Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre Review: Track-By-Track Breakdown
Periphery are back with their first album since the 2020 lockdown. The humorously titled “Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre” is also the second album the band have created under their own record label 3DOT Recordings. However, while the album has a funny title, this album is far from a joke.
Let’s break down the album track-by-track in this Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre album review.
FFO: Veil of Maya, Monuments, Sleep Token, Currents
Listen to: Atropos, Wax Wings, Everything is Fine!, Dracul Gras, Wildfire, Zagreus,
Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre Track-By-Track Review
Wildfire
Periphery kick off the album with Blood Eagle’s jazzy cousin, “Wildfire“. The heavy track isn’t just the intro song, but it was also one of the two initial singles from Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre. This makes Wildfire both the first impression to the album both chronologically and in tracklist order.
PERIPHERY KICK OFF PERIPHERY V WITH A BOUT OF ENERGY AND EXPERIMENTATION
What an introduction this is too, as the appropriately titled Wildfire is an onslaught of a track. This is one of those rare lengthy tracks that doesn’t get old for a second.
The song starts off as belligerently as Blood Eagle from “Periphery IV: Hail Stan“, but the track is a lot less straight forward than the previously mentioned banger.
Wildfire switches from a heavy banger, to a jazzy jam session, to video game ambiance, and it all works flawlessly. I love the progressive nature of the track, and the genre bending is pulled off masterfully across the track.
Another noteworthy addition to this track are the incredibly deep growls from vocalist Spencer Sotelo. He has teased these growls sparingly in previous tracks like “Flatline” and “Follow Your Ghost”, but in Wildfire these vocals are put on display loud and proud.
Wildfire Features References To The Juggernaut Albums
Wildfire – like Zagreus – even futures some references to the Juggernaut albums. As someone who loves both Alpha and Omega, this was a huge treat for me. I don’t want to spoil them here though, so listen closely and see if you can spot them for yourself.
Overall Wildfire is a fantastic track and a great way to start off the album. Additionally, the experimentation found on the track gives a great example of what to expect from Periphery V.
Atropos
Atropos is one of the most “Periphery sounding” songs imaginable. The track is a perfect fusion of familiarity and new experimentation.
Periphery pull off utilizing experimental sounds and electronics all while achieving the riff-heavy groove Periphery fans are known to love.
Periphery Brings The Groove With Atropos
The track starts off with a heavy, rolling, riff that is seriously addicting. This is a fantastic start to a rather dynamic track. Bringing the energy right out the gates is great for grabbing attention.
However, once the first verse starts, the riff continues on to guide the melody, but it is more subtle now. The focus is now on the vocals of Spencer Sotelo. Aside from the riff, the verse is rather calm and melodic.
This vibe continues into the chorus, which sounds more like “It’s Only Smiles” than something like “Follow Your Ghost“. The chorus is merely a momentary mood shift, as Periphery kick things back into heavy territory afterwards.
Periphery Experiment With A Heavy, Electronic, Sound
Synths and electronic sounds surround a heavy groove which creates a sound that reminds me of “Remain Indoors” from “Periphery III: Select Difficulty“. That was never one of my favorite Periphery tracks, but it works really well here and I love it.
The electronic sound compliments the heavy riffs, and it adds a unique flare that makes Atropos differ well from previous singles “Wildfire” and “Zagreus“.
The second chorus plays out similar to how it did the first time, but the heavy part afterwards is much quicker than what was delivered after first verse.
Spencer sounds great here, and I appreciate how he switches up from a fury of fast screams to a deep growl as the instrumentation switches up from fast, shredding riffs to slow, rolling chugs.
Atropos Features Fantastic Melodies From Spencer Sotelo
Despite how heavy Atropos gets at times, the melodies are a huge highlight from the track. Some of the best melodies come from outside the chorus even.
This is one of those tracks that plays by no traditional rules. Atropos is a truly progressive track from an already progressive band, and Periphery are in their element here.
All-in-all, Atropos is a well-balanced track that gives every Periphery fan something to enjoy. I can see the song becoming a fan-favorite staple from the band going forward.
