Tetrarch – The Ugly Side Of Me
Tetrarch – The Ugly Side Of Me
Napalm Records
Release Date: 09/05/2025
Review by Beth Morait
8/10
USA Modern Nu-Metallers Tetrarch released their first album way back in 2017, but I have to confess they’re a completely new name to me, so I really didn’t know what to expect. But I’m always on the lookout for anything Nu-Metal, Metalcore, or Progressive when I’m sifting through our inbox, and that’s how I discovered “The Ugly Side Of Me”.
The press release states that Tetrarch basically stay true to the roots of Nu-Metal, whilst inserting a modern feeling through ‘musical aggression and lyrical honesty’. And it’s one of the rare occasions that I actually completely agree with a press release, as that’s exactly what we get.
So, let’s unpick that a bit shall we? Straight from the get go, we’re treated to a classic (some might say predictable) opening riff in the introduction to first track ‘Anything Like Myself’ – singular guitar riffs for a couple of bars, before the band kicks in with chunky, downtuned Metallic power chords. But we’ve got some monstrous things happening with the vocals over the top of it all. Hypnotic cleans juxtaposed with Tasmanian Devil style growls, which meld everything together, but don’t make it feel too heavy. And this makes it appealing to Metal and mainstream followers, alike.
‘Live Not Fantasize’ introduces another element into the sound, by employing Industrial rhythms and some crazy Techno-style synths mixed into the ambience of the instrumentation. These feel like they’ve been lifted straight out of a 90s Rave banger, slowed down a bit, and chucked into a Metal melting pot. And then we get a huge chugging solo provided by lead guitarist Diamond Rowe (Jackson Guitars’ first female signature guitarist don’t you know! GO GIRL!!!!) which is as much Classic Heavy Metal as it is Modern Metal. Great, great, great song – my favourite on the album.
The middle section of the album, from ‘Erase’ onwards, is very Melodic, and almost Emo/ Pop- Metal, with a smattering of “Hybrid Theory” era Linkin Park. Any of these tracks could, and probably will, stand up well in the mainstream charts, because they’re accessible, and current enough to attract new audiences, but nostalgic enough to grab those looking for the old sound.
‘Crawl’ and ‘Cold’ take us back in a more Industrial direction, with those Techno Synth sounds sitting back in the mix, and some thunderous drumming propping up the rumbling bass, and spikey vocals. The latter of these tracks has another face-melting solo, along with some random cross rhythms in the middle section.
Title track ‘The Ugly Side Of Me’ brings the album to a close, and it’s a great chance to see the full extent of Josh Fore’s clean vocals. They’re full of a silky sadness that would make modern-day Goth Girls and Emo Kids go weak at the knees! And we get some backing vocals that I think are provided by Diamond Rowe (she also provides vocals on ‘Never Again (Parasite)’ and it sounds kind of similar, but I might be wrong, so don’t quote me on it!).
This is very definitely easy listening Nu-Metal, that stays within the confines of what the masses like, but makes it a bit more interesting. It’s not the most spectacular album I’ve heard this year, but let’s face it, the competition is stiff right now! This year has been insane album after insane album! However, this is a very solid album that will please fans of the band, and attract new fans to the band, and probably the genre.
They are the type of band that have the potential to fill stadiums around the world with chart-following audiences in the way that Metallica, Megadeth, Rammstein, and Iron Maiden have managed to do. Although we don’t want to think about it, eventually those bands will die out, and we really need some frontrunners to replace them when that happens. More gateway bands like Tetrarch, who refuse to be hemmed in by gatekeepers, and successfully bridge the divide to bring Metal to the mainstream, and for that they should be saluted.
‘Live Not Fantasize’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Anything Like Myself
02. Never Again (Parasite)
03. Live Not Fantasize
04. Erase
05. The Only Thing I’ve Got
06. Best of Luck
07. Crawl
08. Cold
09. Headspace
10. The Ugly Side of Me
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Morait and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
