Proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves, Atlanta-bred quartet
Tetrarch
stage a welcome nu-metal revival with their major-label breakthrough,
Unstable
. Arriving four years after their self-released debut, this sophomore set finds the young group gnashing at the teeth and primed for the big leagues, resurrecting the aggressive yet haunted 2000s sounds of genre veterans like
Korn
,
Slipknot
, and
Linkin Park
. Along with the formidable rhythm section of bassist
Ryan Lerner
and drummer
Ruben Limas
, vocalist
Josh Fore
(who channels
Chester Bennington
and
Jonathan Davis
in the best ways possible) and guitarist
Diamond Rowe
(a technical shredder influenced by
Zakk Wylde
Slash
Dimebag Darrell
) create a whirlwind of heaviness that never sacrifices an honest heart for the base caveman brutality of similar acts. Relatable outcast themes of angst, rage, and hatred abound, but just like
before them, there's also a deep well of vulnerability stemming from frustration, hurt, and fear that seethes beneath the surface and makes for potent catharsis. On the explosive opener "I'm Not Right,"
Fore
's screams could bring down a skyscraper, yet he's singing "I can be strong, other times I cry" with all the sensitivity he can muster. Through
Limas
' machine-gun percussion on "Negative Noise,"
deftly pivots into
Corey Taylor
's
mode, unleashing a torrent of spit-barked anger before
Rowe
steps in to deliver the first of many transcendent guitar solos on
("Sick of You" and "Stitch Me Up" are two more additions to her Guitar Hero resume). Album centerpiece "Take a Look Inside" is the heaviest offering, a violent mix of pummeling drums, buzzsaw riffs, and unholy growls that is balanced by soaring clean vocals on the chorus and a thunderous, post-hardcore breakdown. "Addicted" is another churning whopper, inspiring full-body lurching and head-banging, while freak anthems "Pushed Down" and "Sick of You" provide motivational fodder for the bullied and outcast masses. At the risk of making too many comparisons, it's hard not to connect the dots from
("Unstable," "Stitch Me Up") and
("You Never Listen," "Sick of You"), even extending to
Disturbed
("Pushed Down," complete with
David Draiman
-like scatting) and
Deftones
(the atmospheric "Trust Me"). Yet it all works so well.
is expertly executed hero worship of the highest order, but instead of being a cheap copy,
ends up sounding like they emerged right alongside their influences, playing the very same Ozzfest and Family Values stages of yore. Demonstrating such technical prowess and hunger at such an early stage in their careers, they are primed to evolve and perfect their own sound, an enticing taste of greatness to come. ~ Neil Z. Yeung