''Periphery'' is the debut studio album by American
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...
band
Periphery
Periphery or peripheral may refer to:
Music
*Periphery (band), American progressive metal band
* ''Periphery'' (album), released in 2010 by Periphery
* "Periphery", a song from Fiona Apple's album '' The Idler Wheel...''
Gaming and entertainm ...
. It was released on April 20, 2010 through
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.
A writer for '' AbsolutePunk'' said that despite Sotelo's "frog-like" screams being weak throughout the track listing, the record contains solid lyricism and musicianship that add support to Sotelo's singing, concluding that "From beginning to end, Periphery's self titled debut is a wonder to behold, and in my mind, will inspire modern metal for the next decade, and with the sincerity, originality, and technical abilities of this band, that can only be a good thing." Gregory Heaney of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
praised the band for constructing a mixture of "blistering fretwork, extreme tunings, and studio magic" that's reminiscent of
Meshuggah
Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1985. Originally, the band's name was Metallien. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Jens Kidman, guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström, drummer To ...
and
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time si ...
Rock Sound
''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...
'' admired the band's unique amalgam of "steady lyrical patterns" through a "polyrhythmic maze" to craft their own blueprint of progressive metal but pointed out their overreliance on mimicking fellow band Sikth to attain that creative spark, concluding with, "Though there are some remarkably beautiful sections, ultimately Periphery’s palette is limited and struggles to support itself for all 73 minutes. Still, a laudably bold statement."
Track listing
Notes
* An instrumental version was released through the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
.
* "Ragtime Dandies" also appears at the end of "Icarus Lives!" on the CD version.
* "Captain On" and "Eureka!" were included on the ''Icarus'' EP.
* "Passenger" was released on February 21, 2012 as a digital-single via iTunes.
Outtakes
The following tracks were cut from the final album.
* ''Not Enough Mana''
* ''Absolomb'' (later included on Periphery III)
* ''Far Out'' (later included on Periphery II as a bonus track)
* ''Project 15''
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
*
Matt Halpern
Matt Halpern (born June 21, 1983) is an American drummer best known for his work with progressive metal band Periphery.
Biography
Born in Baltimore, Halpern took an interest in music at a young age and got his first kids drum set aged 3, befo ...
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
Guest appearances
* Adam 'Nolly' Getgood – guitar solo (on "Totla Mad")
*
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In ...
– guitar solo (on "Racecar")
* Elliot Coleman – vocals (on "Racecar")
Production
* Misha Mansoor – producer, mixing, mastering
* Matt Murphy – vocal recording, producer
* Benjamin Guarino – album artwork, layout and design