Periphery is considered to be a leader in the metal subgenre djent. The group’s music is defined by its futuristic, often heavy sound, which incorporates intense melodies and polyrhythmic patterns within the guitar riffs.
The band was formed by Misha Mansoor in 2005, but the group has seen many line up changes over the last decade. Mansoor had found early internet fame due to his Soundclick account which he kept constantly populated with his music and various projects. Mansoor’s internet following certainly helped give the band the boost it needed and aided in forming the group’s earliest fan base.
Periphery has been associated with various record labels including Sumerian, Distort, Roadrunner and Century Media. The band has released all of its studio albums through the Sumerian and Century Media labels.
The group’s debut offering, “Periphery”, was released in 2010 and peaked at number 128 on the US Billboard 200 chart but got to number two on the US Heatseekers Chart. This early buzz was bolstered by Periphery’s extensive tour around North America and Europe where they played alongside TesseracT and Monuments.
In 2012 the band unleashed their second studio album, “Periphery II: This Time It's Personal”. This album bested it’s predecessor by hitting the number 44 spot on the US Billboard 200 chart, giving the band their first top 50 hit. “Periphery II: This Time It's Personal” also peaked at number six on the US Indie chart.
Always excited to experiment and push boundaries, the band released the EP “Clear” in 2014. The release generated a lot of buzz and excitement from fans due to its unique format: each track from the EP was assigned to one individual band member who took on the role of creative director for that track. The 30 minute EP certainly demonstrated each member of the band’s immense talent and integrity.
In addition to “Clear” Periphery has been working on a concept album called “Juggernaut”. The band has steadily been building anticipation for the work over the years and fans know that once it drops, it will almost certainly be an epic aural event.
I saw Periphery on their 'Juggernaut' tour with guests Nothing More and Wovenwar.
I wish I could say Periphery was the shining star of the concert, but Nothing More was the crowd favorite by far. Why is this? I'm a huge Periphery fan and looked forward to hearing them live. The problem isn't their performance or musicianship, It came down to their songs and the ones they picked to play.
I was most surprised by Periphery not playing any off their EP 'Clear', which had amazing concert songs (Parade of Ashes, Feed the Ground) with great lyrical hooks to please the crowd. They shied away from playing any of these. Why? My guess is because they wanted to play more complex and heavier songs. Most of the time, people had a hard time bobbing their heads to the complicated rhythms and beat changes. You could easily hear the singer when he screamed, but the soft singing got overpowered by the 3 guitarists and heavy bass along with the insane drum solos from Matt the entire night.
Would I recommend this band? Yes, but get their early enough to scream along with Wovenwar and Nothing More before Periphery comes along and it's more like watching a concert than interacting with it.