Review: Periphery - Periphery

One of the things that makes metal one of the most interesting genres of music to me is that it’s always changing.  It seems that every few months, a new band will come along and start a new trend in musical style or playing technique, and inevitably, a horde of other bands will follow suit and an entire scene or sub-genre will sprout up practically overnight.  While the trends themselves can be somewhat irritating - God knows not every stylistic bandwagon actually yields any really worthwhile musical output - simply following them and witnessing the evolution of an entire musical culture is fascinating.  In the past year or two, Periphery have almost singlehandedly spawned one of these trends, popularly referred to as “djent” (an onomatopoeic term meant to mimic the style’s signature guitar methodology - distorted, palm-muted, staccato, and highly-syncopated riffing on heavily-detuned guitars, usually seven- or eight-string instruments).  Showing masterful use of the internet hype machine, Periphery’s chief songwriter and general mastermind Misha “Bulb” Mansoor spread his music’s popularity through YouTube videos, forum posts, and even the lumbering dinosaur of MySpace.  This was so effective that Periphery became the most iconic band in the burgeoning djent scene before their debut album was even released - which, naturally, only served to ramp up the hype for the record even more.  So when the band’s self-titled debut finally dropped in April of 2010, was there any possible way it could live up to expectations?  Simple answer: yes - and then some.

Rest assured, there’s no shortage of music on Periphery: the album clocks in at over 70 minutes long, practically twice the length of your average metal LP these days.  But even within that very generous runtime, almost every second is crammed full of more notes than most ears would be able to process at full speed.  These guys can play - there’s no doubt about that.  Fittingly for a band with three guitarists (count ‘em, three: Mansoor, Alex Bois, and Jake Bowen), there’s definitely plenty of shred to go around, ranging from the signature djent sound of chugging, angular, super-low-end riffs to lots of flashy lead playing, mostly of the dissonant, avant-garde variety - there’s very little about the guitar playing on this album that anyone could call “traditional.”  Of course, the bass playing (courtesy of Tom Murphy) is equally impressive in keeping up with the six- and seven-string insanity, and the drum tracks (programmed on the record but reproduced faithfully in the band’s live show by Matt Halpern) provide a frantic, pummeling undercurrent to everything.  However, there are a few moments of subtlety here and there: touches of electronic ambience serve as brief interludes between many tracks, and several songs (notably “Light” and “Ow My Feelings”) have enough dynamic peaks and valleys to let an individual instrumental or vocal part really breathe here and there.  And speaking of vocals, the band’s current singer Spencer Sotello gives a pretty impressive performance, stretching his range from soaring high notes to a guttural hardcore growl.  This is really a world-class assembly of musicians, and every note on the record is played with flair, taste, and a seemingly boundless supply of talent.

But so what if they can play - are the songs any good?  The world is full of technically talented musicians who can’t write a good song to save their lives, after all.  Seemingly against all odds, Periphery sidesteps that pitfall by actually having great, catchy songs with real emotional weight underneath all the shredding.  In between the notes flying at light-speed, there’s always a singable melody or catchy riff.  “Letter Experiment” is at once one of the most crushingly heavy songs on the album and one of the most anthemic, and album closer “Racecar” is a 15-minute epic that cycles through seemingly dozens of rhythm patterns and riffs while never losing its central sense of melody or theme.  (The latter also features a particularly tasty guest guitar solo by Jeff Loomis of Nevermore, which is worth the price of admission alone.)  “All New Materials” and “Jetpacks Was Yes!” are melodic enough to be radio-friendly, while still featuring just as much virtuosic playing as anything on the rest of the album.  Okay, you get the idea.  Periphery have struck a great balance between shameless technical skill and songwriting ability with their debut record, and that makes it an incredibly fun album to listen to.  This should have no trouble satisfying fans of the band’s YouTube videos, at any rate.  Even if Periphery seems a little too ambitious or overwrought for its own good (the word “excessive” comes to mind during certain parts of the album, although for the most part it’s not too overwhelming), it’s still a damn good start for a metal band that’s sure to have a promising future, and that’s already had an undeniable effect on the musical landscape around them.  Keep your eyes on Periphery - if their debut is any indication, they’re sure to keep impressing with future releases.

Rating: 4.5/5

Standout Tracks:
“Letter Experiment”
“Racecar”
“Ow My Feelings”
“All New Materials”

Release Date: April 20, 2010