“Short Bus,” Filter’s 1995 debut, was a celebration of monstrous guitar riffs, shattered vocal chords and tribal drums captured with minimalist techniques. It was easily one of my favorites of the year. When the long-awaited follow-up finally surfaced, it seemed like a much-needed bright light at the end of a very dark radio-metal tunnel. “Title of Record” is here, and let’s just say that things are looking pretty dim.
The monstrous crunch of the first single, “Welcome to the Fold,” is a devilish delight, but it grows old far too quickly (especially at seven minutes). Several tracks hint at Short Bus’ sonic genius — “The Best Things” and “It’s Gonna Kill Me” — but they are surrounded by slabs of mediocre metal and soft-rock blunders. Only four or five tracks are recommended listens, hardly worth the price of admission. Consider this fan disappointed.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 1999.