Classed as Nu-Metal, Tetrarch look to redefine what that genre tag really means. Their debut album Freak came out in 2017 while their second album Unstable scored highly in this publication. So what does their third album The Ugly Side Of Me offer?
Well it's got a massive industrial metal punch, twitchy electronics bend and twist on Live Not Fantasize, the chuggy modern metal riffs of the band inviting some impressive guitar soloing from Diamond Rowe, it's an album out of time in that respect as while Nu-Metal was know for shunning the solo, Tetrarch embrace them as the Jackson Guitars Signature Artist wields her axe with plenty of technical intensity.
I'd make comparisons to Wes Borland, Koichi Fukuda or even Dino Cazares, with how Diamond brings definitive lead guitar lines to industrial/nu/electronic metal, the melodic flourishes on The Only Thing I've Got work well with the massive choruses. As we move on to the choruses, I have to mention Josh Fore's vocals, he's got the same passionate delivery, range and approach as Chester Bennington, check out Best Of Luck for where those similarities are strongest.
As he screams "I fucking hate you", you can hear the quality of the band as his rhythm guitars lock into the crushing riffs of Never Again (Parasite) and the mechanical Cold, with Ryan Lerner's fat bass and Ruben Limas' strapping drumming. The bands talents don't stop there as Diamond Rowe and Josh Fore team up with producer Dave Otero to get this album sounding as modern as anything you'll have heard this year. The Ugly Side Of Me is an album from a band who are right on the cusp of being absolutely massive. 9/10
Well it's got a massive industrial metal punch, twitchy electronics bend and twist on Live Not Fantasize, the chuggy modern metal riffs of the band inviting some impressive guitar soloing from Diamond Rowe, it's an album out of time in that respect as while Nu-Metal was know for shunning the solo, Tetrarch embrace them as the Jackson Guitars Signature Artist wields her axe with plenty of technical intensity.
I'd make comparisons to Wes Borland, Koichi Fukuda or even Dino Cazares, with how Diamond brings definitive lead guitar lines to industrial/nu/electronic metal, the melodic flourishes on The Only Thing I've Got work well with the massive choruses. As we move on to the choruses, I have to mention Josh Fore's vocals, he's got the same passionate delivery, range and approach as Chester Bennington, check out Best Of Luck for where those similarities are strongest.
As he screams "I fucking hate you", you can hear the quality of the band as his rhythm guitars lock into the crushing riffs of Never Again (Parasite) and the mechanical Cold, with Ryan Lerner's fat bass and Ruben Limas' strapping drumming. The bands talents don't stop there as Diamond Rowe and Josh Fore team up with producer Dave Otero to get this album sounding as modern as anything you'll have heard this year. The Ugly Side Of Me is an album from a band who are right on the cusp of being absolutely massive. 9/10
Pelican - Flickering Resonance (Run For Cover)
Post Rock legends Pelican return with their first music in six years. New album Flickering Resonance (great title), has had a long gestation period and during this time they have done some soul searching and looked back on their formative years to create this seventh album. Much of this is due to the return of founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec after Dallas Thomas left in 20222, he hasn't played on a Pelican record since 2009, so much of the sound on this record is dictated by Laurent's return.
It's as if they have tried to rediscover the roots of what Pelican are, as Specific Resonance has the haunting ringing guitarwork from Laurent and Trevor Shelley de Brauw, this duo confining how special their partnership as they switch from metallic post-hardcore riffage, the early emo sounds coming through even with the totally instrumental style, through to widescreen post rock, with space rock exploring and indie jangling, in an instant. With Cascading Crescent they add some, Mastodon-like heavy stoner riffs.
Their interplay sounds as fresh now as they did on those early Pelican albums, the brothers Herweg, Bryan on bass and Larry on drums, laying down the grooves when things get heavy but also giving tracks such as Pining For Ever a emotional edge. With line up changes often come stylistic ones but Pelican have had an original member return so they have just put on those rose tinted spectacles and gone back to what they do best. 8/10
Kusanagi - Paramnesia (Ripcord Records)
Another instrumental act now as Alan Caulton (guitar), Ben Davis (guitar), Dan Hunt (bass), and Dean Caffery (drums) make up Kusanagi, who's newest album Paramnesia is their third studio record and will appeal massively to the Arctangent and Portal crowd as the post rock swathes are cut with some experimentalism adds synthwave (Night Symmetry), as Polymorph puts a synclavier (ala Peter Gabriel) driven sound alongside the sprawling melodic guitars.
