Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre (2023)
You know what? This band is right. Djent is not a genre... It's a subgenre! A progressive metal subgenre originated by Meshuggah (in a happy accident) and developed by Sikth and Textures. Periphery is part of the trio that popularized the subgenre, alongside Animals as Leaders and Tesseract. I haven't really heard a lot of Periphery, but I decided that this will be the best time to explore what this band has to offer. And I just found a glorious prime example of the subgenre! Despite the album title denying it...
People say the pandemic is no more, but I don't think so, at least not in my country. I do have to mention that the virus really impacted the music industry. Having written this album as early as 2021, Periphery was able to persevere through those dark times and release it two years later. I, along with many other djent fans, am thankful for that.
The intense fury of "Wildfire" stampedes with crushing riffing, and the vocal aggression of vocalist Spencer Sotelo. Melody shines in the vibrant chorus, and there's more of that to come in this blessing... "Atropos" shows the band confidently balancing out technical brutality and elegant melody. They can unleash aggressive power at any time. Drummer Matt Halpern can switch from mid-paced drumming to machine-gun-firing blast-beats when the time is right. Those guys know how to do it right, and that's why that track is an ultimate djent highlight. "Wax Wings" continues the captivating creativity. The leads and rhythms keep you in attention, and the soundscape gets more emotional with some clean piano. Heaviness can be beautiful!
"Everything is Fine!" has more of the dissonant hooks. Destruction is unleashed from the complex drums. Not for the faint of heart, but for those who are willing to take on the mosh pit, especially with the riff returns as a slow devastator. "MY BODY IS NOT A HAVEN, IT'S A F***ING PRISON!!!" After that, "Silhouette" is the calm after the storm with nostalgia-inducing 80s synths. "Dying Star" has that similar uplifting vibe, only they return to the impressive intricate heaviness. They can really add warm calm color to an ultra-heavy subgenre like djent.
"Zagreus" kicks the heaviness back to bloodthirsty brutality. This almost has a blackened vibe with the riffing and demonic growling. I haven't heard Sotelo sound so savage since when he guest appeared in Sikth's "Cracks of Light". Then the track closes with a cinematic orchestral ending. After that is the first of two 11+ minute epics (the second album I've reviewed in a row to have that, first being Tool's 10,000 Days), "Dracul Gras". The hammering intro gives you the energy for an epic journey. Lots of cohesive transformation to leave your jaws dropped to the floor. Midway through is a haunting yet beautiful melodic section. Then the monstrous intensity attacks once more before ending with soft ambient synthwave (huh???). The second epic "Thanks Nobuo" has optimistic momentum leading up to ending it all with great energy. Melodies and grooves battle for prominence while Sotelo's vocals continue to soar from high to low and vice versa. Whoever Nobuo is, he says "You're welcome."
Periphery is proud of their innovative career, and they never cease their incredible experimentation in the 5th part of their non-Juggernaut saga. It's not every album or band whose members all form a team of unbreakable passion. The pioneers of modern djent stay strong, whether or not they deny the genre status of the style they popularized!
Favorites: "Atropos", "Wax Wings", "Dying Star", "Zagreus", "Dracul Gras"