Tribal

Tetractys

Not to be confused with the Prog Metal Chilean band of the same name. The […]
By "Der Bärtige Mann" Gareth Beams
January 29, 2020
Tetractys - Tribal album cover

Not to be confused with the Prog Metal Chilean band of the same name. The Greek Groove Metal TETRACTYS have been together since 2013, they have released two singles Face The World and 1312 in 2014 and 2017 respectively, and one EP: Madman in 2016. Therefore, this is their first full-length release. The band have been loyal to one another and have no reported changes in the seven years they have been together.  Let us see what the chemistry has done to help this release. "Prayer" is a decent intro, not just an instrumental, which most of us would have presumed it would be. It has a progressive start with some different instrumental styles. Vocals kick in midway and are joined by the rest of the band; they are slowly building up the tempo, keeping it to a decent level without exploding, which is what you expect the rest of the album to do.

"Swallow the Sun" kicks it off following the slower intro build up, this is the explosion I mentioned before. The vocals are aggressive, but still in control so they balance out and are executed well. The beat going with is continuous, pulsating. It is nothing too progressive or experimental, but it goes well to build the melodies with the vocals. The guitars do get a few licks on their own to show us what they can do, more of that please. This still feels like they are only warming up into the album, which makes sense considering it's the 2nd song of the album. Solid start.

"The Storm" continues the vibes, its sets off without realizing that "Swallow the Sun" had ended. Effortless. The tempo is set at a healthy pace to match what the album has set down. The vocals once more have the aggressive tendencies, but remain composed, not that you do not think the vocals could go nuts at any minute and tear shit up. The tempo has slowed down a bit midway and there has been less guitar work, but it still feels like a decent song, not a filler. Listening to the end, I am feeling it could be building, and it is. The end instrumental run was needed badly and it came at the right time. It ends how it started. Well played.

"Cold" does not give you any time to think, once "The Storm" finishes, this just kicks into life, regaining the pace nicely. The pace you feel is being controlled, limited for a purpose as it feels like they could go faster, but that may lose some balance in the band. The vocals are kept to shorter outbursts, allowing the instrumentalists more time to be appreciated, which is a good change to see. "Covered in Ashes" has another slid kick-off. It sounds like a Hardcore song, something the likes of TERROR, HATEBREED and LIONHEART would throw out. The tempo is set high and even has some melody changes you may have grown accustom to in the 00's with some Metalcore classics. Heads will be nodding along to this song, not sure, if it is heavy or fast enough to bang to, but it is a solid sound. Reminds me of AS I LAY DYING. The breakdown towards the end is good, could have exploded into some experimental riffs here, which would have been good, like SYLOSIS do, but they keep it within their own paces.

"Mighty Blue" has a heavier start, maybe not as fast as we have heard, but it is a new mix, which is always appreciated. The song goes in and out of heavy riffs, which at first seem strange, but once you hear the difference, it is a stroke of genius. The song repeats the structure until it ends, not a bad idea, could have gone in other directions, but played it safe. "First Rebel" seems like it is going to be a slower song, but the progressive instrumental start it cut short. The pace begins to pick up. The melody is progressively building once more, it does stop at a level before it could have, but the band keep it in line with the rest of the album, which is a good thing, but also lacks experimental flare which is a bad thing. It could go in other directions which would be a new approach and therefore a new sound to the album. The sound is not bad, so it hasn't worn thin, yet.

"The Name of Your God" starts off in a frenzied approach in comparison to the last few songs, which is a good change. The aggression on vocals has returned, could have gone with a few more seconds on the guitar breakdowns, but it is still a welcomed change. There is even some lengthened screams, which can be classed as experimental for the album, along with the extended riffs it breathes new life into this album. "The Ocean" slows things down totally. The progressive sound never really stops even when the pace is slightly picked up. It always feels like a slow song. The tempo returns to the slower pace, it is almost at acoustic levels. It picks up at the end for a flourish, but soon stops. It is the most experimental thing on this album; it is just not in the direction I was hoping for.

"Screams" starts much better for pace, very different styles here, going for a new sound. I like it. The only issue is, it becomes like most of the album,. It starts off new and fades back into what they know. There needs to be a risk taken, this is a good song, but it is not very different to many others on here. "Wolves" has a spoken word intro, which is something new, the guitars hit in with their usual pace and sound. The pace is at the pace set on the album that we have come to know. The aggressive vocals are apparent, though offering little to influence the melodies further, the guitars get their say, but we do not hear anything new. If this is the first song on the album you hear you will appreciate it more than if it's the 11th. "Deliver" starts with a new sounding style, which doesn't last very long as an intro before returning to the styles we have heard throughout the album. Again, it is nothing we have not heard before, but its is a good song if this is the first song you hear on the album. Yes, it is repeating the method, but it still is executed very well.

"One Step Away" has a slow, progressive start that is either acoustic or stupidly close to. The melody is progressing towards something big. The vocals kick in and bring in a further increase in tempo to match the overall album tempo. It has returned to the approach they have set out to this point in the album. As it is a longer song, we expect a few more changes; the next is a slower melodic, almost acoustic return to how the song opened. The tempo changes once more, but doesn't last long before slowing down once more. This is very experimental again, but once more they only slow things down.

This is a good album; it needs to have more risks taken in order for the sound to be different. Using the talents heard here, if they had let loose it could have been amazing, however, it could also have not worked. They went with what they know and what works for them. Good album to mix into your Metalcore playlists.

8 / 10

Excellent

Songwriting

8

Musicianship

8

Memorability

8

Production

8
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"Tribal" Track-listing:

1. Prayer (Intro)
2. Swallow the Sun
3. The Storm
4. Cold
5. Covered in Ashes
6.  Mighty Blue
7. First Rebel
8. The Name of Your God
9. The Ocean
10. Screams
11. Wolves
12. Deliver
13. One Step Away

Tetractys Lineup:

Sotiris Alevizos - Lead Vocals
Kiriakos Andreou - Guitars
Nikolas Panailidis - Bass Guitar
Kimonas Alexis - Guitars
Alex Pyknis - Drums

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