Unstable

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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, and 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 Korn and Linkin Park 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," Fore deftly pivots into Corey Taylor's Slipknot mode, unleashing a torrent of spit-barked anger before Rowe steps in to deliver the first of many transcendent guitar solos on Unstable ("Sick of You" and "Stitch Me Up" are two more additions to her Guitar Hero resumé). 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 Korn ("Unstable," "Stitch Me Up") and Linkin Park ("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. Unstable is expertly executed hero worship of the highest order, but instead of being a cheap copy, Tetrarch 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 /TiVo