Band:	Tetrarch
Album:	Unstable
Style:	Metalcore, Nu metal
Release date:	April 2021

01. I'm Not Right
02. Negative Noise
03. Unstable
04. You Never Listen
05. Sick Of You
06. Take A Look Inside
07. Stitch Me Up
08. Addicted
09. Pushed Down
10. Trust Me

On shaky ground.

Choosing to be a nu metal band a few years after that bubble burst is an odd position to be in, trying to establish yourselves in a genre now filled with the bands of yesteryear making half-hearted nods to their pasts while moving in a radio-friendly direction (hi Disturbed and Papa Roach). It is somewhat refreshing to hear a band disconnected to the past and wanting to move forward in their career, even if that means going down to the graveyard to dig up the bones of yesteryear.

What is old is new again and while Unstable won't provide a brand new perspective into the world of nu metal, Tetrarch produce an enjoyable though flawed album that approaches nu metal in a way that hasn't been done since the likes of Slipknot (or even a From Zero) were fledgling acts rather than the established forces they have long since become.

Unstable has two main weapons in its arsenal. First, the band certainly have conviction, which shines through loud and clear; say what you want about nu metal, but there is something of merit to be enjoyed when a band put their heart into proceedings. The other is that Tetrarch are able to craft infectious and catchy songs (even if they may not be the most original compositions) that will resonate and reverberate even after they have been and gone. For me, the album hits its stride right in the middle of proceedings, with "Sick Of You" and "Take A Look Inside" being the two moments where I had the most fun, serving as the crescendo from what is an otherwise strong start, with songs like "I'm Not Right" and the title track.

The album is well produced, balancing the inherent power of the riffs with a clear and concise mix that enables the music to hit as one unitary object, slamming into you through your headphones, while also highlighting the more melodic aspects of proceedings. The flipside to this is that the album does sound very compressed, which will slowly wear on you after repeated listens as it does give the album a manufactured feel.

Ultimately where this album falls short is that it all sounds too familiar, with much of your listening time spent trying to figure out what song each track is based off of. Listening to this album, you will have a big flashing neon sign in your mind saying "gee, this group really like Korn", with much of album's riffs and structures basing themselves off of their apparent heroes. While I like Korn, I don't really need a second rate version of them a la "Stitch Me Up"; it's much preferable when the band take the former's mold and pour their own talents into the mix to forge tracks like "Addicted". On the flip side you have "Negative Noise", which walks too close for comfort on the line between homage and copying "The Heretic Anthem" by Slipknot.

The rest of the album falls into the new car smell category, with the album sounding fresh and the melodic choruses on each track being hard and catchy, yet over time their impact fades as you realise it is a formula repeated over and over throughout the album. This in effect will paint your experience of Unstable, that being how long until the new car smell wears off for you; for me, it was with "You Never Listen", as the band dilute its impact with its breakdown; were it not for the following two tracks providing a ramp to launch my waning interest back up, then the album would otherwise have bottomed out there.

Credit where credit is due, Tetrarch manage to produce a nu metal album in 2021 that does create some sparks of excitement, which is more than can be said for many of their brethren in the genre. Unstable, however, is likely to be a big fish in a small pond, one of the best albums of the genre this year, though in a genre that has only recently started to rejuvenate, and the competition is still somewhat limited. Time will tell if the band play a central role in this revival and start the waves that may one day crash upon the shores of metal; until then, you have an album that warrants your attention, even if only for curiosity's sake, but not one that will demand your attention.