Wax Wings
The first non-single on the album, “Wax Wings” proves that Periphery aren’t the kind of band to fluff up a release with some filler.
In fact, Wax Wings is far from filler. I find the track to be one of the many highlights from Periphery V. It may even be the catchiest song on the album.
Wax Wings Brings Back The Periphery II Vibes
Wax Wings is faster in tempo and more melodic than the previous tracks, reminiscent of “Scarlet“, “Sentient Glow“, or “The Summer Jam” from previous releases. Considering these types of tracks are some of my absolute favorites from Periphery, this track absolutely does it for me.
I compare Wax Wings to the forementioned songs, as it isn’t an entirely soft ballad or anything, The track is a well-balanced, melodic track that still rips, features some harsh vocals, and has progressive sensibilities.
The song isn’t just melodic vocally, as the instrumentation is adjusted to compliment the soulful vocals of Spencer Sotelo. Speaking of Spencer, his vocals here are at a new peak, and his performance is fantastic here. This is saying something, as his performance is great throughout the record.
Periphery seem to be working better as a cohesive unit than ever, and this shows throughout Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre.
If you can appreciate the smooth side of Periphery, then Wax Wings may just be one of your new favorite tracks from the band.
Everything is Fine!
Ever since I saw the exclamation point in the song title, I was hoping that this song would be a frantic and heavy banger. Sure enough the djent gods have blessed us with a monster of a track with this one.
“Everything is Fine!” is a tongue-and-cheek song potentially about how NOT fine everything is. This song is everything that a ruthless heavy Periphery song should be.
Everything Is Fine! Is Exactly What A Heavy Periphery Song Should Be
The track is devastating right out the gate, with chugs that lead into the first verse. Spencer’s vocal delivery is fantastic and the production is great. Behind the frontman’s screams are an additional layer of ridiculously low growls that add a ton of weight to the heaviness of the song.
I can’t remember a time where Periphery has sounded so pissed. While the band has had slower and groovier heavy songs like “The Bad Thing” and “Follow Your Ghost“, Everything Is Fine! Is more in vein to “CHVRCH BVRNER” from “Periphery IV: Hail Stan”. The track is fast, rude, and sassy, and I love it.
However, I find that the band pull off this sound in a much more interesting and well-executed way with the current track then anything they’ve done in this style on previous releases.
The Chorus Keeps Up The Belligerent Energy Of The Track
The chorus of Everything is Fine! is energetic and fits the sound of the track really well, adding some melody without losing any momentum. I love songs that are heavy but still have a sung chorus, so I loved hearing this.
The track also features a guitar solo by Mark Holcomb and it seriously shreds. It is placed between two ridiculously heavy segments of the song with only a chorus in between. I find that this helps keep the song sounding fresh.
Lastly, the song ends on a heavy note, with Spencer letting out his deepest growls above slow and brutal instrumentation. If you love heavy Periphery, you’re going to have a field day with this one.
Silhouette
After the brutal delivery of “Everything is Fine!“, Periphery take a moment to slow things down with an electronic-driven and poppy ballad.
“Silhouette” is like the love child of the electronic and industrial “Crush” and the beautiful “Satellites” from “Periphery IV: Hail Stan”.
The track is slow and calm, with Spencer using restraint in his voice to deliver a performance that suits the mood of the track.
For the style of the song, think 80’s synthpop over a traditional poppy ballad sometimes found on a metal record. I’d love to hear more synthpop from Periphery honestly, but maybe with a little more spunk behind it.
Periphery Slow Things Down And Tackle An Orchestrated Sound
The song ends on with an orchestrated segment that acts as a palate cleanser as Periphery prepare to switch gears to another track with more rock oriented instrumentation.
Overall Silhouette is simple and consistent in sound. The band don’t pull any of their typical tricks here, so prepare for a more straightforward track here. Silhouette isn’t a bad song at all, but I also feel as if this is one of the weaker soft songs by Periphery.
The band has better emotional slow songs on past releases, so I can’t help but compare this song to those ones and I can’t help but feel that they could have done more with this one.
However, I do admire the synthpop influences, and I find the placement of the track to fit well as a palate cleanser after the belligerent “Everything is Fine!“.
Dying Star
“Dying Star” is another softer track, but it still has some edge to it. Periphery are slowly building back up the energy they expended in “Everything is Fine!“
The track is more romantic and longing than anything else on Periphery V, and it is an interesting sound to hear at this point in the record.
Dying Star Is A Romantic Yet Yearnful Periphery Song
The song isn’t the most interesting or thought provoking track on the record, but as someone who loves some of the softer songs by Periphery, I enjoy it.
The chorus is the star of the track (no pun attended). The melody reminds me of a slow dance track or something from a Disney movie. I mean this as a compliment by the way!
The instrumentation near the three-minute mark is also a highlight of the track. The sound pops and the production is fantastic. I can’t really put it into words, so you’ll have to hear it for yourself. It just glides so well and flows in a satisfying way.
Dying Star is well positioned within the track list, as I think it builds up well from “Silhouette” and also builds into the aggressive “Zagreus“.
Zagreus
Upon announcement of “Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre”, Periphery decided to spoil their fans by releasing two tracks on the same day. The first was – the previously covered – album starter “Wildfire“, and the second was the wildly heavy “Zagreus“.
Zagreus is a different beast in itself. The track is easily one of the heaviest Periphery songs out there, without sacrificing the progressive and melodic elements the band excels so well at.
Zagreus Is A Heavy Track With A Fantastic Chorus
Despite how heavy the track is, it has a huge chorus. I always wished that previous lead single “Blood Eagle“, from “Periphery VI: Hail Stan“, had a sung chorus, and this time Periphery deliver.
With Zagreus, the band hit that rare perfect balance between heavy and melodic that make for a perfect progressive metal banger.
Additionally, the track is also over eight-minutes in length and it doesn’t get old or repetitive for even a moment.
Spencer Sotelo Delivers Some Ferocious Low Growls
I can’t decide what my favorite part of this track is. I am torn between the brutal deep-low screams and pig-squeal by Spencer Sotelo, or the fantastically done melodic element in the latter half of the track.
Regardless, these two pieces complement each other well, and mix together to form the perfect Periphery track.
In the context of the record, I enjoy Zagreus even more than I enjoyed it as a single (which was a lot). The track is the perfect follow up to the mellow “Dying Star“.
Periphery let the album dive into a calm valley before rising back up with the current track, and I think this was a great way to disperse the energy throughout the album.
Zagreus Contains Some More Juggernaut Easter Eggs
Additionally, it is worth noting that the Zagreus – like Wildfire – features references to the Juggernaut albums.
There is even a specific lyrical reference to what I consider one of the best Periphery songs of all-time, “Omega“. No spoilers for now though, just keep your ears open for it!
PS. Hades fans might hear something a bit familiar in Zagreus.
Overall Zagreus is one of my favorite songs from the album, and I was blown away when the track was released as a single.
Dracul Gras
This one is for those – like me – who love long, theatrical, and heavy tracks from Periphery. My favorite tracks from Periphery are “Omega” and “Reptile“, so I have been excited to hear “Dracul Gras“.
Don’t be fooled by the title and subject matter of this track, as Dracul Gras is a one of the best tracks that Periphery V has to offer. Despite being seemingly named after – and written about – a fat re-imagining of Dracula, this song is a beast!
Dracul Gras Is Heavy, Long, Theatrical, And Progressive As Hell
This track is incredibly dynamic, and features some of the most melodic and heaviest moments from the album (similar to many of the lengthier tracks in the band’s discography). Despite its length, the track is an easy listen and the diversity of sounds within the track keeps things fresh.
After the 10 minute mark (and right when you think Periphery can’t throw anything else out there), the song transitions to a tranquil rave-like dance beat that runs until the song closes out.
Periphery Gets Weird With Dracul Gras (In A Good Way)
Periphery do a lot of weird stuff, and Dracul Gras is the perfect outlet for the band to just go wild. I think this paid off very well, as this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album.
