Contrary to what is espoused by some artists and fans music critics are not out to to sadistically tear down artists and shit all over peoples hard work. We might be jaded , but we actually love music and want to hear it done in a manner that respects our love for it. The industry needs quality control more than ever. Call it gatekeeping if you want, the inner webs made it an open playing field with labels no longer in that position. Instead they pay off press and shift perception for the sake of marketing. Even a band like Ghost who I now despise once had an album I was fond of. Take a band like Periphery who is seven album's deep into their career, they have finally got things right and making music in a more effective manner.
They make the joke with the title of their newest album. Ironically it opens with the kind of Meshuggah influence that created this sub-genre of progressive metal. They are able to go place Meshuggah can not since their singer is capable of singing. In the last two minutes of the first song they veer off into jazz before returning to the vocal hook of the chorus. In the past my problem with these guys have been following too close to formula which the opening song clears up for them. But can they maintain this level of inspiration? They groove on some mean riffs , which is something they need to lean into more. The guitar might still be heavily processed , and perhaps the second song digs up some of the elements I was not a fan off, but the arrangement makes them sound refreshed.
To be honest I think they just took more time to refine the songs or the experience of the previous six album brought them to this place of growth. "Wax Wings" is more generic than the first two songs, with a chorus that sounds like it is straight from Myspace. They must have gotten the memo that emo is making a comeback on the nostalgia train. Conceptually the album takes inspiration from the video game "Hades", which matter little to me since perhaps surprisingly I do not play console games. I am more of a roll the dice kind of guy. To give credit where it is due the guitar solos are very tasteful. They get heavier on "Everything is Fine" . This outburst is less groove focused and embraces chaos. I can hear where young aspiring guitarists might admire these guys.
I have to be a little more open minded when it comes to "Silhouette" as it sounds like someone covering a Michael Jackson song for the Punk Goes Pop albums. I like some pop music, and I like that series of albums the purpose it serves here. "Dying Star" finds the band doing a better job of blending the sugary pop hooks in their brand of prog rock. There are points where I have to think about what is on brand for the band. At first "Zagreus" sounds like if Coheed and Cambria was into Meshuggah instead of Rush. Then the more pop refrain pulls the song together proving not all pop is bad for this band. It becomes a more sprawling journey though not the undertaking the last two songs are.
At twelve and a half minutes "Dracul Gras" is not going to be my favorite song as I can not imagine at the minute mark how they are are going to expand the stomping bounce into 12 minutes, though they have already offered some surprises thus far. There is a good chorus hook, but not something they can go to the well with too many times. It winds around the shifting groove and melodies that make this feel like a poppy version of Dillinger Escape Plan. The tricky industrial riffing grinds like a mammoth cyborg. The final two minutes have little to do with the rest of the song. The last song does not flow as well as the one before it. It feels like "Dracul Gras" should have been the last song. It is not until five minutes in that the song finds it's groove. I will give this album an 8.5, it is way better than expected and if long time fans are up for the surprises it offer they should be pleased as it won me over and I went into it a skeptic.
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