Periphery are a fascinating band. At this point I have no clue how many releases they actually have out, but they have always managed to straddle a line between challenging, poppy and groundbreaking. Periphery III: Select Difficulty sees the band taking their Meshuggah derived sound to new heights, bringing it closer to the mainstream than ever before but also infusing it with healthy amounts of the guitar wizardry that has for so long defined one of modern metals most influential bands.
It's weird listening to Periphery in 2016, they were such a huge part of my life between 2010-2012 and now they've sort of dropped f. They are still producing great music to be sue but it makes mew wonder if the djent genre is played out. That being said - there are moment on Periphery III: Select Difficulty that can't help but make me smile. They are powerful, exciting even. It's an expansion on a sound that worked, and now it is no longer for me. In many ways this new Periphery record almost reminds me of the Bulb demos, and that rules. The band has expanded into exciting territory, and even as they embrace the mainstream, they come off as harder and leaner than ever before.
This is a band that have always been something of an outlier - a band who don't necessarily play by the rules simply because what rules are going to fucking apply to Periphery? Periphery III: Select Difficulty is a lot more than just nostalgia - the band has improved their songwriting and bring in hooks worthy of Top 40 pop music (Seriously - Marigold is such an amazing song) Still - I have to wonder where Periphery will go from here. They've always done exactly what they wanted, and it's been working out, are they our new heroes? Or has their star faded?
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https://www.facebook.com/PeripheryBand/
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