Progressive metallers Chrononlogist are preparing their new album Cartographer for a December 2nd release. Ghost Cult is proud to bring you the première of their new song ‘Pioneer’ today, which you can stream below: Continue reading
Tag Archives: Periphery
Revolver Music Awards Nominees Announced, Tickets On Sale Now
As previously reported by Ghost Cult last night the Revolver Music Awards, previously known as the Revolver Golden Gods Awards have made a comeback. Taking place December 13th in New York City, at Webster Hall, the event will be co-hosted by Jose Mangin and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. The full list of nominees is now announced: Continue reading
Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, FFDP, Chevelle, Meshuggah, And More Join Chicago Open Air
Chicago Open Air, buoyed by naming Rammstein as their inaugural headline act, has now added a plethora of bands including Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, Chicagoans like Disturbed, Chevelle, and Ministry, plus Meshuggah, Of Mice and Men,In This Moment, Hollywood Undead, Trivium, Carcass, Hatebreed, Periphery, Drowning Pool, Butcher Babies, Through Fire, Breaking Benjamin, Pop Evil, Gojira, Deafheaven, The Devil Wears Prada, Helmet, Nothing More, Saint Asonia, Miss May I, Beartooth, Silver Snakes, City Of The Weak, Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, Babymetal, Asking Alexandria, Corrosion Of Conformity, Letlive. All That Remains, We Came As Romans, Jim Breuer & The Regulators, Upon A Burning Body, Gemini Syndrome and more. With this incredible lineup of talent as well as craft beer and “Gourmet Man Food”, Chicago Open Air from the very outset is vying to become the premiere American music festival.
Disturbed released a statement about playing the festival in their hometown:
“It is long overdue that one of the greatest rock cities in the world has a festival of its own. We are honored and excited to be one of the headliners at the inaugural Chicago Open Air festival in our hometown of Chicago.”
Daily band lineups (subject to change)
Friday, July 15:
Rammstein
Chevelle
Ministry
Of Mice & Men
Meshuggah
In This Moment
Hollywood Undead
Trivium
Carcass
Hatebreed
Periphery
Drowning Pool
Butcher Babies
Through Fire
Saturday, July 16:
Disturbed
Korn
Breaking Benjamin
Pop Evil
Gojira
Deafheaven
The Devil Wears Prada
Helmet
Nothing More
Saint Asonia
Miss May I
Beartooth
Silver Snakes
City Of The Weak
Sunday, July 17:
Slipknot
Five Finger Death Punch
Marilyn Manson
Bullet For My Valentine
Killswitch Engage
Babymetal
Asking Alexandria
Corrosion Of Conformity
Letlive.
All That Remains
We Came As Romans
Jim Breuer & The Regulators
Upon A Burning Body
Gemini Syndrome
General Admission and VIP tickets are on sale now at ChicagoOpenAir.com.
Weekend GA Field: $219.50
Weekend GA Bowl: $119.50
Weekend VIP: $399.50
Weekend VIP 2-Packs: $860.00
Single Day GA Bowl: $49.50
All VIP tickets include: VIP entrance lanes into the event, access to a VIP lounge area featuring dedicated food and beverage offerings (for additional purchase), field and stadium level viewing areas of the main stage, dedicated restroom facilities, and a commemorative Chicago Open Air VIP-only laminate.
Festival doors open at 11:00 a.m. each day and the show ends at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 10:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Audio: Matt Halpern Of Periphery Is The Latest Guest On The Jasta Show Podcast
Matt Halpern, drummer of progressive metallers Periphery is the latest guest on The Jasta Show Podcast, hosted by Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed, Kingdom Of Sorrow, Jasta). They discussed pornography, teaching drum lessons on tour, songwriting, YouTube, Candlebox, Collective Soul, 90s Grunge bands, Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose, Bring Me The Horizon, Halpern, touring in general and music streaming services. Will be part of a second episode in the near future as well.
https://soundcloud.com/jameyjasta/episode-150-matt-halpern-periphery
Audio: Toothgrinder – Diamonds For Gold, Featuring Spencer Sotello
Toothgrinder are dropping another track from their upcoming new album Notcturnal Masquerade on Spinefarm Records January 29th. You can hear ‘Diamonds For Gold’ at this link or below:
‘Diamonds For Gold’ features a guest appearance of Spencer Sotello from Periphery on the track. The band commented in an interview about the track:
“‘Diamonds for Gold’ is one of those songs on the album that makes us proud that we have decided to take a leap into the unknown,” the band told Loudwire. “The track is a perfect introduction to the more ethereal side of Toothgrinder. It really sets the mood for the more dynamic tonal pieces of the record. A break from the chaos is exactly what Nocturnal Masquerade has called for. We had a lot of fun watching the song come together and hope that translates to the outside listener.”
The song will be available for purcharse and stream at all digital music retailers tomorrow, December 11th.
The band is hitting the road in early 2016 to support the release, including dates with The Crucible and some headline dates as well:
Toothgrinder winter 2016 tour dates, with The Crucible:
Jan 08: The Loft – Lansing, MI
Jan 09: Big Shots – Valparaiso, IN
Jan 10: Fubar – St. Louis, MO
Jan 11: Reilly’s Roadhouse – Romeoville, IL
Jan 12: Thompson House – Newport, KY
Jan 13: The Outpost – Kent, OH
Jan 14: Voltage – Philadelphia, PA
Jan 15: The Studio at Webster Hall – New York, NY
Jan 16: The Champ – Lemoyne, PA
Jan 17: Sherlock’s – Erie, PA
Nocturnal Masquerade record release headlining
Jan 28: Amityville Music Hall – Amityville, NY
Jan 29: Championship Bar – Trenton, NJ
Jan 30: Sidebar Tavern – Baltimore, MD
Ghost Cult Album Of The Year 2015 – Countdown: 50 – 41
And now the end is near, and so we face 2015’s final curtain, and once more the Ghost Cult army got together to vote for their favourites. The results? More than 20 writers pitched and voted on over 220 albums ranging from indie pop to the most horrific savage tentacle laden death metal showing the depth, breadth of the official Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2015.
The votes have been cast, the dust has settled… let the countdown commence…
50. Liturgy – ‘The Ark Work’ (Thrill Jockey)
“Despite what you may have heard, The Ark Work is neither the ultimate transformation of stupid music into art nor the final betrayal of Metal’s values by the poser hordes. It is, however, one of the boldest, most distinctive and utterly unflinching Metal albums you’ll hear all year”
49. Khost – ‘Corrosive Shroud’ (Cold Spring)
“A startling, spellbinding piece of work. Having given us Sabbath, Napalm Death, Godflesh, and Anaal Nathrakh, Birmingham – and Khost – has just provided Metal’s latest evolution.”
48. Sigh – ‘Graveward’ (Candlelight)
“A strong, distinctive album with its own character and some genuinely excellent songwriting and works well as both an introduction to one of the most genuinely interesting metal bands of the last twenty years and an album in its own right.”
47. Rivers of Nihil – ‘Monarchy’ (Metal Blade)
“Rather than fifty minutes of a constant snare and uninspiring distorted low tuned guitars, Rivers of Nihil have really focused on expanding, adding more atmosphere and a dynamic to keep a hold.”
46. Periphery – ‘Juggernaut Alpha / Omega’ (Sumerian)
“Now that they can’t be pigeonholed to djent or the “Sumerian sound” it leaves Periphery open to be viewed for what they truly are, a brilliant metal band. ”
45. Publicist UK – ‘Forgive Yourself’ (Relapse)
“When I cranked this album on my laptop the last thing I expected was the musical equivalent of Joy Division on a collision course with Cave In, but what a lovely wreck it turned out to be.”
44. Gorod – ‘A Maze of Recycled Creeds’ (Listenable/Unique Leader)
“Complete with Gorod’s signature Bossa Nova-infused jazzy riffs and complex arrangements, A Maze of Recycled Creeds stands not only as Gorod’s crowning achievement, but also that of 2015.”
Lyndsey O’Connor
43. Shape of Despair – ‘Monotony Fields’ (Season of Mist)
‘Monotony Fields’ adds a touch of light to the overwhelming darkness of Funeral Doom yet, far from trivialising it, only increases its power to move and intrigue. This is as refreshing as it is heartfelt and affecting.”
42. Bell Witch – ‘Four Phantoms’ (Profound Lore)
“Bell Witch continue to confound, enthral, terrify and move in equal measure; and in creating a second album of such weight and emotion prove themselves peerless.”
41. Slayer – ‘Repentless’ (Nuclear Blast)
“Armed with 12 new ditties toasting humanity’s self-destruction, the new Slayer album is a complex one. Overall Repentless is an enjoyable, fierce album that sounds essentially like a Slayer album should.”
Periphery – Veil of Maya – Good Tiger: Koko, London
Whether you agree with the idea of Djent being a genre or not, it’s a difficult thing to pull off live, and very impressive when it happens. The hyper-technical layers of sound are beyond the reach of most in-house PAs, if not engineers.
Sadly, the first band of the evening can’t fully play that card in defence of this evening’s performance. Whilst definitely suffering from a bad case of Support Sound Syndrome, Good Tiger’s thin, reedy vocals and a collectively lacklustre performance failed to reflect the credentials of this “supergroup”. That said, ‘Snake Oil’ (their debut single) as the set closer got a decent reaction and even a singalong from a static crowd that was clearly hungry for the main course.
Chicago’s Veil of Maya were up next, their heavier and bassier sound clearly more compatible with the house rig and a slightly warmer (and tighter) performance was rewarded with a slightly warmer reception in the form of a brief circle pit for ‘Mikasa’. By the end of the set, the assembled Peripherals were suitably warm and even the obvious naysayers were clearly on board.
Come 10 o’clock, Periphery finally took the stage to the opening strains of ‘Muramasa’ and proceeded to deliver a masterclass in How To Play Djent Live, Bitches. Clearly the secret is in the percussive advantage of having every goddamn person on the ground floor moshing in perfect time. Gotta hand it the the Periphery crowd – they got rhythm!
Spencer delivered a supremely confident performance, handling the crowd with ease, allowing plenty of space for (surprisingly tuneful) singalongs and showboating. The ballroom dancing during ’22 Faces’ was a surprise to even this seasoned gig veteran! There was also some Slipknot-style “get down” action, circle pits, a wall of death that didn’t happen and even a spot of row-your-boat from one the most up-for-it crowds I’ve had the pleasure to share a gig with. It’s always a special experience when both crowd and band are clearly happy to be there and genuinely enjoying each other’s company.
Last time I saw Periphery was at Sonisphere in 2011, where they “just” came on stage and kicked everyone’s teeth in. This evening’s recital was far more intimate, polished and accomplished.
With a set list like this no-one goes home unhappy. Ravishing stuff.
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WORDS BY PHILIP PAGE
PHOTOS BY JESSICA LOTTI PHOTOGRAPHY
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The Definite Incarnation – Jay Postones Of TesseracT (Part 2)
If there is one thing that djent bands are very adept at it is their ability to lose vocalists, so much so it seems to be a rite of passage amongst bands of this ilk, from Monuments and Periphery to The Contortionist. TesseracT it is well documented are no slouches in this department, seeming to change as much as the WWE attitude era Hardcore Championship. Still in the touring cycle for previous album Altered State(Century Media) and on the eve of the summer festivals, came the news that Ashe O’Hara had left the fold, and the welcome surprise that talismanic vocalist Dan Tompkins (at the time also singing for Skyharbor and his own project White Moth Black Butterfly) had assumed his old role.
At the time it seemed completely out of the blue for Tompkins to return, but as Jay Postones explains, he was always the right man for the job, it was circumstances that played their part: “We always kept in contact with Dan and he just couldn’t do it back in the day, when we were touring it was a bit much for him really. But now we are in a much better position, more stable financially and we are able to do it as a proper band. He’s always been able to ride to the music very easily, he’s always been a part of TesseracT, really it’s just the right time.”
