Periphery Juggernaut: Alpha & Omega Review: Awesome

Imagine a progressive metal band self-producing an album with the sound of scream-core, pop, jazz and funk all rolled into one. Doesn’t sound too appealing, right?

In fact it sounds quite horrific. In the case of Periphery’s new double album “Juggernaut: Alpha” & “Juggernaut: Omega” however, it is horrifically beautiful. Horrific because of all these different genres coming together, but beautiful in how well they come together.

Lead singer Spencer Sotelo’s vocals are a hybrid between Michael Jackson and Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria, lead singer) together with the transitioning sound of singing and scream-core, which can be compared to that of Matthew Tuck (Bullet for My Valentine, lead singer). The power and range in Sotelo’s vocals alone are enough to keep you listening.

Backed with sheer talent from the unorthodox band consisting of three guitarists Misha Mansoor, Mark Holcomb, and Jake Bowen, drummer Matt Halpern, and bassist Adam “Nolly” Getgood it’s obvious that their sound is something unique. With three guitarists who switch between six, seven and even eight string guitars, the range in sound they produce coincides perfectly with the range being delivered in vocals by Sotelo in songs like “The Scourge” and “22 faces.”

The album transitions from song to song flawlessly- you can’t tell where one song ends and the others begin if it wasn’t for that split second pause between tracks. In an age where people download tracks instead of albums from iTunes, you appreciate how well this album plays through- each track strategically placed to take you through an enjoyable journey.

But you also have tracks like “Alpha” that can stand alone, outside the context of the album. Beginning with a digital, 8-bit video gamey sound. It jumps right into sweet guitar riffs, powerful vocals, and solid drums with pounding double bass, then goes right back to the digital sound.

The album goes from a full throttle, fast and heavy, distorted head-banging sound to a soft, clean, and mellowed one several times. It’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions. The song “MK Ultra” starts off super heavy then ends in a 50-second Caribbean style jam session transitioning into the track “Heavy Heart,” which has a similar sound to “Sanitarium” by Metallica.

The track “Four Lights” is a raging instrumental, which delivers hard-hitting guitar riffs and percussion causing your head to sway back and forth rhythmically. Just as you’re getting lost in the track it evolves into a soft eerie tune, like something you would hear on a baby mobile in a creepy horror film. Like a punch in the face, the heavy riffs and percussion are back, causing your head to sway even harder to the point where whiplash is a possibility.

“Four Lights” transitions seamlessly into the track “Psychosphere,” which carries all the different rhythms, sounds, and ranges you can hear throughout this album, packed into a 6:16 track.

Even if you are not a fan of the genre, it’s hard not to appreciate the talent these guys have in producing an album composed of all these different sounds and easy to see why they have an ever-growing fan base.