Prog Masters, Periphery, to Release DUAL Album, Juggernaut: Alpha and Omega!

Periphery, the D.C. based prog outfit whose music Rolling Stone described as “instrumentally vigorous” and whose members have graced the covers of Guitar World and Modern Drummer, release dual albums Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega, on Jan. 27 via Sumerian Records.

“Given the nature and complexity of the Juggernaut story, we’ve actually done something different and exciting in regards to the release,” explains drummer Matt Halpern.  “Juggernaut is a story that is told through our music, and we want our audience to fully digest the whole experience. Because Juggernaut is very detailed and dense in terms of character development, peaks and valleys, climaxes and resolutions we’ve divided the story and music in two, in the form of two separate albums. Juggernaut: Alpha, the first part of the story, focuses on the back story and character development, while part two/album two, Juggernaut: Omega, focuses on some pretty serious and gut-wrenching events, taking you for a thrill ride along the main character’s complex journey.  Although the albums are split in two physically, the story is only complete when the albums are digested consecutively, allowing the listener to recognize and hear the lyrical and musical overlapping themes, foreshadowing, and connected ideas.”

“This is new ground and it’s exciting,” band founder and guitarist Misha Mansoor says of the band’s approach to writing and recording Juggernaut, which saw all six members work collectively for the first time in Periphery’s history. “It’s a way to shake things up. Everyone contributed to everything, even if it wasn’t his instrument. It wasn’t about confrontation. Everyone was focused on creating a really cool album.”

Periphery hit the road in support of the forthcoming album on Jan. 10, kicking off a five-week, North American tour at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, N.C.

“We are ecstatic to be out of the studio and touring on Juggernaut,” said vocalist Spencer Sotelo. “The band is planning on performing a good amount of tracks from that record on this tour and we are beyond excited to share this experience with all of our fans. It’s going to be a killer tour and we feel very strongly about the diverse line-up of bands that we were able to bring together for this.”

Openers for the upcoming tour are Nothing More, Wovenwar and Thank You Scientist.  Tickets are on-sale Nov. 7 with VIP packages available simultaneously via Soundrink.com.

“I first saw Nothing More play in London after the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and was instantly blown away by their performance,” said Mansoor.  “I am so happy that we have the opportunity to take out such a unique and original band on our headliner.” Nothing More’s Johnny Hawkins on the tour: “We’ve been Periphery fans for a long time now – their recordings were a benchmark of quality when we were making our album and we are honored to be sharing the road with them!”

Confirmed dates are as follows:

January 10     Carrboro, NC     Cat’s Cradle

January 11     Charlotte, NC     The Fillmore

January 12     Atlanta, GA     Masquerade

January 13     Tampa, FL     Orpheum

January 14     Ft. Lauderdale, FL     Revolution Live

January 16     New Orleans, LA     House of Blues

January 17     Houston, TX     House of Blues

January 18     Dallas, TX     House of Blues

January 20     Albuquerque, NM     Sunshine Theatre

January 21     Phoenix, AZ     Club Red

January 22     Los Angeles, CA     House of Blues

January 23     Anaheim, CA     Yost Theater

January 26     San Francisco, CA     The Fillmore

January 27     Portland, OR     Hawthorne Theater

January 28     Seattle, WA     El Corazon

January 31     Denver, CO     Summit Music Hall

February 2     Minneapolis, MN     Varsity Theater

February 3     Chicago, IL     House of Blues

February 4     Detroit, MI     St. Andrew’s Hall

February 6     Toronto, ON     Opera House

February 7     Montreal, QC     Corona Theatre

February 8     Albany, NY     Upstate Concert Hall

February 9     Rochester, NY     Water Street Music Hall

February 11     Boston, MA     Paradise Rock Club

February 12     New York, NY     Irving Plaza

February 13     Silver Spring, MD     The Fillmore

February 14     Philadelphia, PA     District N9ne

ABOUT PERIPHERY:

Formed in 2005 by guitarist and tech-guru Misha Mansoor, Periphery released their self-titled, debut album in the spring of 2010.  In the few years since the band’s introduction, the members of Periphery (vocalist Spencer Sotelo, Mansoor, guitarists Jake Bowen and Mark Holcomb, bassist Adam Getwood and drummer Matt Halpern) have been heralded as some of heavy music’s best and brightest new players and innovators. They have landed on the covers of Guitar World, Modern Drummer and Bass Player magazines for their adept skill at balancing technically innovative playing alongside songwriting that’s “enjoyable, occasionally evocative, and often brilliant” (Metal Sucks). The band’s 2012 release, Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal established “their own sonic territory” with their sophomore album, emphasizing “melody and texture over heaviness, resulting in a more mature and accessible sound (Revolver).” Rolling Stone recently profiled Mansoor in their “Young Guns” series, highlighting the next generation’s most notable guitar players.