A Pale White Dot: Periphery is lonely, but we’re all together

Periphery is back, and this time it’s personal (not unlike their second album). Fans of the American progressive metal giant have been waiting since 2023 for the follow-up to Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre, but between the first riff of lead single ‘Mr God’ and the fact this album was not titled something along the lines of “Periphery VI: I Did the Dishes Mom”, it is clear this is a different beast entirely. Periphery’s only other break from their self-titled album scheme was with their 2015 concept double album, Juggernaut Alpha and Juggernaut Omega, and here they deliver another concept album, though this time not narrative. A Pale White Dot is a collection of twelve distinctly Periphery songs tied together under the theme of loneliness. On the new album, Misha Mansoor and company manage to create something unique and beautiful, but undeniably Periphery.

The space between the stanzas feels like waiting for an answer that never comes; it is a cry for help told subtly, as if to see if anyone would notice if you disappeared

‘Blackwall’ is the album’s electronica song. The ‘electronic track without guitars that could be played a heavy metal disco’ has been a staple of Periphery’s sound over the past few albums, yet ‘Blackwall’ mainly instrumental. This is not uncommon for other progressive metal acts such as Dream Theater or Haken, but it feels like word painting here. The lyrics keep repeating the word “Hello” and no-one ever responds; the space between the stanzas feels like waiting for an answer that never comes; it is a cry for help told subtly, as if to see if anyone would notice if you disappeared.

The album’s second single ‘Everyone Dies Alone’ is a standout track. A ballad that mixes the sound of the new, heavier Periphery with electronic elements, it chronicles how we even if we live and breathe together, we will have to face death by alone: “Drifting off to the void, find peace in nothing / ‘Cause everyone dies alone”. It is a song of the inevitable and trying to avoid thinking about it by filling ourselves with present pain, so we at least live feeling, rather than die in silence. This song was written in collaboration with Caleb Shomo of Beartooth, who famously left Attack Attack! due to mental health struggles, and so the fact that Periphery chose not to write a song about loneliness alone is representative of the fact that we can avoid loneliness by reaching out, to others.

Periphery’s new album was not what anyone expected, but it’s the album they needed

The title track is a beautiful acoustic postlude to this journey through loneliness. It is instrumental and akin to the four-minute electronica coda to ‘Thanks Nobou’ that ended Periphery’s previous album. Like other progressive metal postludes such as ‘Outro’ from Persefone’s Spiritual Migration, it feels like a cooldown after an intense journey. Maybe this piece tells us we are not as alone as we thought we were, for although we are many, we share in this album as a collective. ‘Subhuman’ is another standout track, featuring Will Ramos of Lorna Shore performing guest vocals, his voice a perfect foil to that of Spencer Sotelo. ‘Obsession’ verges into a black metal texture several times, counterbalanced against electronic elements. It would feel unjust to discuss this album without mentioning how ‘Mr God’ is by far Periphery’s heaviest song, and made an entire fanbase reshape their expectations of Periphery’s eighth full length offering.

Periphery’s new album was not what anyone expected, but it’s the album they needed. With shorter songs than previous releases (there is not a song on this album longer than five minutes) and a lack of the electronic interludes between tracks, this is a new frontier for the band. Many bands write about record labels restricting their output, but Periphery own and run their record label. Their own choice to move away from their tried and tested sound shows their freedom, and that sometimes fulfilment isn’t just about what you write, it’s about what you want to write.

This is Periphery’s coming-of-age album, written to avoid the repetition of the formula of their previous albums

The meme titling of their previous albums may mislead the average listener to think they are a silly band, but their new release is the proof they have a serious side. In a post-lockdown world where everyone thought we could readjust to socialisation a lot quicker than we actually did, it is refreshing to see a group of men write about the loneliness epidemic that has infected the world in the wake of Covid-19, particularly in a social landscape where men’s mental health has rarely been discussed. This is Periphery’s coming-of-age album, written to avoid the repetition of the formula of their previous albums. It is a pertinent theme, told through metaphors and imagined people, but it is their most raw and relatable album to date.

Recommended Listening: ‘Everyone Dies Alone’, ‘Subhuman’

★★★★

Listen to A Pale White Dot here: