—and specifically its primary member, Richard Patrick—was at a crossroads. Formed in 1993 by Patrick (the first guitarist for Nine Inch Nails), Filter shot to dizzying heights with their unique blend of industrial pop and post-grunge alternative metal, while their 1995 debut, Short Bus, was a platinum-certified best-seller, thanks to the hit single “Hey Man Nice Shot.”
Two years later, Patrick enlisted a new lineup of musicians to record Filter’s 1999 follow-up, Title of Record, including members of his touring band (guitarist Geno Lenardo and bassist Frank Cavanagh) and drummer Steven Gillis. While the platinum-selling Title of Record yielded Filter’s biggest hit, “Take a Picture,” Patrick’s ongoing struggle with alcohol and substance abuse was reaching its peak.
Feeling the pressure to deliver a third best-selling album, Patrick’s demons only intensified as he began work with his bandmates and producers Ben Grosse (Depeche Mode, Underoath, Disturbed) and Rae DiLeo (Veruca Salt, Rufus Wainwright).
Several of the songs on The Amalgamut found Patrick addressing the powerful—and untenable—grip of addiction, including “God Damn Me” and “Where Do We Go from Here,” in which he sings, “The combination of lost control/The loss of soul…I’m not so glad I met you.” In addition to looking inward, Patrick also wrote about the turmoil that was taking place around the country during that time—from school shootings (“Columind,” “American Cliché”) to the terrorist attacks on September 11th (“The Missing”).