If it wasn’t obvious from their name, TesseracT are a bit of a mathematical band. Taking their name from a four-dimensional cube and all of their album artwork from whatever cool figures they could pull from a geometry textbook, the group has a quasi-nerdy appeal even before one considers their music. Even there, the band’s main draw comes from quirky down-tuned bass and guitar grooves in any time signature besides 4/4 — a style now affectionately called “djent.”
There’s one other mathematical precept TesseracT clings to, however: a faithful adherence to formula. Outside of the game of musical chairs which they seem to be playing with their vocalists, there are noticeable maxims held both across and within their albums. Songs move between the three basic axioms of quiet atmospheric sections, verses filled with irregular bass grooves and sweeping melodic choruses giving the impression that a climax has been reached. These movements all transition into each other throughout the album, with arbitrary time stamps denoting when a new “song” has started.
Such a strict formula isn’t necessarily a problem, but as the album moves in and out of these tropes, a serious lack of identity remains. The songs have little sense of self or even purpose to them, simply washing over the listener one after another until the album ends. This can’t be excused by the “coherent feel” of the album — even as a whole, “Polaris” simply lacks personality. At least TesseracT’s previous record, “Altered State,” threw some saxophone solos in to spice things up. Don’t bother searching for anything like that here.
In fact, pretty much all comparisons to their previous album reveal a regression. Musically, they remain stagnant, with all of the grooves and atmosphere theoretically sounding like they came off of “Altered State.” Everything here reeks of a lower quality. Fans excited for the return of frontman Daniel Tompkins will be slightly disappointed too, as his vocals are fine at most times — and great in moments like the intro to “Hexes” or the Faith No More-esque ending to “Utopia” — but never hit the chill-inducing highs Ashe O’Hara reached in past tracks like “Of Matter.” There are some cool rhythmic patterns in here, with “Utopia” standing out for incorporating the vocals with the rhythm section, but for the most part everything feels too cold, calculated and separated to mean anything. Every chorus, every groove and every atmospheric moment feels too artificial and formulaic to give “Polaris” a name for itself.
“Polaris” isn’t a bad record, but it is a confused one, following a roadmap to the point of lacking a soul. The highlights of this album are merely good, but never come close to any of the highs “Altered State” offered. No one’s asking TesseracT to fundamentally change their style, but a significant amount of inspiration is going to be necessary for their future success. For now, listeners are left to contemplate how a band based upon irregular timing has come to feel so conventional.
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