With an ambitious double release, American Progressive Metal band Periphery drop "Omega", the second serving of two Djent heavy records. The longer of the pair, "Juggernaut: Alpha", proved to be a bountiful record of tight, textured Djent grooves and engrossing melodics that swooned with infectious hooks and memorable acoustics. Omega is no slouch, being slightly shorter it also bares the traits of its forerunner with not a dull moment to be found.
With "The Bad Thing" the record shows its heavy persuasion and focus with crunchy Djent breaks and grooves between spacey polyrythmic riffs layered with clean vocals and colorful guitars before busting into screams and aggressive riffage. "Priestess" shifts gears to an acoustic epic of layered progressions and mood building that climaxes with a memorable "Step out in the rain, and feel the deep sorrow". A shining vocal lead that captivates me with each listen. After this melodic number the focus shifts back to the dark and heavy, more Djent grooving and aggressive riffs. Theres no shortage of the brighter hooks, but tracks like "Hell Below" and moments in the other tracks see the band tamper with pure metallic aggression as guitars sludge and pelt deep elastic grooves with the hammering drum kit guiding the path.
Although Omega takes on darker sounds and themes, its the same beast and the songs could easily be interchanged between the two. Why the group decided on two records isn't exactly a mystery, there at a creative peak, outputting 80 minutes of exciting, intelligent and forward thinking metal that in my opinion very much warrants the hype around this group. I can see myself continuing to enjoy these two records as time goes by, even now they continue to grow on me with each listen, however I cannot pick a favorite between the two.
Favorite Songs: Priestess, Hell Below, Omega, Stranger Things
Rating: 8/10