I will be honest, and this is probably a metalcore sin somewhere, I didn't hear a single song from Periphery before this, in the most extreme way. It's not even like I've heard it once before but didn't remember it, or maybe overheard it somewhere, I'm pretty sure my ears have never heard anything from Periphery ever, consciously or unconsciously.
Anyways, despite the dramatic declaration, I definitely knew the name of the band. I knew they were special because of how big and renowned they were, but that didn't nearly prepare me well enough to get absolutely blown away by this album. I followed the album cycle from the first single release to the album drop, and I was amazed every step of the way.
I get why they are such a huge monolith in progressive metalcore now. What they write is so unbelievably refined and pristine, and their unconventional approaches are so distinct to the usual straying of convention that other bands do. With just nine songs totalling 70 minutes, they boast an impressive runtime for such a short tracklist, and so little of that runtime is filler, which is unheard of.
Going track by track, Wildfire is definitely meant to be the introductory piece. It shows Periphery pushing their creative limits to the extreme, between dissonant clean vocals and jazz interludes. It has a healthy dose of everything progressive metalcore: heavy moments, clean singing, dissonance, a variety of solid screams and growls, crazy guitar moments, electronic sounds, odd time signatures and tempo changes, fun guitar solos, and of course, breakdowns (and surprise breakdowns). Forever a highlight of this track will be the chorus and the dissonant vocal choices that are outstandingly intriguing.
Atropos is arguably my favourite of the singles, but for the most part on par with Zagreus. The instrumentals and vocal melodies on this track is absolutely stellar, with a good blend of pop sensibilities in the mix. Between the seemingly simple chug rhythm, the sweep pick leads, the synth-like licks, the looping arpeggio leads in the chorus, the heavy riffs in the middle, and the intense lead going into the final section, the guitarwork is nothing short of brilliant. The vocals on the verses and chorus are super catchy, and when they switch to a heavy tone halfway through, the intensity that they reach is pristine, peaking with the blast beat section. Atropos takes the cake for most well-rounded song on the record, for sure.
Wax Wings is beautiful. It is one of the most emotional songs on the record, and has such a perfect blend of intensity and elegance. The first main riff is so pretty, the refrain two minutes in is absolutely gorgeous, the chord progressions are so youthful and energetic, the 8/8 and 9/8 switchups are super fun. The final three minutes of this song has such a powerful and raw emotional energy to it, one that will for sure give me goosebumps if it doesn't already make me tear up. He goes for a sustained high note so strong you'd think that's as good as it gets, then he goes even higher on the last line, with some grit in his vocals that really brings across the genuine emotion and intensity.
Everything is Fine! is like the antithesis of Wax Wings, bringing a borderline pure heaviness unmatched by any other track on the record. The Digitech Whammy Pedal comes in almost straight away for a real pissedcore-esque riff, and when Spencer's vocals start, the alien laser noises in the underlying riffing is super playful and awesome. Despite the screaming and heaviness, the clean chorus still manages to remain catchy, even on top of blast beats. The "guilty" section is super cool and an interesting rhythmic moment, the guitar solo is odd but in a good way, especially with the harmonics. The ending is just perfect heaviness, bringing back the whammy dissonance and then pulling the classic lower-and-slower card.
Silhouette and Dying Star are a pair in my eyes, like two acts of a sound distinct from the rest of the record. Silhouette has a more synthwave, pop-esque and calmer sound, focusing on electronics and vocals. Dying Star takes that pop-leaning direction through the hard rock and progressive metalcore sound, making for an anthemic chorus and heartfelt singing. They're both great songs even if they don't stand out against the rest of the tracklist.
Zagreus was where I realised I'd been missing out on Periphery. Released alongside Wildfire as the second single, it felt like it was underappreciated, especially since I loved it so much more than Wildfire. I loved the super groovy and unconventional rhythms, the plethora of harsh and clean vocal sections that all had their own unique take, the unbelievably catchy chorus (how does he keep doing it?), the super tasteful guitar solo and the amazing ending that had great hooks and an atmospheric sound that I love. I could not stop listening to Zagreus when it came out, and I spent a long while wondering whether I liked Zagreus or Atropos more.
Dracul Gras sits at an impressive twelve minute runtime, and it is chock full of interesting moments. There's the solid metalcore-esque first segment, the more soft rock part four minutes in that has the solo, the third segment that brings back the metalcore sound in a heavier form, or the last two minutes of semi-ambient electronic interlude that's super atmospheric and relaxing to listen to. With it's long runtime, I honestly haven't been able to perceive the whole song as a whole yet, but it's definitely fun to get lost in each of the sections.
Thanks Nobuo runs into a similar problem of being really long, even if none of the eleven minutes feel dull, where I don't feel like I really know the whole song as one song. It definitely has its fair share of catchy lines and great instrumental work, especially with the chorus, but by this point in the record's runtime, it is hard to make an outstanding impression. The three-and-a-half minute ambient outro is a pretty cool inclusion though, I think despite possibly being a unnecessary inclusion for some listeners, it fits really well, both for the conceptual consistency (most of the songs have some sort of an electronic interlude ending) and to ease out the listening experience.
Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre is my favourite release of 2023 yet, having absolutely blown me away at the sheer amount of artistry present within these nine songs. It's more than clear that every part of this record was made with immense creativity and love, and refined to perfection by a band so far into their masterful career. Despite not having heard any of their earlier discography, I want to go out on a limb and say that this is probably their best record yet, because how could anyone beat this?
Rating: 10/10