- Country: USA
- Style: Progressive metal / Progressive metalcore
- Label: Sumerian Records
- Release date: 22 July 2016
No slow build, no ambient intro: Periphery III: Select Difficulty opens with “The Price Is Wrong”, a vicious, shouty blast that sounds like the band blowing off a lot of steam at once. It works as a wake-up call, and “Motormouth” keeps the pressure on, but the album really earns its place on this list once it opens up. “Marigold” has a massive, sweeping chorus and some of the tastiest lead playing on the record, and “Absolomb” rides a fat, bouncing groove into a beautifully melodic second half.
The trouble is consistency. For every great idea there’s a stretch of polished but forgettable djent-by-numbers, and a few of the vocal hooks lean so hard into radio-rock territory that they undercut the heaviness around them. Then closer “Lune” shows up, a slow, soaring ballad that’s easily the most moving thing they’ve recorded, and most sins are forgiven.
Best tracks:
Marigold
Lune
Absolomb
The Price Is Wrong
Author’s rating: 8.1/10
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