Title of Record
Title of Record gives Filter's heavy guitar sound more room to change. Richard Patrick still uses a harsh vocal attack, and the industrial elements remain easy to recognise, but the second album places greater importance on melody and smaller production details. It is a broader record than Short Bus, with some excellent songs and a less consistent full sequence.
Welcome To The Fold shows that the extra range has not removed the force. The guitars remain prominent and the arrangement has plenty of weight. Patrick's raspy delivery is deliberately abrasive, though it can also make the verses harder to connect with than the more controlled singing elsewhere.
Captain Bligh is a better example of how the different sides can work together. Its sharp guitar sound keeps the pressure high, while the more psychedelic vocal ending changes the song's character. The shift gives the track another direction without making it feel detached from the heavier music around it.
The Best Things makes a strong case for the more melodic approach. The vocal has a clearer shape, and the electronic details support the song rather than taking it over. Take a Picture moves further towards acoustic rock, giving the record a welcome break from its wall of distorted guitars. Patrick's more measured singing works particularly well in that setting, making the song feel like an expansion of the band's sound rather than an unrelated experiment.
The problem is that the strongest ideas are not spread evenly. Some later tracks offer less memorable writing, and Miss Blue stretches the more sentimental side further than the album needs. The range is welcome, but a change in sound does not always bring a song with the same strength as the highlights.
Even with those weaker passages, Title of Record is a substantial step forward. The guitars, programming and vocal changes give Filter a more flexible musical language, and the best melodies make good use of it. The full album would benefit from a tighter selection, but its central songs show how much the band gain when they leave space around the aggression.
