ALBUM REVIEW: Periphery IV: Hail Stan – Periphery
When it comes to consistency and resilience as a musical unit, PERIPHERY sit comfortably in the upper echelons. Their 2010 debut took the scene by storm, and five albums later the quintet are stronger and more influential than ever before. But, while consistency is one thing, evolution is another entirely. Despite making their name as djent extraordinares, the modern day PERIPHERY represents much more than that. Hail Stan, the fourth instalment of the legendary Periphery series, is nothing more than a shimmering example of this. The band’s tagline for this press campaign reads: “Time and freedom breeds invention” – a poignant and accurate summary.
In the run-up to producing this album, PERIPHERY made a gutsy and potentially career-defining decision: to sever their ties with record label giants Sumerian Records, and found 3DOT Recordings, their very own, independent label. In making such a fierce, enterprising move, the band also faced a certain expectation to make an equally strong statement with the output; put simply, they have done so in abundance. Opening track Reptile achieves this feat with vim and vigour, clocking an audacious, gargantuan 17 minutes in run-time, and exhibiting a thorough display of everything the band stands for.
A gloomy, arresting atmosphere is established from the outset, provoking vivid flashbacks of double full-length effort Juggernaut and setting the scene with delicious suspense. A frenzied barrage of epic content follows, relentlessly shifting between hooks, solos, ballads and breakdowns. Each member is clearly at their peak once again, with Spencer Sotelo‘s legendary vocal range proving more impressive than ever, Matt Halpern‘s penetrative drums consistently dominating the mix, and the familiar trio of strings-men each offering a series of subtle nuances and embellishments. The song is written like delicately told story, and despite reaching crescendo with over quarter of an hour on the clock, it’s all too easy to feel as though no time has passed at all.
CHVRCH BVRNER and lead single Blood Eagle follow suit as a neat pair, both showcasing the heaviest aspects of the bands sound. Echoes of The Bad Thing and Graveless creep into the fore as palm mutes, pick scrapes, slides and breakdowns make frequent appearances, as a distinctly angry feel is established as the standout theme. But the mood soon changes: Garden In The Bones and It’s Only Smiles offer a welcome sense of balance, taking a far more emotive approach. The latter will no doubt be in contention for the band’s best song to-date, with epic, soaring, Mile Zero-esq. hooks dominating throughout, taking a sonic u-turn from the album’s opening third. The song is tastefully and maturely written, gently meandering throughout and building up to a delectable crescendo, completing the ballad effect and establishing itself as a thoroughly professional effort.
It’s certainly worth mentioning that, aside from the songwriting and performances themselves, everything PERIPHERY do on this album is beautifully embellished in one way or another. At times the introduction of electronic influences and choirs are used for subtle but dramatic effect, and as-per-usual, despite his recent withdrawal as a touring member of the band, Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood‘s production wizardry is ever-present and devastatingly effective. Crush is a wholesale demonstration of this. Despite being by far the band’s biggest stylistic departure thus far, something about this song is truly charming. Centred around Sotelo‘s soaring clean vocals and a backdrop of drums and dubstep-esq. synths, traces of LINKIN PARK drift in and out of focus as hooks, choruses and crushing percussion ebb and flow throughout. Humble, stripped-back and somewhat simplistic, this isn’t really a PERIPHERY song by any stretch of the imagination. However, what Crush does do is epitomise the band’s shrugging off of the shackles, demonstrating a refreshing, newfound freedom.
Returning to familiarity somewhat, the following two tracks pack a serious punch and close out the album in style. Said to be a re-imagined take on Spencer‘s audition song, Sentient Glow presents another textbook PERIPHERY performance, with light and dark colliding in epic fashion. Commencing with pace and power and closing on another epic, soaring crescendo, the song is book-ended by opposing but somehow utterly matrimonial approaches, with each member once again proving to be at their very best. Bleeding seamlessly into Satellites, the record is set up for a truly epic finale. Heavily reminiscent of Periphery III closer Lune, this song embarks on a sensational ten-minute journey adorned with passion, emotion and theatrics. Spencer dominates once again, his angelic voice painting a truly climactic picture, as deft, distant melodies tiptoe in the backdrop. As all good ballads do, the song rises and falls several times before falling a final time and drawing to a close, leaving a lingering aura of true completion.
If you glanced at Periphery IV‘s track-list with no prior knowledge of the band, you’d immediately acknowledge the 17-minute opener and 10-minute closer and likely place them as a newcomer with something to prove. A band of this status can always play it safe, but no such thing exists for PERIPHERY. Once again they have approached their next chapter with ambition and audacity, and executed it in blindingly successful fashion. In simpler terms, Periphery IV: Hail Stan is virtually flawless. It seamlessly encompasses every beloved aspect of the band’s arsenal without even vaguely shying away from creativity and innovation, resulting in some of the finest material progressive metal has ever seen. And on an even more profound level, it once again highlights their ability to appease music fans of all persuasions whilst also exhibiting masterful, magical musicianship. “PERIPHERY arrive at a new level,” reads the album’s official press release – we couldn’t agree more.
Rating: 10/10
Periphery IV: Hail Stan is set for release April 5th via 3DOT Recordings.
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