For as technical as their music is, Periphery have always had a sense of humor, naming songs after obscure Arrested Development references ("Jetpacks Was Yes") and even calling their last record, Periphery IV: Hail Stan. However, the title of their long-awaited seventh album is their most gut-bustingly hilarious joke yet — it's called Periphery V: Djent is Not a Genre.
The prog-metalcore virtuosos helmed by Misha Mansoor and Spencer Sotelo are largely credited as forerunners in djent, a genre-not-genre of metal that's rooted in ultra down-tuned guitars, rubbery grooves and mechanical instrumental tones. It's a style that exploded in the early 2010s, largely thanks to Periphery themselves, but the word "djent" itself is a label that Periphery have pushed back against over the years, so it's hysterical that they'd go right out and pluck the title of their new record from one of the most common metal message board refrains of the 2010s.
The record, out March 10th via the band's own 3DOT Recordings, marks Periphery's first full-length since 2019's Hail Stan. Today (January 9th), the band are only revealing its title and cover art, but they're promising that the first two singles, "Wildfire" and "Zagreus," will both arrive this coming Thursday (January 12th) alongside pre-orders.
See the cover art via Periphery's formal announcement below.