Dracul Gras also seems to have a connection to Atropos, both lyrically and in the melody within the bridge. I haven’t made any further connections yet, but I hope to discover more about how these songs relate to each other upon further listens and inspection.
I appreciate this connection however, as both of the forementioned tracks are two of my favorites on the whole record.
Dracul Gras lives up to the hype, and may just be one of my new favorite Periphery songs.
Thanks Nobuo
The journey through Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre is coming to an end. Fortunately, Periphery have always known how to end an album on a high note.
The band consistently crafts album closers that are perfect for closing out a record, and the placement of the song never feels like an after thought.
Periphery Close Out Periphery V With Another Epic
“Thanks Nobuo” is another long – over 10 minute – track that just screams “album closer”.
The title of the song is a clear reference to the legendary Final Fantasy composer, Nobuo Uematsu.
Guitarist Misha Mansoor is a big fan of Nobuo’s work, and even has covered some of the composer’s tracks within his solo works.
As for the song itself, it is a dynamic and balanced track that has fun jams, harsh vocals, and great melodic vocal runs.
Thanks Nobuo Kicks Off With A Promising Jam Session
I love how the track starts off with some ambience before exploding into one of the most fun jams sessions Periphery has ever done. I actually wish we heard more of this throughout the track.
With that said, overall I find the beginning of Thanks Nobuo to be the highlight of the song. There is a lot of energy similar to “Wax Wings“, which I found to be a highlight of the record. However, the song drastically shifts in sound and style after about three minutes.
However, The Track Can Get A Bit Repetitive At Times
Unfortunately, while I do enjoy the track and it is great in its own right, I feel it doesn’t use its long run-time efficiently enough.
The song contains a lot of repeated portions and ambiance – that while sounding great – causes the song to be a bit hard to digest outside of a full-album listen.
“Thanks Nobuo” works best when the band takes advantage of its long run-time to experiment with unconventional structures, verses, and experimental vocal segments. However, a lot of the song repeats itself.
The Song Features A Reference To A Fan-Favorite Periphery III Track
One other fun fact worth noting, is that towards the end of the song there is a glaring reference to the Periphery III track “The Way the News Goes…“, which is one of my favorite Periphery tracks.
So keep your ears open for this, as this was a nice nod to a severally underrated Periphery song.
Periphery has had better album closers in the past, and better lengthy songs as well, but all-in-all Thanks Nobuo is a great track, and a fitting close to Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre.
Final Verdict For Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
“Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre” is an album four years in the making that doesn’t only make up for lost time, but shows that perhaps taking some time to craft a worthy record can be of a huge benefit.
The record contains some of the best Periphery songs of all-time with songs like “Wax Wings“, “Atropos“, “Wildfire“, “Zagreus“, “Dracul Gras“, and “Everything Is Fine!“, making nearly the whole album a highlight.
All of this was accomplished while crafting possibly the best cohesive record the band have ever done. While I am still partial to the Juggernaut concept albums “Alpha” and “Omega“, this is perhaps my favorite record within the “Periphery I-V Saga“.
“Periphery IV: Hail Stan” was a hard record to beat, but overall I believe that Periphery V accomplishes that overall. The band have taken everything they have learned about themselves, their brand, and their fandom and applied it to the work.
Additionally, I love how Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre contains references, riffs, and lyrics from past records (even the Juggernaut albums). It makes the record feel like a celebration of the band’s entire existence.
While I find that the softer songs don’t quite amount to some of the previous soft songs in the band’s discography, this is a small nitpick, and I find that nearly everything else on this record is done masterfully.
I can’t help but admire this album and the band for creating this. Bonus points for doing it as an independent band under their own label 3DOT Recordings.
Freedom looks good and sounds good on Periphery, and the band has achieved new heights with Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Everything Is Fine: The Making Of Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
Want to learn more about the making of Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre? Check out the documentary “Everything Is Fine: The Making Of Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre” by following the highlighted link or through the video above.
I came to appreciate the album even more after watching the documentary, and I’m sure any Periphery fan would feel the same.
Closing Thoughts
There you have it! What did you think of this Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre album review? Please share your thoughts down in the comments, and thank you for your time.
