CoNtrivedNiHilism

With a frontman that boasts a distaste for the commercial/mainstream music industry for it's lack of substance and creativity, it is indeed a bold statement to put out their when Richard Patrick fronts a band that has always been in the mainstream. Personally I think that Richard Patrick is very much his own thing with his music. Short Bus was and still is a fantastic and original album with some but not a lot of new paved ground that bands after Filter have taken influence from. Filter in 2016 again finds the band reinvented with a familiar but new coat of paint, so to speak. In the early stages of production for Crazy Eyes. Richard Patrick stated that his aim was to create a new genre of music, or at least inject some new life in to the Rock scene with something outside the bounds of being overly radio friendly or conventional.

Crazy Eyes I would say in ways succeeds in doing this. However in other ways does not. Crazy Eyes opens with the snarling, angry, visceral Mother E. A song about what goes on inside the mind of somebody that has in all literal terms, gone out of their mind in violent rage. Mother E is in fact a pretty bold album opener, and not at all what I was expecting to hear. A song like this would find a nice home among the fray that made up Short Bus, even if it is not entirely alike to the songs on Short Bus.

Coming on hot off the heels of Mother E, is Nothing In My Hands. The song takes a political stance, with lyrics like "they've taken your freedom and they give it away, your justice is dead" letting the listener know that Richard Patrick is not pleased with the state of the world, or its politics or government. Nothing In My Hands reminded me of early Nine Inch Nails in a lot of ways, from its mechanical-like drumming, to its metallic guitar work and Richards sort of refrained approach to his vocals. It actually manages to do its job, which is get you thinking about the world and that yeah, it's a f*cked up place.

Next is Pride Flag. If it wasn't already apparent. Crazy Eyes is fueled with political aggression, piss and vinegar. There's a wild burning flame at the heart of the album and it lets you feel it. Pride Flag itself speaks a message of possible peace, if only differences were laid aside and hate no longer an issue, racism. Three songs down and Crazy Eyes is going strong.

City Of Blinding Riots. Richard Patrick I believe wrote this song after seeing the attacks in Paris, France at The Bataclan Theatre. It's a song that when I listened to it, I was left feeling cold and angry. When I first read about the song I thought it would be a heavier track. In a lot of ways it is a heavy track, with a haunting but sinister atmosphere that pulsates with rage. One of my favorites from Crazy Eyes and hardly a commercial track; that's for all you Filter haters on here saying Richard Patrick writes pop songs disguised as radio rock, bazinga!

Next up is the track Take Me To Heaven which was also the first taste of Crazy Eyes the band offered fans. Personally for me I felt like in some ways I had already heard a song like this one on the bands album The Trouble With Angels. But that was just my brain drawing comparisons that weren't there. Take Me To Heaven is probably the most radio friendly song off of the album. But to me I feel that the song has too much personality and substance to be in the company of the mediocrity of rock radio.

Once the listener reaches the end of Take Me To Heaven, Welcome To The Stuck (Destiny Not Luck) picks up. When the song first comes one I was reminded of Stone Temple Pilots for one reason or another, perhaps because of the subtle riff at the beginning. The track is one that I really enjoy, and I wish it was longer because I feel like it should have been so it really reached its potential of being this epic track. Oh well. Still a highlight of the record.

If the previous track Welcome To The Stuck (Destiny Not Luck) wasn't a nod to Stone Temple Pilots, I'd say that the stellar Head Of Fire certainly could be. Head Of Fire is this extremely well executed Rock funhouse. Maybe an odd analogy or term to use here but I know what I mean by it. The track would be a cool one to accompany with a video definitely. Another great highlight from Crazy Eyes and a contender for best track overall from the album.

Tremors. It's a track that kind of reminds me of Ministry. With it's pummeling drumming, a frantic but brilliant Richard Patrick vocal delivery, jarring bassline, and a nice little riff to round the song out. Tremors serves as a fun listen and keeps the album going on its strong streak of tracks.

The next track we're going to discuss from Crazy Eyes is one that bounces around all over the bands catalog with it's assault of sounds. Kid Blue From The Short Bus, Drunk Bunk. The name is a mouthful however the song delivers big. If what I meant by the song bouncing all over the bands catalog confused any of you. What I meant is pretty much in the song title; you got the album Short Bus referenced, Title Of Record referenced, The Amalgamut as well. One of my favorites off of Crazy Eyes.

Your Bullets continues the barrage on the current state of events that have occurred of the course of the last couple of years. Terrorism, shootings, mistreatment of citizens by their government, etc. It's all here. Your Bullets is another taste of reality, and it's both heavy in subject matter but as well in sound.

Next is the mostly instrumental track Under The Tongue. At a length of just of six minutes. The song really only serves to be an interlude of sorts before the albums closing number. The song itself is nice to listen to, no complaints from me.

To close the album Richard Patrick and the band decided to go the route of using the second part of Head Of Fire, simply titled (Can't She See) Head Of Fire, Part 2. The song is nice to listen to, and sort of a nice break from all of the hectic tone that the album takes on right out of the gate. It's a beautiful song, sort of shimmering and lush in tone. In part vocal, and partly instrumental as well as it finishes off in ambient noise and echoing hums and oh's from Richard Patrick. An appropriate way to close Crazy Eyes.

Overall what Richard Patrick set out to accomplish with Crazy Eyes paid off for the band, it worked. But I can't say it worked entirely in the way that Richard Patrick intended it to, as the album itself does not manage to create a new genre of music, instead it manages to inject some much needed attitude and non-sugar coated observations on the worldly problems the affects all of us. Crazy Eyes is a strong record with plenty to offer, but not without its faults.

Crazy Eyes gets an 8.4 out of 10. Not bad at all!

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