Periphery is releasing their album “Djent Is Not A Genre” this Friday March 10th. I will always love the earliest releases, but I’ve been coming around on them since their last release “Hail Stan” also their first on their own record label (3Dot Recordings). Modern metal is popularly known as “Djent” these days. Modern metal is very hit or miss for me, yet I’ve always enjoyed Periphery (some albums more than others). I dig the fact the band’s personality has been showing on the album titles continuing with this release. This album is possibly my favorite release of theirs of the last 5 or so albums. P2 is my favorite release of theirs and I enjoyed 3 almost as much. This album is well worth the wait and we don’t have long to go with the street release date.

Maturation. The band has matured immensely as artists over the years and this is their most mature album to date. They don’t have rules in place and are trying even more new things (like the surprise jazz section in “Wildfire”). Freedom. Ever since their launch of 3Dot, they feel free or liberated without the stress of having to please a record label. Periphery is out to please themselves artistically and feels that way to me at least. They have many different ventures that isn’t just based off Periphery, so album sales and tours isn’t their be all end all. They market intelligently and the band members have some measure of success. That is one trait I can respect Periphery for and was absolutely monumental in 2020 when shows were shut down for a while.

Spencer has always been one of my favorite things about the band. His energy level is always at a high especially live and is so good. His singing is always on point and his range improves each album release. Most male vocalists have a limited range but Sotelo always belts out some higher notes and hold those notes for a good period of time. His screaming is just as good. The ambiance and synth is absolutely phenomenal. Periphery absolutely outdid themselves on “Djent Is Not A Genre” on that level, and is most notable in the last two tracks (12+, 11+ minutes respectively!). It flows so well, and didn’t honestly feel bored or the album dragged at any point. The cheesy, chliche saying “all killer no filler” is very true in this moment.

The guitar work and rhythms are absolutely phenomenal. This album is a great representation of modern metal and Periphery carries the flag for sure. The guitar leads are some of the best I have heard from the band and the riffs are on point. There is tons of melody and feel, and it’s not about speed (again the maturation process is key here). Even in the older years, Periphery still brings the heat. As I’ve discussed with many people, bands have a short window of releasing their best work (2-4 album stretch give or take). Periphery doesn’t seem to have that window as the majority of their releases have been very good. It almost feels like each album has been an improvement from the previous album. The drumming is spectacular and very polished. There’s a lot of technical, demanding parts and then there’s plenty of times that contain great groove in the drum patterns. It’s a masterfully executed album all around.

Periphery has nothing to prove as a great metal band yet still grace us with another stellar effort. As previously stated they are growing with age just like a fine wine. I think this will be a nice pallet cleanser for me between the death metal and prog I generally am into. I didn’t think I’d include more modern metal into more of my rotation but I’ll be having this album on repeat for a while. I’m so honored to get such huge releases like this ahead of time to review like this is modern masterpiece. I’m digging the older, looser Periphery and I think it shows how much better a band can execute an album when they’re enjoying themselves 100%. “Djent Is Not A Genre” is out Friday and trust me you won’t want to miss this.

https://www.facebook.com/PeripheryBand

https://www.facebook.com/TMRWNY