They're all about pushing boundaries and a lot of this album is very experimental with the percussion of In Sleep We Heal insistent and impressive, while Equilibria has oscillating electronics that come from the realms of Math-Rock. The atmospheres Kusanagi create are haunting, beautiful and emotive, a track such as Spatial Awareness is the perfect encapsulation of what they do, a 7 minute expression of exceptional instrumental music at the midpoint of what is an enthralling progressive rock record. 8/10
Steel Razor - Final Defiance (Steel Shark Records)
Decked out in a cover depicting a female cyborg on a motorbike and then beginning with a synthwave styled Intro 2080 The Lost World, Final Defiance is the debut album from Rouen, Normandy heavy metal band Steel Razor. They play classic heavy metal, steeped in the sounds of 80's, bands such as Chastain or Warlock.
The strutting Even In Hell having the Sunset Strip swagger while the title track has a biting riff from guitarist Julien Deve, before settling into a groove directed by bassist Mathieu Colson and drummer Denis Ouf. Both guitarists have the spikiest instruments they can just to keep things accurate to the time they're paying homage to.
The powerhouse vocals of Aurore Fessard have the guts of Leather Leone, and they carry these classic metal cuts with ease. Does this French band reinvent anything on their debut? No. Is it a fun throwback to 80's heavy metal? Yeah. 7/10
Post Rock legends Pelican return with their first music in six years. New album Flickering Resonance (great title), has had a long gestation period and during this time they have done some soul searching and looked back on their formative years to create this seventh album. Much of this is due to the return of founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec after Dallas Thomas left in 20222, he hasn't played on a Pelican record since 2009, so much of the sound on this record is dictated by Laurent's return.
It's as if they have tried to rediscover the roots of what Pelican are, as Specific Resonance has the haunting ringing guitarwork from Laurent and Trevor Shelley de Brauw, this duo confining how special their partnership as they switch from metallic post-hardcore riffage, the early emo sounds coming through even with the totally instrumental style, through to widescreen post rock, with space rock exploring and indie jangling, in an instant. With Cascading Crescent they add some, Mastodon-like heavy stoner riffs.
Their interplay sounds as fresh now as they did on those early Pelican albums, the brothers Herweg, Bryan on bass and Larry on drums, laying down the grooves when things get heavy but also giving tracks such as Pining For Ever a emotional edge. With line up changes often come stylistic ones but Pelican have had an original member return so they have just put on those rose tinted spectacles and gone back to what they do best. 8/10
Kusanagi - Paramnesia (Ripcord Records)
Another instrumental act now as Alan Caulton (guitar), Ben Davis (guitar), Dan Hunt (bass), and Dean Caffery (drums) make up Kusanagi, who's newest album Paramnesia is their third studio record and will appeal massively to the Arctangent and Portal crowd as the post rock swathes are cut with some experimentalism adds synthwave (Night Symmetry), as Polymorph puts a synclavier (ala Peter Gabriel) driven sound alongside the sprawling melodic guitars.
They're all about pushing boundaries and a lot of this album is very experimental with the percussion of In Sleep We Heal insistent and impressive, while Equilibria has oscillating electronics that come from the realms of Math-Rock. The atmospheres Kusanagi create are haunting, beautiful and emotive, a track such as Spatial Awareness is the perfect encapsulation of what they do, a 7 minute expression of exceptional instrumental music at the midpoint of what is an enthralling progressive rock record. 8/10
Steel Razor - Final Defiance (Steel Shark Records)
Decked out in a cover depicting a female cyborg on a motorbike and then beginning with a synthwave styled Intro 2080 The Lost World, Final Defiance is the debut album from Rouen, Normandy heavy metal band Steel Razor. They play classic heavy metal, steeped in the sounds of 80's, bands such as Chastain or Warlock.
The strutting Even In Hell having the Sunset Strip swagger while the title track has a biting riff from guitarist Julien Deve, before settling into a groove directed by bassist Mathieu Colson and drummer Denis Ouf. Both guitarists have the spikiest instruments they can just to keep things accurate to the time they're paying homage to.
The powerhouse vocals of Aurore Fessard have the guts of Leather Leone, and they carry these classic metal cuts with ease. Does this French band reinvent anything on their debut? No. Is it a fun throwback to 80's heavy metal? Yeah. 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment