The nu metal revival has been championed by a handful of groups, but in the pole position lies Tetrarch, Atlanta's powerhouses of riffs and rage. With their signature weapon in guitarist/backing vocalist Diamond Rowe, Tetrarch have taken up the banner established by acts such as Korn and Linkin Park, bringing earworm choruses, concentrated angst and rage, and the odd display of fretboard gymnastics. With their newest album The Ugly Side of Me, they show that heavy music is alive and well, keeping to a formula that has paid dividends for them to this point.
There are moments that remind me of newer Korn songs, particularly the interplay with Rowe's leads and singer/guitarist Josh Fore's voice, which sounds like a slightly more nasal Jonathan Davis. The moments where Rowe takes lead vocals, such as during “Never Again (Parasite)” and the title track, show her clarity and control, adding a contrast to the more rugged vocals of her counterpart Fore. Not to take anything away from her work with Tetrarch, but if Rowe were to embark on a solo career where she assumed more vocal duties, one has to wonder the result.
Perhaps the most quintessentially nu metal song on the record is “Best of Luck,” which was released as a single just days before the album's street date. It may be the most accessible song on the disc, with the time-tested quiet verse, loud chorus dynamic and a bridge that will set off many a wall of death when played live. The lack of guitar solo puts it more in the classic nu camp, but the fire behind the bridge still maintains the vibe that Tetrarch looks to achieve.
On the subject of Rowe's lead playing, it's refreshing to see a nu metal act, in a genre that has widely been accused of “killing” the guitar solo, be featured and hailed for the fretwork of their lead axewielder. There's a reason Rowe was Jackson's history-making signature artist at the tail end of last year, and for evidence of such, look no further than the layered solo of “Live Not Fantasize” or the melodic lead on “Cold.”
Tetrarch know their sound by this point, and execute it well on The Ugly Side of Me. They wear the influences of their contemporaries on their sleeve, but the sound, production value, and composition are all fresh enough to be interesting. While the prestige which Diamond Rowe has accomplished may be enough of a hook for folks to give Tetrarch a listen, albums like this will be more than enough to make fans out of those prospective ones.
The Ugly Side of Me is available now via Napalm Records.
