Since the band emerged in 2017 on the strength of their title track single, "Freak," Tetrarch have maintained an upward trajectory. As independent artists, the band remains hands on with the business portion of the career path, in addition to putting in the work onstage. In last three years, Tetrarch has gained footing with a position in the Top 50 of the Active Rock charts, maintained a presence in the press, and shared staged with giants ranging from Korn to Devildriver.
Delivering a new single, "I'm Not Right," recently made waves on Sirius/XM's Liquid Metal channel. The track is the first tease of new material off their Fall 2020 follow up to FREAK. The record is titled UNSTABLE and promises to cement the band's rank as promising prospect among the radio metal ranks.
Guitarist and songwriter Diamond Rowe further explained where the band is currently and what 2020 is looking like.
A lot of the band's songs revisit the theme of being outcasts. Do you still feel like outcasts despite making connections with fans?
ROWE: I think we all still see our band in that light and I don’t think it will ever really change. At this point, it's definitely something we kind of look at as a blessing in disguise because we never really have to conform to anything that we don’t want to. We have never been a part of any scene and we tend to do our own thing on both a business and social level within the industry. For some reason that has always worked best for us. We are able to maneuver in ways we feel is best for Tetrarch and we have the musical freedom to create what we want. Everyone that works with us has grown to understand and respect that as well. Most importantly, our fans feel like they are a part of something that they don’t see everyday, which is an awesome experience for them. I feel like we create such a bond with our fans, especially live. Every show is an experience that can not be recreated by any other band between fans and band and within that I’d still say we're outcasts. Just maybe now, its in a very positive way.
The band has made some impressive strides while remaining independent. What has it been like finding the balance of making music and being prudent with the business of music?
ROWE: It’s definitely a 24/7 job but one thing I can honestly say is that we enjoy it. We are a very hands on band anyways, and we love to know every little thing that is going on always. What a lot of people don’t understand is that being in a band is a business first. No one is going to watch out for our career better than we can ourselves. Obviously with the help of our great team. Together we are all able to keep this machine moving forward every day. Josh and I formed Tetrarch essentially when we were in high school, so we have also had several years to learn how to find the most efficient balance. It also helps that I am an extreme introvert for the most part, so there’s usually nothing that I would rather be doing more than playing guitar or sorting our business for Tetrarch.
What is the reality of being a woman in a male-dominated genre like metal music?
ROWE: I’ve come to realize that every female in the industry seems to have very different experiences. Mine to be honest have been quite rewarding. I have not had really any bad experiences so far and the fact that I am a female doing something different has really made this an enjoyable journey for me and the rest of Tetrarch. What I think some people don’t understand is that it’s ok to be different. It doesn’t bother me one bit when someone says “they have that female lead guitarist”. It’s something that makes the band stand out and gets the attention of people who otherwise may not listen to our band in the first place. I love having the challenge of proving people wrong. I just have a lot of confidence in what we do and in what I do as a guitar player.
Musically, who are some of the artists the band all agree on in terms of influence?
ROWE: Metallica. (Laughs). We have always been into bands that are heavy but have catchy elements. Slipknot, Linkin Park, Gojira, Lamb of God.
Where else does the band draw inspiration?
ROWE Life in general. Anything the evokes an emotion or response out of us or anyone. Seeing the things that make people happy or upset. How people interact with one another and relationships. Hell, even bass fishing, something I love. It can literally come from anything. That’s the best part of being an artist, there are no right or wrong way of doing things. It’s all preference. There’s some comfort in that.
What are some of the moments, both good and bad that have brought the band closer together?
ROWE: When you're in a band with the same people for a long time, going through all of the ups and down of this industry brings you so much closer together especially when every member is as determined as the 4 of us have been. We have been told no so many times that we're basically numb to it and because of that we are able to really celebrate when we accomplish goals. We are all best friends and find happiness in eachothers happiness so progressing on this journey each day brings us all closer together. We have a pretty unbreakable bond.
