Band: Periphery
Title: Periphery
Label: Roadrunner Records - Sumerian Records
Distribution: CNR Entertainment - Concreteweb Promotion Office
Release date: April 16th 2010
Review: CD

Damn, this is a difficult album to review. Because this (debut) album must be one of the most intense and overpowering once I’ve heard in months!

Formed in 2005 in Washington D.C., the sextet Periphery has become one of the most ingenious, as well as most extreme Progressive bands nowadays. With this self-titled album, recorded over a long period, with re-recorded vocals after a new singer / screamer (Spencer Sotelo) joined the band, they created twelve varying and mind-blowing hymns with a total running time of seventy three (73!) minutes. That seems rather long, and believe me, it ís a long, and hard time to devour this material. But it’s all worth it.
Every song consists of different parts, interspersed with technical and intelligent breaks, hooks and tempo-changes. The well-constructed compositions are a fusion of elements from avant-garde, experimental Death Metal / Metalcore, Prog, Groove, and ambient / industrial / electronic additions. This hybrid comes with a full and clean production (done by guitar player Misha Mansoor). Some ‘softer’ (what?) parts contain a Post-Rock approach, yet again with a contrasting eccentricity. Most parts, however, caress your eardrums with a drill. And what’s more, the band has developed a pretty specific and characterizing sound on their debut album. With some modest fantasy, you’re able to find elements from e.g. Hacride, Meshuggah, O.L.D., Strapping Young Lad, or The Dillinger Escape Plan (or not?), but Periphery do it their own way, whole the time. And yes, sometimes the sonic experiments sound somewhat over-the-top, but the members’ skills must be hailed.

FYI: the album features guest vocals by former singer Casey Sabol and Sky Eats Airplane’s Elliot Coleman, and guest guitar solos by Nevermore’s Jeff Loomis and Adam Getgood (Red Seas Fire).

84/100

Ivan Tibos.