Introducing Periphery
Introducing Periphery
Words by Jemy DeShank
It’s not every day that a band can jump from the unknown outer limits of a genre and come up with an offering well above expectations of what any debut should or would attempt to reach. Shove all your pre-conceived notions aside of what metal should sound like and bare witness to the future…
Hailing from Maryland, Periphery have taken a smart route with their debut self titled album. The recipe for their immense impact is the fact that they have stewed their songs, they have taken their time and orchestrated it thoughtfully to deliver a K.O punch. Too many bands these days are quick to create, forcing the music out and in the end coming up with something below grade. Anything forced comes out as just that and this is where Periphery win. Their debut album is comparable to what some artist achieve on the second or third bout and if they carry this trend onwards it’s not hard seeing them become dominant figures in their style.
Insomnia is a double brutal aural assault and is a masterful display of what Periphery have to offer. It’s sporadic time signatures mutilate the senses as lead singer Spencer Sotelo lays down an array of vocal range that defies what a single vocalist is normally capable of. His vocals ravage along intricate guitar work only to suddenly soar high and emphasize the bands instinctive grip on melody. Misha Monsoor or Bulb as he is commonly know is an integral part to the Periphery mechanics. Not only wielding a magical touch on the guitar but he is also the master mind that captured the energy of Periphery on record. The proof of his genius is in their debut, it wreaks of quality audio work.
Helping Misha is Alex Bois and Jake Bowen and the three create pure fret board wizardry together. One of the high points of the guitar work on this album is the varied styles, not only does it boast a mathcore feel to it but it also boasts a lot of thoughtful melody as to make the math side more attainable and easy to listen. There’s varying structure that incorporates tonnes of tasteful niblets from different styles of metal and as far as instrumentation goes Periphery have it nailed.
Finishing off the 6 piece is Matt Halpern and Tom Murphy on drums and bass respectively. Matt and Tom make a formidable rhythm duo that delivers a driving cadence, especially on the more frantic pace songs like Zyglrox and Buttersnips, it’s this base that connects the dots for the three guitarist to maneuver on. The combination of all members is further heightened with the tactical use of electronic moments that are a breathing space between the juggernaut drumming and mind-blowing riffage.
All in all Periphery have come up with a complete package that can appeal to everyone in metal, it has complexity for the 6 string enthusiast, deep growls for the hardcores and melodic splendor for the not so hardcore. It’s all rounder of metal madness that will keep you occupied till these guys drop the next bomb on us all.
