Review Summary: Thanks to Tallah, nu metal is the freshest its been in years.
For good reason, it could be difficult to take a review seriously in 2020 that makes a contentious claim that a subgenre of music like nu metal is on its way back. However, Tallah has succeeded where so many modern metal acts have failed in recent years; they've created a nu metal fusion album that stands equal with some of the best that nu metal has to offer, and doesn't just feel like a hollow recreation of the genre's most influential acts.
From the opening seconds of 'No One Should Read This,' it becomes apparent that lead vocalist Justin Bonitz is just as pissed off as early 90's Jonathon Davis, or early Slipknot Corey Taylor. His guttural screams are an absolute force to be reckoned with, and he maintains the same grimy anger when rap-ranting over the verses of songs like 'Kungan,' 'Overconfidence,' and 'Too Quick to Grieve.' While some may find Bonitz' reliance on gutturals to be a bit overbearing at first, they balance well with the few melodic moments that he has throughout the record.
Bonitz is definitely not the only standout though, as every band member is given ample opportunity to shine. Max Portney delivers a schizophrenically brilliant performance on drums, and guitarists Derrick Schneider and AJ Wisniewski make the riffs as crunchy and heavy as possible. Even the occasional guitar solo makes an appearance, which makes for a pleasant surprise during the nu metal chaos that ensues during most of these tracks. The MVP of this album though may very well be bassist Andrew Cooper; his bass grooves are loud and heavy, and thanks to the album's mixing, he's given plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. Production, as a whole, is something that deserves commendation on Matriphagy. The mixing is nearly perfect, giving each member an equal window of opportunity to blow you away. Though there are no members directly responsible for turntables, the turntable work is just as balanced and well mixed as some of nu metal's best acts.
If there are any detractors to Tallah's sound, it will more than likely be because of their overreliance on some modern metalcore tropes, most notable of these being their love of breakdowns. It isn't that the breakdowns don't fit with the rest of the song, but rather that there isn't a ton of variety to be found in them. There's only so many times that a guttural scream over a slowed down, heavy riff is equally as enjoyable as the first time you heard it. It could also be argued that featuring all the songs from their debut EP is a lazy corner to cut, as it essentially means that only half the album is comprised of new material. Thankfully, the old songs flow perfectly with their new ones, and nothing really feels out of place here.
Other modern metalcore acts, like Motionless in White and Of Mice & Men, have tried and failed their expeditions into nu metal territory because of how hollow and disingenuous their efforts feel when stacked up against nu metal's finest. Rather than embracing the genre as a whole, they instead tried to pick and choose aspects of it that would mold well with their already existing metalcore sound. On the other hand, it really feels like Tallah took the opposite approach. Tallah is a nu metal band with influences of modern metalcore and hardcore, which means you get the unbridled rage of nu metals vocals, with the instrumental speed and aggression that comes with hardcore and metalcore. It may be a controversial hill to die on, but Tallah has created the most skillful, angriest, and heaviest nu metal album in more than a decade.