In that time, as Postones states, they were always in contact, and during his absence Tompkins had kept very busy with other bands and projects and has been a frequent part of the scene so the idea of rust wasn’t an issue. With so much time passed however you’d expect a settling in period of sorts. As it turns out, this wasn’t the case: “There was no need for integration at all. The hardest thing was getting all the legal stuff right because he had been screwed over before with record labels, management etc, but in artistic terms of what we were trying to create; our vision and his vision align so it was spot on as it’s always been…It was very simple, he came back in and started writing and it was seamless. It’s just great to be working with him again.”
Talking with Postones it is abundantly clear that the band are extremely happy to welcome their old singer and brother back in, in part due to the memories of those early and older tours that they were so fond of. His return brought back that sense of nostalgia as well as the lease of life to move forward: “One of the cool things was that we had a lot of material and demos written from about 2011/12 when he was with us before that we were able to revisit; there were some riffs that we started for Polaris (Kscope). It was really nice to start at that point because a lot of them were written on tour, Dan would be singing along in the van when we were driving past things like crazy, massive lakes in Canada and places like that, and it was nice to be able to start and think back to then.”
Looking back at début album One (Century Media) and Tompkins’ other projects he has done it is clear that he is quite simply a phenomenal talent, but as Postones explains about the singer’s learning curve, frighteningly he is just getting better: “Everything he has done has improved his abilities, he can sing higher that he could before which is just insane because he could reach some stupid notes when he joined is. Everything he has done has helped him develop his voice to a stage he can effortlessly do stuff on Polaris without over shooting himself, and the reason I say that is because if you play an absolute blinder on recording, you have to do it live as well, especially for a vocalist, so what he has put down, every night he’d be fine.”
The impact of Tompkins’ return has not only seen his performance on the microphone skyrocket, but has also made an impression and effect on the rest of the band, rejuvenating them all to a whole new level: “I think the level we had come to expect, I think the bar was raised when Dan came back to us. He was able to absolutely fly with the material. Seeing him nail it every night made us up our game and it was inspiring to see.”
There is the old adage about people or things fitting together perfectly like a glove, and of course it is always cliché for bands to say this about any member when they are together and then that changes when they depart. With Tompkins’ back in the band however, the obvious connection amongst the entire unit and the bond they have shared even when apart suggests that this is the definite incarnation.
“We are all a similar age and we get on really well on tour. You’ve got to be a band of brothers when you’re in a band, not just a touring business which it is for some bands. You can spot the bands that aren’t going to make it more than a few years because there’s arguing, bitterness and egos. The thing with this band for me is that there is none of that. If you need space you get space, we all know each other really well now and can support each other when having a bad time.”
Even the issue of distance between the members (mostly all scattered around the UK with bassist Amos Williams now residing in Shanghai) does not prove too much of a burden for TesseracT, with them all making sure the communication is still going, and the unity they have as a group: “There’s a lot of conversation, the amount of emails between us is ridiculous, like about 100 or so a day. But other than the time difference in Shanghai it’s the same as it’s always been. As well as the emails there’s the usual stupidity between us all, we are a band of mates which is great, and I hope it stays that way.”
WORDS BY CHRIS TIPPELL
Heart Of A Coward – Deliverance
Now then. Every once in a while, you find an album where the first track gives you a stupid shit-eating grin because you just know the whole album’s going to kick your ass. Deliverance (Century Media) by Heart Of A Coward is one of those. Writing this review is a bit like trying to make conversation with a devastatingly attractive woman – all I could initially think of to write about each song was “Fucking Brilliant”.
The greatest thing about the djent “genre” is the huge diversity of influences and styles across the different bands. The potential for originality and excellence in such fertile ground is vast – the scene is a passionate community, has already bred a wide cadre of noteworthy bands and boasts its own labels, producers, websites and festivals.
