SELF-MADE MEN

On their new, independently released album, guitarist Misha Mansoor talks of taking Periphery back to the band they always wanted it to be. No longer bending to the pressures of suits or the public, and more comfortable now in their own skin than ever before, this is the story of how Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre finds the US group at their defiant best.

- Phil Weller

As another Periphery album makes its way into the world, the prog and metal communities find themselves A polarised once more. This is a record defined by a heady mix of sparkling pop hooks, aggressive heavy metal mathematics and complex structures that unravel like a whodunnit. But, in what must feel like Groundhog Day for the Washington quintet, the internet is inconclusive about what to make of it.

"We chose to be a progressive metal band because it meant that we could do whatever we want," says guitarist Misha Mansoor. "We love really heavy stuff. We also love really poppy stuff. It's all kosher in this band. We have so many critics, but no one can agree on why they hate it."

To some, when vocalist Spencer Sotelo sings, the band are ruined they would rather the quintet were instrumental. For others, it's only when he sings that Periphery's modern, genrefluid approach to making music is palatable. There are circles where their heaviness is considered reductive and guilty of tainting their genuinely beautiful turns. These are turns which, for another segment of the band's dizzying Venn diagram of fans, unnecessarily sprinkle sugar onto what should be a staunchly savoury dish. Pleasing everyone is an impossible task.

"But that's okay," Mansoor returns. "I don't think we're the band that's gonna convince anyone of anything. We're not for everybody and we don't want to be for everybody."