In whole, it seems Periphery has a very mixed reception across the board of the metal community. With the inclusion of overly melodic clean vocals and djent characteristics, which some may consider a gimmick genre, the group is quite vulnerable to discontent as such traits are for the most part not accepted by the majority. Nonetheless, the band has been able to strive by finding a niche market of those who embrace the previously less accepted musical attributes.
I'm sure many will disagree with me when I state the Alpha record was absolutely brilliant. The vocal hooks and instrumentation were stunningly spot on. But for Select Difficulty, I'm honestly very on the fence on how to score this record. With qualities that I both enjoy and dislike, I think the easiest way would be to break down what aspects I perceived as positive and negative.
Starting with the opening track, "The Price is Wrong" was a tough pill to swallow as the first single. I can assume I speak for many others when saying the short and in-your-face delivery left more to be wanted. Granted, I do believe the track was a solid way to begin the record. "Prayer Position" and "Motormouth" are other favorites on the record with the latter using a rapid, spontaneous Sikth vocal delivery. On the contrary, I really couldn't get onboard with "The Way The News Goes…" or "Remain Indoors" with the vocals so high in the mix. "Catch Fire" suffers from the same overtly pop-rock drive as the most recent I See Stars record. All the remaining pieces I felt pretty indifferent about. They either lacked the pizzazz needed or the musicality and strong songwriting that hooked me on Alpha.
With my quick takes on the notable tracks out of the way, I'd like to assess some of the album's overall properties. The orchestral addition is what I find to be the most compelling part of this album. Like fuck, the classical music outro on "Absolomb" was absolutely magnificent and I wished this style was extended throughout the compositions rather than used just as transitions. Screw the repetition of djent grooves. I say the next step of the genre is more of the orchestral and choral parts amped up. I do also want to state that a few of these pieces have a growing likability. I thoroughly did not enjoy "Marigold" during my first listens, but I see how it is a strong track now.
I don't hate this album. There's truly a lot here to like, but the tracks lack the appropriate evolution that they would have gained if this release was worked on longer. I was so impressed when I heard the group was already recording so soon after their double-album, yet this was not the direction I had hoped Periphery would take. While the vocal melodies are consistently catchy, it felt as if relying on this aspect was forced and low-brow. It truly came down to the materiel being neither as technically impressive or melodically impactful as the last LP.
I would assume one's opinion of this release is dependent on their preference of past Periphery records. For myself, favoring the modestly catchy aspects of Juggernaut: Alpha lead to me feeling mostly middle of the road towards Periphery III: Select Difficulty. Musically, there is plenty of impressive chops, but most fans already were aware of this in early releases. I wanted Periphery to take their compositions to the next level on this go around and to my dismay, they did not. As a final feeling, I'm a bit disappointed and underwhelmed in this material as a follow-up to one of my most appreciated Periphery releases, but there are a few tracks that will stick out well in their discography for me to still be a fan.
7/10