Heart of a Coward are a fairly recent band on the scene, having formed in 2009, and, with the likes of Periphery and Animals as Leaders, are among the second generation of djent acts delivering on the rich promise of the genre. Taking the djent tropes as a given, there’s a plethora of high-grade influences evident in the mix – from Fear Factory crunch to Strapping Young Lad noisescapes through Lamb of God grooves and Killswitch Engage energy with Deftones breaks and Soilwork shout-a-longs. The real achievement of all this, however, is the fact that it’s realised without sounding fragmented or derivative. The different elements all coalesce into a cohesive sound that’s original, distinctive and incredibly full-on.
This is the Milton Keynes noisemongers’ third album, and it’s an absolute pearler. It’s different in tone to their last outing – Severance (Century Media) – darker, fewer atmospherics, more aggressive and only a dash of clean vocals. This one’s less about the story and drama and more straight-ahead moshbait pitched perfectly to destroy any venue that dares to have them on the bill. We start with ‘Hollow’, which has you wishing for a mosh pit before the first bar is done; a blistering statement of intent that leaves you with absolutely no doubt as to what’s to come, ‘Miscreation’ is up next, and is basically one long beatdown interspersed with soaring screamalong vocals. ‘Turmoil I – Wolves’ is a masterpiece of metalcore chug with shades of Killswitch, following into ‘Turmoil II – The Weak Inherit The Earth’ which sounds like early Chimaira injected with a heavy dose of groove.
‘Anti-Life’ and ‘Grain of Sand’ are triumphs of production, successfully replicating Devin Townsend‘s “Wall of Sound” to crushing effect. Absolutely superb before ‘Mouth Of Madness’ slows things down a touch with a Slipknot-esque opening and a chorus that features the first appearance of clean vocals on the album. ‘Deliverance’ is the most outwardly djent entry on the line-up and the song that most closely resembles their prior work. It would be wrong to call ‘Skeletal I – Mourning Repairs’ a slow song, but it’s an immersive, soulful number that’s up there with Filter or Porcupine Tree for heavy shoegazing. ‘Skeletal II – Arise’ follows straight on as an extended outtro and a melancholy end to the album.
In summary, Deliverance is a stunning piece of work that can only be criticised for coming to an end.
More of this please lads.
9.5/10
PHILIP PAGE
Delivering The Goods – Jamie Graham of Heart Of A Coward
Heart Of A Coward 2015
“There was one conscious decision when it came to this album, and that was to have a bit more pace in there. Once we started playing the Severance stuff live, we sped a few songs up and they sounded way better. We sound our best when there’s a bit more urgency. Then, when it came to recording, we wanted to recreate the live sound as much as possible with natural, organic sounds, with everything properly recorded.”
Jamie Graham sounds slightly worn at the end of a long day of press, promoting the new Heart of a Coward album, Deliverance (Century Media), but there’s no mistaking the glint in his voice when discussing their new release. Because he knows. Part tech-metal, part groove armada, HOAC have taken the slicker, yet oh-so-malevolent approach of Severance (also Century Media) and worked hard on their song writing to produce this years’ sleeper for UK metal’s breakthrough album. He knows Deliverance is a bit special.
“You can’t just play constant ragers for 50 minutes; people want dynamics. But we’re getting to a balance where we don’t have any songs that are there just to make the time up”, he begins, moving on to discuss the flesh of the new offering. And it is a body of work that sees some impressive vocal output from the man himself, with attention in the detail of the different tones of his more aggressive shouts and the nuances and delivery of his cleans, a performance that upped the ante for Graham. “Yeah, it’s tough! I’m not going to lie! Since we’ve started playing the new songs I’m like… Fuck! It’s hard!”
If anything, the laughter that accompanies that comment betrays modesty, for Graham has always delivered as a vocalist. This time around, though, he shines, leading a slew of new metal anthems that should see HOAC truly establishing themselves. “I had that feeling when we did Severance as well. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing, to be honest. As soon as you’re setting be all and end all goals, you’re setting yourself up for a fall. Hopefully people will appreciate the album, and forward it on, talk about it, or whatever the kids do these days, and the album itself will do the rest.”
While not a concept album, Severance linked itself to a reoccurring theme; Deliverance (continuing the train of album titles ending with ance – “Haha, yes! Well, after the last one came out we thought, why don’t we make this next one the last of set?”) also returns at key moments to motifs and similar notions: “to an aftermath, or a result of something, whether a conflict, or struggle, or endeavour. Most of the songs are about fulfilling something – hence the title. The last record was more about breaking away from things that were holding you back. There’s definitely a cohesiveness between our album titles and themes, but there’s not a story across them.”
Heart of a Coward may seem a relatively new name, but since adding guitarist Steve Haycock and former Sylosis vocalist Graham in 2011, this British quintet have been very much in the ascendancy. If 2013’s Severance saw a refinement from bluster, and a band of raw promise, to a genuine contender to the UK metal throne, then Deliverance should, by rights, see them being fitted with ermine robes and bejewelled, pointy head gear.
“It doesn’t feel like it to us, but a lot of people still perceive us as a new band” Graham confirms. Album three is a tricky place to be for a line-up that is only four years old; but four years that have now seen three increasingly excellent albums. “It works in our favour as we’ve been around the block and fully road-tested, so someone coming to check us out won’t need a second time to be convinced. At the same time, there’s no excuse for complacency. We know we have to put the work in and we do the best we can.”
With convincing recent performances under their belt at both Download and Techfest, one of the questions to be asked is, where do Heart of a Coward fit in? “It’s pit music that has hooks and choruses” states Graham. With his band appealing to different audiences, Deliverance sees further development of a more song-based progression. While this will appeal to the more centre ground, is there a concern of leaving their Tech Metal fanbase behind?
“We’ll always have enough technicality to appeal to the tech fans, but we’re a simpler equivalent” explains the frontman. “I’m not worried about that at all. You’ve got your Born of Osiris and Periphery’s and they do their thing and have a lot of bands trying to copy that, but that can’t do it as well (as they do). We do take a portion of that sound, but then mix it with a Killswitch vibe, and with a touch of Acacia Strain or Hatebreedy stuff.
“With the technical side, a lot of bands lose the purpose of the “song” for the purpose of being technical. But then it can go too far the other way with bands who just have a chorus, and the song becomes far too throwaway. We balance that.”
Graham has already mentioned an insistence on ensuring a live, organic feel to this album, and it is with the live arena in mind that several of the songs were constructed. “We did that with this one, yes”, he confirms. “Songs like ‘Deadweight’ and ‘Shade’, we probably wouldn’t omit from the live set, so we wanted to think of songs that would fit nicely with those songs, but without copying them. You have to pace yourself too.”
And the band are aware of the increased demands live, considering the developments on record. “Steve’s doing more backing vocals and stepping into new territory. He’s got a really good screaming voice, a real proper gruff Scott Kelly smoking through a rubber tube voice, which is wicked, Carl can sing too, but it’s a confidence thing with him as he’s so used to just playing his guitar”, Graham adds.
Heart Of A Coward 2015
Deliverance is a maelstrom of modern metal that bridges the age gap within the HOAC ranks. With Graham’s own introduction to metal being Machine Head’s ‘Death Church’ as a mate slipped him Burn My Eyes (Roadrunner), Side B first, to Metallica, Guns N’Roses and then Deftones, it’s no surprise of the diversity flecking the spectrum of HOAC, as Deliverance supplies ragers, groove metal, djent, jagged Gothenburg riffs and modern metal songs with depth and character.
“I like most that it’s got dynamics, and more variety, but it doesn’t lose focus” concludes Graham. While each band spouts their current album is their defining moment, ‘tricky’ album three has proved just that moment for Heart Of A Coward. “I’m really proud of that. A lot of bands struggle on album three to not repeat themselves and whatever big hits they‘ve had before and whatever’s worked for them before, and tend to exploit that too much. Or the opposite, and they veer off in a direction that alienates the whole fan base.
“We’ve straddled both and we’ve paved the way for the next album to be a logical evolution. We know where we want to go with it all, now.”
Deliverance is out now on Century Media. You can order here.
WORDS BY STEVE TOVEY